The 5 bathroom lighting rules design experts always follow for a bright and beautiful space

Bathroom lighting is often an overlooked aspect of the design process - with it being such a functional space, the need to plan in all the essentials tends to overtake. However, it's essential to ensure that your bathroom is well-lit for those dark winter mornings and ambient evenings spent soaking in the tub.

So where should you start when planning bathroom lighting? Aside from style preferences, it can feel tricky to even know where to begin. Is a warm or cool bulb best? Should you opt for a traditional ceiling light or are spotlights the better option?

To decode the journey we've spoken to design experts to figure out what the 'rules' are when deciding on bathroom lighting. From positioning to smart lighting, ensuring your bathroom lighting is as stylish as it is practical will be simple.

1. Don't rely on a single light source

When planning a bathroom lighting scheme, you might think that choosing a big ceiling light as your main source will illuminate the room as well as possible. However, as Peter Legg, product and marketing manager at Dar Lighting explains, 'It's advisable not to rely on a single light source. Adding wall lights can help the space feel brighter and larger.'

Layering lighting is a much more effective way of adding illumination to each area of the bathroom, making it easier to use the space and adding visual to the design scheme.

2. Be clever with positioning

Choosing the positioning of your bathroom lighting might seem simple - concentrate it around high-use areas such as your sink and vanity unit, bath and shower to ensure you're not stuck washing in the dark. While this is true, there are more specific positioning tricks you can play with to make a bathroom feel larger and brighter.

'Proper positioning is important, and placing wall lights on either side of a mirror will reflect light back into the room and create a more spacious feeling. For those designing a particularly compact space, such as a cloakroom, an illuminated mirror could be considered as an alternative,' advises Peter.

3. Think about the bulb colour

There is no right or wrong when it comes to picking a bulb colour for your bathroom. Both cool and warm-toned lighting have a place, but you need to be careful about where you place each of them. In function-first zones such as over a sink, a cool-toned bulb will add much-needed visibility whereas wall lights in a warm shade will add a calming ambience.

Alternatively, for added versatility, Rachel Morris, marketing manager at 4lite, recommends: 'For an easy yet quality transformation, place a smart bulb in your existing light fitting. This offers millions of colour combinations and thousands of shades of white to create stunning looks, instantly setting off your bathroom’s design and reimagining the space entirely.

'Smart functionality allows you to choose bright daylight hues if you’re putting on makeup or cosy, soft lighting if you’re relaxing in the bath – all controllable from your smart phone or voice-activated device such as Alexa and Google Home.'

4. Follow the rule of three

The golden rule for perfect bathroom lighting? The rule of three.

'Layering three types of light – ambient, accent and task – can help to make the most of a bathroom, create different zones and ensure it provides the right type of lighting for the varied uses that a bathroom needs to fulfil,' explains Rachel.

Whether this is through wall lights, spotlights, under-cabinet lighting or even a lamp, you can pick and choose three options that work for your space and style. The effect will be an atmospheric design full of dimension.

5. Avoid placing lights overheard

Choosing a bathroom ceiling light idea as your main source of lighting can be a tempting option as it will provide ample illumination for the room, but experts actually don't always recommend placing lights directly overhead, depending on the room.

'Avoid placing lights directly overhead, as this can create shadows. Instead, opt for soft ambient lighting to set a relaxing mood. And with tech like motion sensors and adjustable brightness, you can easily tailor the lighting to your needs,' explains Ben Bryden, sales and marketing director at RAK Ceramics.

A ceiling light is still a useful bathroom lighting choice, but when planning it be conscious of where the light will hit to avoid any harsh shadows.