The Cheapest Way To Renovate Your Bathroom – Lighting

If there’s one characteristic most people share, it’s a constant desire for change. It could be a new hairstyle, a new car or even a new house. People are always looking for something new.

Unfortunately, this desire for something new doesn’t always chime well with budget constraints, particularly when it comes to interior design. If you’re the kind of person who is always tinkering with their home, you’ll be well aware of how much of a dent even a small change in design can make in your bank account.

This is especially true in bathroom design, where the cost of fittings can cost anywhere from £100 to £100,000!

There is a way to renovate your bathroom without forking out thousands of pounds, however; lighting.

Lighting plays one of the biggest parts in determining the look and feel of your bathroom yet is often neglected in favour of pricey fittings and other such luxuries. It’s sometimes the case that people feel a new design is lacking ‘something’; that ‘something’ is usually good lighting.

Keep it simple

Simplicity is the key to good bathroom lighting, setting a mood that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the bathroom. Lighting should complement a bathroom rather than being the standout fixture, so always keep simplicity and minimalism at the centre of your thinking.

Don’t be harsh

Another bathroom lighting no-no is overly harsh lighting. Extremely bright bulbs can accentuate the flaws of a bathroom design, as well as bringing attention to some of the less desirable elements of a bathroom!

Overly bright lighting can also make a bathroom (especially one with white walls) appear clinical, with an atmosphere more akin to a hospital than a place of relaxation.

If you’re currently using bright lights, consider swapping down your bulbs for lower energy and dimmer alternatives. If this isn’t a possibility, use some lampshades to tone down the harsh effect of the bulb.

LED lighting, including those on LED bathroom mirrors, offers a low energy alternative that also provides an atmospheric and relaxing vibe to a bathroom.

Mood lighting

The counter point to overly harsh lighting, mood lighting can transform a bathroom instantly. Mood lighting provides an accent to a bathroom rather than illuminating it entirely, creating an atmosphere.

Mood lighting in a bathroom should act as a means of relaxation; the best colours for this tend to be deep reds and blues. Our Diamond X Collection mirrors include a mood lighting feature, offering a practical way to introduce some mood lighting into your bathroom.

Consider the colour of your walls

The colour of your bathroom walls plays a big part in how your lighting affects the look of your room. White (or a similar shade) is the best choice if you have a small bathroom, as light will reflect off the walls and help contribute to the illusion that the room is bigger than it is.

Whatever you do, try to avoid using dark colours, especially if you have a small bathroom. Dark colours can make a bathroom seem smaller than it is and often negates the impact of lighting.

Wall lights

Most bathrooms will have a ceiling light fitted as standard, but wall-fixed lights offer a stylish alternative. While they aren’t the most budget efficient of lighting options (you’ll usually have to splash out on more than one) and won’t provide the same level of coverage as a ceiling light will, they work as excellent mood setters and can provide emphasis on the best parts of your bathroom.

Remember, the lighting lost from replacing a ceiling light with wall lights can be replaced with an illuminated mirror

Candles

By far the cheapest lighting option we’ve talked about so far, candles should act as a complement rather than primary lighting (unless you’re going for ‘blackout chic!’). Candles, combined with mood lighting, set the perfect scene for a nice relaxing bath and can transform your bathroom into something akin to a luxurious spa!

For more information on how our illuminated mirrors can help transform your bathroom, get in touch at [email protected].

Share |

Jamie Bell is the managing director of Illuminated Mirrors. You can find Jamie on Google+; he also occasionally updates the Illuminated Mirrors Facebook page.

Leave a Reply

 Made in Britain

Made in Britain

We are devoted to hand-crafting our mirrors right here in the UK

Made in Britain
 The Illuminated Mirrors story

The Illuminated Mirrors story

We really know about illuminated mirrors. We are enthusiasts and devotees

Our story