When you are thinking about a bathroom remodel, you have to first of all, think long and hard about even doing the remodel. It is one of the most stressful things you can do. Do you have the time and money to devote to the project? How big of an inconvenience will this be for you and your family?

If you have satisfactorily answered those questions, let’s move on to the fun part of the remodel — the bathroom lighting fixtures! Modern bathrooms demand several types of fixtures.

Gone (thank goodness!) are the days of a single bulb over the sink. We have layers of lighting to play with, including my new favorite — floorboard lighting strips. They are more for ambiance than anything, but they double nicely as a night light.

Layers. We talk about them a lot here at CIL, but for god reason. Think about the functions of the average modern bathroom. You have the obvious function, and then showering, relaxing in the tub, grooming and cleaning. Those five things all have different lighting needs. Relaxing in the tub should be a soft light experience, whereas you need strong task lighting for grooming tasks.

The key with bathroom lighting is to pick out fixtures that compliment each other. The task light should go with the ceiling lights and the vanity lights.

By go with, I mean the style and finish of the bathroom light fixtures themselves should be complimentary. They do not have to match. But you should not mix chrome with nickle or brass. Certainly contemporary bathroom lighting allows for a more playful interpretation of these rules, but even so, a mismatch of finishes for the fixtures would be unfortunate.

Here is my checklist of bathroom lighting:
• Bathroom ceiling light (exhaust fan should be wired on a separate switch!)
• Shower light
• Vanity light or task lighting for the sink
• Wall sconce or small table light

Maybe not every bathroom needs all of these bathroom lights, it really depends on your budget and the size of your bathroom. With a larger bathroom, one that can accommodate a garden tub, you will want to make sure that you work within these general guidelines. One of the pleasures of modern life is relaxing in the tub after a hard day’s work. You want the lighting to help soothe you, not create shadows or harsh lighting.