Simple 'rules' for choosing bathroom lighting fixtures. Here's how.

March 29, 2023

When making the big decisions about the style of your bathroom lights you want to create a space that is functional, beautiful & shows your style. So you typically have three areas to focus the illumination. The vanity or mirror, the entire room, and then sometimes a shower or tub space.. 

Lights for the vanity mirror and counter are more typical and common. Most folks choose to use lights mounted on the wall. With this in mind, you can choose to mount them either above or beside the mirror. In some instances, small pendant bathroom lighting fixtures can also be located on both sides of the mirror instead of wall lights. This was very popular style in the 50's, 60's & 70's lighting. Now, shower lights are a special challenge because they have to be recessed to the ceiling and have to be Wet-rated to avoid any electrical issues. These type of lights are not our specialty because we focus on the ‘jewels’ of the room.

Usually the focal point of a bathroom where you should give lots of attention is over the tub. Since there’s a lesser chance that water on the lights why not install a beautiful chandelier or unique hanging pendant light fixture? Here's your chance to show your style in your modern farmhouse or antique glass lighting fixtures.

There are some rules of thumb or suggestions to follow to keep a coordinated look when choosing your bathroom lights. Whether it is wall lights to elegant chandeliers, enjoy the challenge and don't be afraid to be a little original in your bathroom light fixture choices. Even today's decors are mixing hardware finishes from rubbed bronze bathroom lights to brushed brass lighting fixtures.

Industrial or Rustic Lighting

Bathrooms with black and white color scheme would look stunning in an industrial style bathroom light fixtures of black or aged metal finishes. Many folks love to use these black light fixtures in a variety of sizes to pull off the look.

You can create a nice contrast to light colored walls by installing black bathroom lights. Designers use the combination of galvanized metal lamp fixtures with the rubbed bronze finish to give the space a vintage or antique lighting feel. And who doesn't want their bathroom to look like a designer did it?!?!

When thinking of a double sink, you can light up the entire vanity space by using individual farmhouse or rustic pendant lights that give farmhouse bathroom lights more interest. When using a different fixtures, if you use glass lighting they will not overwhelm the space like metal fixtures can. 

If your bathroom is like most, you need coordinating fixtures for the wall and the ceiling. We’ve got you covered here so you can create a polished look or get an eclectic feel by doing some mixing and matching of farmhouse bathroom light fixtures & rustic industrial lighting designs.

An element of drama in your bathroom can be achieved with antique lights that cast great shadows. Some are black cage ceiling lights, or pierced tub laundry bucket lighting fixtures. You may even want to incorporate a one of a kind light created by our talented designers like the vintage suspended glass chandeliers.

Another professional tip is if you're installing single wall sconces, they can be mounted facing upward or downward. Whichever suits you and the space the best. Many folks do that with our antique glass lighting fixtures and schoolhouse milk glass globe wall sconces

Huge milk glass globe pendants will give the space a Mid Century vibe. And the single milk glass wall sconces fixtures will finish the look around the mirrors..

Modern Farmhouse Lighting

Do you have shiplap in your bathroom? If you do then giving your lighting a boost toward the farmhouse style or cottage style is a must. With textures and galvanized metal lights, you've got the perfect combination of style.

Or perhaps you like the strong contrast of enamel lights in crisp black to bounce off your white ship-lapped walls. We've got both white and black enamel light fixtures from wall mounted to ceiling mounted. Remember, mounting hardware in a rubbed bronze, or black light finish give the overall fixture a nice and sophisticated look.

Traditional Lighting

Whenever you stay traditional in your lighting choices, you're guaranteed many years of enjoyment and always being in style.

Many times we find our customers choosing our Antique Glass Lighting Designs or our Milk Glass Light Fixtures like our Schoolhouse Lighting Collection. These two looks projecting sophistication and class, the perfect element for longevity.

What is nice about the milk glass lights is they give a warm, soft glow to the bathroom space and aren't glaring on the eyes. They also can be easily mixed in shapes and size while still maintaining a cohesive appeal.

As far as the antique glass light fixtures, they often give a little 'bling' or 'sparkle' to the antique bathroom lighting look. Our Acorn antique glass collection is so well received by our customers we often struggle to keep these vintage inspired lights in stock. We think its because the glass gives a little sparkle and can cast dramatic light patterns and then with the texture of the glass, the dust doesn't show on them within a few days. How awesome is that?!?!

Does & Don'ts

Don't be afraid to use what might be considered a 'bathroom light fixture' in another part of the house. Many are very suited for kitchen lighting or even bedroom lighting. We've had many folks mount a standard 3-light bar vanity light fixture over their kitchen sink for exceptional illumination. So give it a go.

Do think outside the box when making your selections. It will give your room so much more character and not look so 'cookie-cutter' bathroom. We like the idea of antique ceiling lighting fixtures being a part of the bathroom design as well as using milk glass pendant lights instead of mounting a standard wall sconce.

Do show off your personal style! Its your home, its your space so why not shine, (sorry about the pun) with lighting that you love? It may even make you smile when you have to get up at 6 am on Monday morning to start your work week.

Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need help. We know lighting and we can certainly help you with your decision making.

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