Bathroom vanity lighting?

[hamster]

We are planning on a 6 foot bathroom vanity with double sinks. I'd like to do two mirrors vs. one large, and probably frame them if it at all matters.

Our contractor has casually asked a couple of times about bathroom lighting. Any thoughts on sconces vs. overhead bars? The room itself is small (roughly 9x10) so I don't want it to be overwhelming.

[atarianna]

We are currently doing a 5ft vanity with two sinks/mirrors and are doing two 2-light simple fixtures above each mirror. If we did one mirror, we would have done a single 4-light fixture.

In the same space, we have a can light (above shower) and a can light/fan combo above the toilet. It’s approximately 9.5x11ft.

[k3am]

We have a combo of pot lights and vanity lighting and I really like having multiple options.

[Mrs.flang]

I read somewhere during our reno that sconces on either side of the mirror provide better lighting than the overhead lights, so that’s what we went with. I chose a really tall mirror so there isn’t any room above it anyway. We also have recessed lights in the ceiling as well.

[dr.girlfriend]

We are doing a similar set-up and I'm planning for sconces between the mirrors. I think overhead lighting alone would be bad for makeup and stuff.

[hamster]

May 12, 2019 20:37:06 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

I read somewhere during our reno that sconces on either side of the mirror provide better lighting than the overhead lights, so that’s what we went with. I chose a really tall mirror so there isn’t any room above it anyway. We also have recessed lights in the ceiling as well.

Do you find that to be true? I've only had overhead but I read the same thing.

[mrsukyankee]

Or you could do what I did which was get a mirror that has led lighting all around it. ;-)  (It's fabulous for makeup and plucking chin hairs)

[atarianna]

May 13, 2019 2:18:39 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Or you could do what I did which was get a mirror that has led lighting all around it. ;-)  (It's fabulous for makeup and plucking chin hairs)

Chin hairs are the worst! I only recently discovered I am not alone in having them.

[cuadrado]

How tall are your ceilings and do you have any natural light in the bathroom? If I had tall ceilings with a lot of natural light then I'd still go with overhead lighting because I personally like the look better.

I don't know how far along you've gotten in your process of planning but do you know where exactly your sinks will be placed? How far they're spaced out will also play a role in what type of light fixture would look best.

We are renovating our bathroom with 8ft ceilings and we are doing 2 mirrors with a small sconce on the outsides and a double sconce in the middle. Our vanity is a little longer and there's a big space in between the two mirrors so that's why we did the double sconce in the middle. But I have seen the same thing online with 3 of the same sconces. Here's what we're using. They are from Hudson Valley. Mitzi also has the same style that's a lot cheaper but they don't offer the double sconce option.

 

Depending on the spacing, you could also just do 1 double sconce in the middle:

[hamster]

May 13, 2019 9:42:50 GMT -5 cuadrado said:

How tall are your ceilings and do you have any natural light in the bathroom? If I had tall ceilings with a lot of natural light then I'd still go with overhead lighting because I personally like the look better.

I don't know how far along you've gotten in your process of planning but do you know where exactly your sinks will be placed? How far they're spaced out will also play a role in what type of light fixture would look best.

We are renovating our bathroom with 8ft ceilings and we are doing 2 mirrors with a small sconce on the outsides and a double sconce in the middle. Our vanity is a little longer and there's a big space in between the two mirrors so that's why we did the double sconce in the middle. But I have seen the same thing online with 3 of the same sconces. Here's what we're using. They are from Hudson Valley. Mitzi also has the same style that's a lot cheaper but they don't offer the double sconce option.

Good questions! The ceilings will be 8 foot I believe. Whatever our 1960s house currently is. It looks like the the window is 3x3. I could maybe go a tad taller but not wider based on layout.

Not exactly sure where sinks will be placed. We actually just dropped it from 8 feet to 6 feet and dont have any updated drawings yet. Sadly the sconce I like doesn't appear to come in a double, though I'm not married to that particular one.

[Susie]

We did overhead because lateral space was at a premium, and we were doing recessed medicine cabinets that needed freedom to open without hitting sconces.  I like the look of framed mirrors, but the Kohler medicine cabinets that we went with were a lot less expensive than framed mirrors to match the vanity, and they give us extra storage which is always a plus -- especially in our house, which is light on both bathrooms and storage for the size family/house we have.  (e.g. this is the only full bath.)  Plus it's storage that's not at kid-level, so I feel like it's a safer place for medicines/etc.


(I really should take nicer, final "after" photos so I am not always posting pics from like 90% through the reno.)

ETA:  We also have an overhead light and a small window in the bathroom, but don't use the overhead light all that often.

I've seen the same medicine cabinets we have (Kohler Archer) with sconces, but I can't imagine how the medicine cabinet door doesn't smack the sconce on one side in this arrangement.  That would drive me nuts.  Ours both open outward, and hit the hand towel, but at least that's soft.

[kellikans]

We did 3 sconces. We also have overhead can lights and a skylight in our bathroom.