Lighting and Functional Bathroom Design…. What is the relationship?

LIGHTING TO BRIGHTEN UP YOUR HOME!
HOW DOES LIGHTING PLAY A ROLE IN HOME AND BATHROOM DESIGN?

Let’s take a look at a functional storage option with the benefits of illumination!

 

When it comes to home design we consider so many key factors such as, paint colours, tile, flooring, counter-tops and cabinetry, furniture, and kitchen and bathroom fixtures.  We also think about the style of design aesthetic we want for our home such as; modern, contemporary, minimalist, industrial, md-century, modern or traditional, etc.

 

Another key item of consideration in home design is lighting; not only to ensure our home has proper illumination for practical functionality, but also to create ambience in each room and accentuate the interior styling within our home.

 

SFGATE Magazine talks about the importance of lighting in interior design.

 

The simplicity and importance of lighting in interior design is discussed in this NY Times article.

 

And when it comes to the bathroom, it becomes even more important when considering the right lighting to provide the proper clear illumination in order to meet our everyday practical needs while, still providing a beautiful design option.

 

Why is the proper lighting in a bathroom such a key factor?

 

When we choose the lighting for our bathroom, we are looking for lighting to serve two purposes.  We want light to have varying characteristics or ambience and we also want functional, task lighting.

 

 

 

AMBIENCE AND ATMOSPHERE

 

In terms of creating a bathroom space with various nuances in ambience; lighting not only accentuates the bathroom design elements but it also has many characteristics such as exuding a calm, peaceful effect or a crisper, vivid effect.

 

Our experience with and exposure to certain types of light is a very important part of our everyday lives and plays a role in impacting our mood and our biological clock, and it also influences our sleeping habits.  For example, on a bright, sunny day it is hard not to be in anything but in a good mood.  And, when the sun does not set until later in the evening during those long summer days; you feel less sleepy and less inclined to go to bed earlier.  Also, when your room is too bright with light and there is not enough darkness; it is harder to drift into sleep and get a good night’s sleep.

 

How is all of this relevant to a bathroom?

 

The bathroom serves so many functions, and part of this function is influenced by the many characteristics or the ambience set by the tone, the design and the atmosphere created by factors such as lighting.  For example, when you use your bathroom, you want to have the right environment or ambience for a relaxing ‘before bed’ bath or a bath just to unwind at any time of the day.  And, you want the right environment for your ‘straight out of the bed’ morning shower.  You also want the right environment for performing all of your daily grooming functions such as shaving, applying make-up or doing an in-home haircut or hair dye job which some of us have had resort to during the COVID pandemic.

 

 

So, when you want your bath before bed you want the lighting to be softer, warmer and to set the right mood to help you relax, relieve stress and just clear your mind.  And when you wake up, still feeling groggy and need to start your day, you want the lighting to be a little brighter as a way to “wake up” the senses, and perk yourself up.  And when you want to perform your daily grooming tasks, you want the light to be very bright and crisp so, you can see the finer details.

 

 

Therefore, the right lighting characteristics in your bathroom is so key to create these various ambiences within your bathroom environment.

 

ArchDaily.com discusses how to create mood lighting in the design of your home.

 

 

PRACTICAL FUNCTIONALITY

 

As we know, bathrooms serve a practical and functional role in our daily living.  In terms of creating a bathroom space with flexible and varied practical usage; the right lighting puts the “functionality” into bathroom design.

 

As already mentioned, our experience and exposure to certain types of light creates a certain atmosphere of ambience which influences our mood and our biological clock and also, impacts our sleeping habits.  As previously discussed, these different types of lighting play various functional roles where for example, a less bright or a subdued light in your bathroom is more suited for a relaxing bath before bed time or in the bedroom to help slumber into sleep.

 

 

We discussed how light can influence and set a certain tone or mood in home and bathroom design.  To further add to this concept of how certain lighting can affect our mental state; light can also function as a therapeutic tool for various mood or health disorders such as depression or season affective disorder.  Light therapy devices can be incorporated within the home as part of the design serving a practical function in certain rooms of your home and especially, in the bathroom.  Just imagine you are laying in the bathtub with in dimly lit bathroom combined with a light therapy device built into you bathroom.  Now, this is the ultimate therapeutic conditions in your bathroom to create a calming, soothing and relaxing experience.

 

 

This is an interesting article about the use of and positive effects of light therapy from the Mayo Clinic. 

 

Light can also play other functional roles such as in a sterilization or ‘bacterial fighting’ UV light technology specifically, in the bathroom space.  Using UV light as a disinfectant can be safely done in your bathroom with a UV-C light system that includes a reverse occupancy sensor to ensure the fixture will not operate if a person enters a space during a disinfection cycle.   A UV lighting system incorporated with a disinfection cycle function plus, a motion sensor is crucial for safe and effective cleaning, and sterilization.

 

 

This is an informative article about the use of UV sterilization in home design from “The Insider” magazine.

 

Overall, lighting in a home and specifically in the bathroom space must meet the practical functional needs of daily living activities.  If you have the wrong lighting in your bathroom for any number of your daily needs; this causes a deficit in your bathroom functionality.  For example, no one wants to walk out of the house with dark peach streaks of make-up running across their face due to poor and inefficient bathroom lighting.

 

 

Each functional need in a home and more specifically, in your bathroom requires a particular lighting characteristic, which can be adjusted in vibrancy and strength so you can have the appropriate lighting conditions in your home according to the time of day.

 

What is a great lighting option for your bathroom?

 

Now that we discussed why lighting is a vital design feature in a bathroom, this begs question of what is an efficient lighting option for your bathroom.

 

There are many various lighting options you can install in your bathroom from ceiling pot lights to recessed lights or hanging lights.

 

However for your bathroom, a mirrored cabinet is one key design option to install for its threefold functionality of providing versatile and task lighting, and also for its hidden storage capacity in a high-quality, crisp and distortion free mirror.  So, you have efficient lighting, storage and a mirror in one design option.

 

 

Mirrored cabinets with an LED light can be adjusted so, it’s brighter in the morning, which helps kick start your day by perking you up.  Or for grooming such as make-up application, the light can be adjusted for a bright and crisp illumination   And in the evening, the light of a mirrored cabinet can be turned down for softer lighting with its dimmable feature as you wind down for bedtime.   So, a lit mirrored cabinet offers the versatility of ambient lighting and also, the practicality of task lighting.

 

 

As for the right lit mirrored cabinet to consider, a Swiss-made, high quality brand offering technically advanced lighting is a functional go-to lighting option for your bathroom.

 

Here is an informative HGTV article about designing a bathroom with optimum lighting.

 

Conclusion

 

The right lighting that offers versatility to meet your functional needs while, still creating specific ambient nuances of illumination for your everyday living activities is such a key component of consideration in home design.

 

HGTV discusses putting together a home lighting plan in the design of your home in this great article.

 

The simplicity and importance of lighting in interior design is discussed in this NY Times article.

 

 

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN SOME interesting facts about the technical components of our mirrored cabinet lighting, check out our news story here.