Bathroom lighting, like kitchen lighting, puts great emphasis on specific task areas. Because bathrooms are completed with fixtures and cabinetry during initial construction, it is practical to install lighting that is appropriate for the task areas. The most demanding area for lighting is at the vanity mirror. Here the ideal light illuminates the face from the sides as well as from above, reducing shadowing effects. The tub, shower, and commode areas all need adequate light as well. This may be provided by overall ambient lighting in open plan bathrooms or may require individual fixtures where these areas are partitioned off.
Small, open plan bathrooms and powder rooms can often be effectively illuminated from a single good quality fixture at the vanity. Larger bathrooms generally require fixtures in addition to those at the vanity.
Most of the following designs include vanity lighting above and beside the mirror. Representative vanity fixtures using CFLs are shown in Specification for Fixtures, but this choice must often be guided by aesthetic considerations.
The direct lighting designs below provide simple, efficient direct illumination. However, they accomplish this effect at the expense of considerable glare. These fixtures flood the room with light in all directions.
The recessed lighting design, using recessed downlights (with clear reflectors), provides a subdued and elegant pattern of lighting with excellent glare control. A light-colored floor contributes greatly to the effectiveness of this design.
The indirect lighting designs use valances, wall washers or coves to provide the most well-integrated lighting with excellent glare control. Wall wash lighting will tend to visually expand the size of the room. Cove and valance lighting will brighten the ceiling and give a sense of greater ceiling height.
When laying out the locations of wall washers, be sure to avoid aiming them at windows or doors, as severe glare will be experienced when viewing the room through these openings. The valance and light cove recommendations are based on installations constructed along the lines of the detail shown in Specification of Fixtures.
What approaches are recommended to apply HPL?
Direct Lighting
Recessed Lighting
Indirect Lighting
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High performance lighting in the bathroom
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