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The best bathroom lighting can transform your room, creating a most inviting environment. Getting your lighting choices right instantly promotes a fabulous-looking space that is the most functional for everyone.
Yet, with so many bathroom lighting options available, not everyone gets this part right. This means many homeowners have inadequate and poorly lit bathrooms that let the rest of their design down.
Here, The Bathroom Showroom highlights three of the most common bathroom lighting mistakes. We then show you how to improve bathroom lighting by avoiding such mistakes when creating your dream bathroom.

Three Bathroom Lighting Mistakes Commonly Made By Homeowners

1. Not Installing Enough Lighting Fixtures in the Bathroom
A typical bathroom lighting mistake is using just one bathroom light. Even the best bathroom light placed in the centre of your bathroom isn’t usually sufficient to fulfil all bathroom tasks. Though some small bathrooms may get away with this, most bathrooms need more than one lighting source. 
As many tasks happen around the mirror, basin area, and shower, a better solution is to provide layered lighting around your bathroom. For example, this can mean a mix of a main showpiece like the Spa Belle, combined with task lighting for over and around the basin like Spa Hollywood and Spa Helsinki, while plinth lights like those from Pro-Light, can be installed in the shower and around the bath area.
2. Not Paying Attention To Bathroom Light Colour Temperatures 
Not only is your choice of light and its placement important in the bathroom but so too is its light colour temperature. Yet, so many bathrooms use lighting which has an unnatural and unflattering effect. This makes it difficult when trying to accomplish most bathroom tasks with ease. 
The recommended lumens for the bathroom all depend on the brightness and mood of the lighting you want to create. So, for many people, it’s all about personal choice here. Bathroom light bulbs with light colour temperatures usually range from 2,200K to 6,000K, with the K (Kelvin) referencing the colour of the white light.
Low colour temperatures are around 2,000K to 3,000K. These promote a warm yellowish light effect that is inviting and works well when relaxing in the tub. Higher colours temperatures range from 3,000K to 4,500K. These give off a brighter, more energetic glow, making them the best light bulbs for bathrooms when you're getting ready and showering early in the morning.
3. Ignoring the IP Requirements of Bathroom Zones
When installing any bathroom light, safety should be paramount. This means making sure the light you choose has the correct IP for the zone it’s to be installed in. Water and electricity don’t mix, hence the need for all bathroom lighting to provide an Ingress Protection rating. 
An IP rating will tell you how resistant the light is to water. So, the higher the IP rating the stronger the seal around it. 
The most common IP ratings for bathrooms are IP44 and IP65. Those IP44-rated lights, like the Hib Pendant range and Hib Ceiling Light selection, work well for bathroom tasks, for example when considering how to light a bathroom mirror.
IP65-rated lights on the other hand, like the 4Lite Ceiling/Wall Lights are the better choice for installing outside of the shower or around the bath.
Yet, for lights installed inside the shower, a safer choice of bathroom lighting IP rating is IP67. With examples like the Pro Light Plinth Kits, a higher rating like this ensures the light is able to cope when it comes into contact with water.

What Bathroom Lighting Is Best?

The best type of bathroom lighting is that which is suitable for both the area and the task at hand. It should also provide enough coverage for the size of your bathroom and offer the necessary choice of colour temperatures to suit your needs both day and night. 
Ultimately, get your bathroom lighting right the first time, and you can continue to enjoy a well-lit bathroom for many years to come.
For more articles on bathroom lighting, take a look at our dedicated bathrooms blog. From getting creative with your bathroom lighting to making your bathroom shine with stylish downlights, we help you select the best lighting for the bathroom to perfectly suit your requirements. 
If you’re looking for further inspiration when choosing bathroom lighting, book an appointment with The Bathroom Showroom. Experts in all things bathrooms, we can help turn your dream bathroom into a reality.