Bathroom Lighting Solutions for your Home (Part III of series)

Fixtures above the mirror
If placing fixtures on the side of the mirror is not possible or practical, there are many fixture options that can be placed above the mirror. Typically, this placement is more common and often easier than placing the lighting on the sides of the mirror. The key to create a successful lighting solution is to choose a fixture that is appropriately sized to the size of the mirror.
A general rule of thumb is to provide 100 watts of incandescent lighting for every 18" of horizontal width of the mirror. Placing fixtures above the mirror is equal in quality to fixtures placed on the side as long as the fixtures provide an adequate intensity of light.

Dimming
Using a dimmer on the vanity fixtures is extremely important and can add tremendous comfort to this area of the bath. Most of the time the amount of lighting provided by a vanity fixture is excellent for the grooming tasks, but it is excessive for the general use of the bathroom. Providing a dimming capability allows the fixture’s light intensity to be modulated for the other tasks that occur in the bathroom. It cannot be overstated how important this option can be for adding comfort to the bath.

Lighting for the shower and tub
For the other tasks in the bathroom, it is important to provide another series of lighting layers. In the shower or the tub, it is important to place lighting directly above these areas. In order to meet the standards of the National Electrical Code, these fixtures must be labeled as meeting the requirements for wet conditions. This are typically called “wet label” fixtures. There are many varieties of fixtures that meet these requirements, and they can be either recessed or surface mounted.

The recessed fixtures are more common for this application, and they are available in new designs that use halogen bulbs in the MR16 shapes and MR shapes. These halogen sources provide excellent lighting quality that far exceeds the typical shower fixtures that use standard household “A” or general service lamps.

Posted with permission from http://www.lighting-one.com/