21 design ideas for bathroom lighting (2024)

“Lighting is a powerful and underestimated tool,” says Sally Storey, the creative director of John Cullen, “Partly, because it’s hard to grasp – you need to experience it to get its true effect.” When it comes to bathroom lighting, everyone has had their own encounters – both good and bad – with it: harsh overheads have been known to cause the sudden appearance of witchy undertones, and those who have ever tried to apply make-up in a too-dim bathroom know the unblended consequences. Conversely, warm or soft bathroom lighting gives a great general glow – and, in effect, a confidence boost.

“For me, bad lighting – and avoiding it – is something I feel strongly about,” says designer Lonika Chande. And we agree: there are plenty of approaches to lighting your bathroom well, whether you consider the room a spa-like oasis or a shared family zone. We've rounded up our favourite design ideas from the archive, as well as tips from designers and lighting experts, to help you get your bathroom glowing.

Before you do anything, know your IP rating

Before you decide on your bathroom's lighting scheme, consider where you're putting each light, be it a pendant, sconce or overhead, as you'll need a certain IP rating ("Ingress Protection") which depends on the light's location in relation to the room's waterworks. A light's IP rating relates to how waterproof a light is and what voltage it has. Lights that go inside a bath or shower, for example, need an IP rating of ip67, meaning they are immersion proof and they have a max voltage of 12v. IP44 is another standard in bathroom lights, and means they are splashproof and therefore safe within a certain distance of a sink, bath or shower. If the light is going nowhere near any water - for example a pendant light - then no requirement is needed. You can find out more via The Lighting Superstore.

Decide on your bathroom's atmosphere, then layer lighting accordingly

Not all bathrooms are made equal. A shared bathroom in a family home or one-bedroom flat, for example, might require a brighter lighting scheme to appeal en masse, whereas an en-suite bathroom used for quiet, solo relaxation could do well with softer lighting. Sally recommends approaching your bathroom's lighting in layers of light, noting that “it is by balancing these and changing their intensity that we get the atmosphere within a room.” Designer Lonika Chande favours “lanterns for drama” and adds that “pendants can help to ground tricky open spaces”

Refract and multiply the light with mirrors

Should you be planning the lighting scheme for a small or windowless bathroom, mirrors are excellent tools in helping you to amplify the amount of light in the room. Zoë Zimmer added large mirrors to a windowless bathroom in her London flat, for example, and designer Maria Speake of Retrouvius suggests using mirrored panels in your bathroom, which “can help bounce light around in a room - particularly useful if you have a windowless loo.”

Find balance in your lighting scheme

There is a spectrum to what makes for ‘good lighting’ in any given room. Overhead lighting, for example, is an excellent option that brightens the entire space, whereas wall sconces or ambient hanging lights can give a concentrated glow to the room. However, go too far with the former, and your bathroom lighting can be too harsh or clinical; as for low-level lighting, “get it wrong and it's a mood killer,” says Lonika.

The solution to finding balance in your bathroom's lighting scheme? Dimmable lights. “They create atmosphere in the bathroom,” says designer Sarah Stewart-Smith, “and they make your face look fab.” Whilst dimmable lights can be an expensive investment, Sarah confirms that they are worth it: “[Dimmable bathroom lighting is] stunning and creates light that washes down the walls, making us look good when wearing no kit”, she says.

Consider patina when choosing bathroom lighting

“Everything is so new in bathrooms that a bit of patina is important,” says the design duo behind interiors firm Maddux Creative, “Adding a chandelier for example is a safe place to do it as that won't be within the zoning issues for bathroom electricals, or of course you can always IP rate the electrical bit to make it safe if you do hit a zone. Just add something old in with all the new and it'll make a big difference.”