How to choose bathroom lighting fixtures-5 tips to improve bathroom lighting？

The bathroom is a very important place in our daily life. It is a place where we enjoy private time and relieve fatigue. Bathroom lighting helps to create a relaxing environment, but when considering indoor lighting, bathroom lighting tends to have a lower priority. As the bathroom becomes larger and larger, more and more people realize the importance of bathroom lighting and gradually understand the technology of bathroom lighting. In order to give you a deeper understanding of bathroom lighting, today we will provide you with tips on the correct use of bathroom lighting.

The purpose of the bathroom is very clear, and the bathroom lighting aims to create a pleasant, relaxing and comfortable space:

1. Produce a safe lighting layout
2. Ensure uniform light distribution
3. Minimize unexpected shadows or highlights
4. Use real light or warm light colors

So how much light does the bathroom need to meet our needs?

Under normal circumstances, the overall light in the bathroom needs to reach about 150lx, and brighter light is needed when shaving, making up or washing your face. At this time, the required illuminance should reach about 300-750lx. However, the pupils of the eyes of the elderly shrink with age, and the lens becomes thicker and yellower, resulting in weaker light. Therefore, the overall brightness of the bathroom where the elderly lives needs to be increased to about 200lx.

In the lighting design of the bathroom, we usually consider the five lighting points of the bathroom: daylight, functional lighting, dressing table lighting, bathtub lighting and night lighting.

1. Daylighting

Natural light is the most comfortable and brightest light source. There is nothing like natural light to make you feel comfortable and adjust the rules of day and night. If your bathroom is not covered by other buildings, in order to obtain more reliable all-day bright lighting, we can consider adding a skylight. The skylight not only provides lighting for the bathroom, but also relaxes the body and mind and embraces nature.

2. Functional lighting

No matter what kind of bathroom lighting design, it is necessary to pay attention to the CRI (color rendering index) and color temperature of bathroom lighting, which is also one of the key points of functional lighting. Generally speaking, the higher the CRI value, the more true the color of the object can be reflected. With high color rendering index (CRI>90), the color is bright and saturated, and the color reproduction of the object is high. Color temperature refers to the color of light, usually expressed in degrees Kelvin (K). The color temperature of warm yellow is generally 2700k, and warm white light is 3000-3500k. If the color temperature exceeds this value, it is cold white light. Warm yellow light can make the soul feel warm and comfortable, suitable for creating a comfortable and warm environment. Warm white or cold white will increase the excitement of the brain, make people concentrate, improve alertness and mental activity. Bathroom lighting usually seeks to create a comfortable and relaxing environment, so warm yellow light or warm white light should be used in the choice of light color.

(1) Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting is usually the main light source of bathroom lighting and is responsible for the overall lighting of the bathroom. Lamps and lanterns used for environmental lighting include recessed lamps, ceiling lamps, chandeliers, etc., and are generally installed on the ceiling. The soft light provides most of the light needed in the bathroom.

(2) Task lighting

As the name suggests, task lighting is to illuminate specific locations with a relatively small range, such as the lighting next to the vanity mirror, the sink, etc., to help you better perform detailed tasks. Usually choose wall lamps, chandeliers, spotlights or track lights as work lighting fixtures.

(3) Accent lighting

The brightness is between ambient lighting and task lighting, used to highlight architectural details or exhibits. For example, the bathroom wall decoration or wall lamp is installed at a certain angle above the shower room, and the light is directly projected on part of the decorative tiles. In order to better achieve this function, spotlights or track lights are the best choice for bathroom accent lighting.

3. Dressing table lighting

A dressing table is installed in most bathrooms to make it easier for you to freshen up. The dressing table is located near the mirror and can illuminate your face when you put on makeup, brush your teeth or check the appearance before going out. The best lighting for activities in front of the bathroom mirror comes from the lights installed on both sides, roughly in the user's line of sight. In this way, all faces such as eyebrows, nose, chin, etc. will not be covered by shadows, thus making up for the lack of ceiling lighting. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose to install wall lamps or chandeliers on both sides of the vanity mirror, and the bottom of the lamp should be at least 5.1 feet away from the ground to ensure that the brightest part of the lamp is with your face. If the luminaire is installed above the mirror, the bottom of the luminaire should be approximately 6.3 feet above the ground during installation.

4. Bathtub lighting

Lying in the bathtub makes people feel particularly comfortable and relaxing. However, the lighting of the bathtub increases the difficulty of bathroom lighting design due to the amount of water vapor. Generally, there should be no hanging bathroom lamps within about 2.5 meters above the bathtub, and no hanging or standing bathroom lamps within about 1 meter in front of the bathtub. Because the water vapor around the bathtub is relatively large, the bathroom lighting fixture with high moisture-proof grade should be selected in the selection of lamps (generally, the dust-proof and moisture-proof coefficient IP is greater than 54).

5. Night lighting

Since the bathroom is sometimes used in the middle of the night, it is necessary to provide the light required for safe operation. Since too bright light can cause eye discomfort at night, it is best to provide a low-wattage, low-color temperature light source for bathroom lighting at night.

The humidity level of the bathroom

When choosing bathroom equipment, in addition to color rendering index and color temperature, another very important consideration is the humidity level of the bathroom. The wires in the bathroom should be isolated from indoor humidity to ensure the life of the lamps and the overall safety of the home. The lamps and lanterns installed in the bathroom should have a certain degree of moisture-proof performance, and the dust-proof and moisture-proof coefficient IP value is at least 54 (the higher the IP value, the better the dust-proof ）. If the bathroom is well ventilated and equipped with an exhaust fan, you can use a bathroom lamp with a lower IP value near the door or far from the water source, but it is recommended that you still use a bathroom lamp with a higher IP value.