We had these too. Nothing you replace it with will have the amount of light this baby puts out. We had to get can lights installed to get what we needed. There are tons of light bars that will work for your space.

You could really decrease the heat from those bulbs by changing the fixture. Maybe something like one of these.

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/bathroom-lighting/style_contemporary/width_30-in@@@-wide-and-up/page_2/

@suzyq53 - what do you mean can lights? Thanks for your suggestions :)

I had practically the same issue. This is the light I ultimately chose.

can light = recessed fixture

could be used to replace the vanity lighting or supplement it. but you should be able to find an equivalent modern fixture.

Like @suzyq53 said, nothing is going to give you as much light as those.
As you can see from my photo, I'm battling the same problem. We have 2 sets of 8 lighting over 240 sq ft. I've decided to live with it until we attack another issue that will necessitate calling in an electrician, then have can lights installed as the primary light source.

Like amc said. We got a vanity bar light and had to put in 4 more led recessed ceiling lights to supplement the lighting.

In my professional opinion, there are one million options. Personally, I would hire an electrician. They are trained professionals who can address your concerns.

I dunno, bsgibbs -- your 6 lights at 40W each are only 240W per sink -- it's not that hard to match that with a modern 4-light (60W bulb equivalents) or even a light bar with two or three brighter bulbs. It just seems like a lot. Even if your version uses 60W vanity bulbs, it's manageable, again just going for more total light -- obviously a couple of dim sconces aren't going to replace this, but there are plenty of bright fixtures out there if that's what you look for.

Omg, I forgot that my bathrooms used to have those types of lights, many years ago, and how I hated them. You need to look at the maximum allowed wattage more than the number of lights in the replacement fixture. Trust me, you don't need seven (or however many) bulbs you currently have, as long as you have enough wattage. If you want it as bright as it currently is, add up the wattage from the current bulbs, and use that as your goal for the new fixture. I'm thinking that a four bulb fixture could probably be enough with the right wattage. Just be sure what the maximum wattage is, you don't want to use brighter bulbs than the fixture can handle.

Not so much just the wattage. The way these "Hollywood" lights are unshaded and the way they are mounted on a mirrored piece really makes them brighter than other lights. We had eight clear 60 watt bulbs. The light we replaced it with actually had the same watts as the original. Trust me it was not as bright. I needed the cans to put on makeup.

For us it's really bright. Sometimes we take out 3 or 4 of the 8 lights just to get away from the brightness!!

Not sure our strata would allow a canned light, as there may not be enough room in the ceiling. Will have to write them.

If you don't want such bright light, you could just get a four light vanity bar. When we took ours down the mirror was behind it with just a junction box in the center. They weren't glued on. So if yours is like that you wouldn't have to get a 48" light. And you wouldn't need the cans. If you want cans they have a shorter and smaller versions for tight spaces

I replaced my old light bar with a new crystal fixture. It had fewer bulbs, so I went up in lumens per bulb, keeping the light output about the same. It probably also helped to put the mirror behind the light fixture, but you already have that.

There is probably only a small opening behind the light fixture anyway, so you wouldn't have to get something the same dimensions as what you currently have. Take the light down to figure out what you are working with before you purchase a new one.

Would it look odd to have a smaller light fixture in the middle of the mirror (where the electrical is) and then put in canned lights?

I would probably try to get something at least 2/3 the width of your mirror, so it doesn't look puny. You could also make more of an impact with something that takes up more vertical space. I don't like can lights for makeup since they cause face shadows, but I'm sure it depends on the placement.

@BeverlyFLADeziner, thanks! Yes, I like simple :)

You could probably put a fixture just over the sink/vanity, and then have a centralized flushmount fixture, if you don't want cans. The flushmount (look for a 2-light) would make up the overall ambient light, while the fixture over the sink is all you need for actual bathroom tasks at the mirror. You could mock something up with a shoebox and see how you feel about leaving the rest of the mirror unlighted.

we are in the same boat. what did you decide? we're thinking something like this:

Try this! EZLightWraps.com

Wow. I had forgotten about this post.
Hubby made me wood, copper and Edison bulb lights

Hollywood lighting rules! I think it's timeless. I am in a house where the builder did not offer this as an option, but now I would like to change it because the existing fixture doesn't put out enough light. I used to live in apartments that had these and they were so good with light output and at the same time so easy on cleaning & bulb changes.

anoop - are you referring to the original photo that was posted when you say Hollywood lighting rules. Those lights are builder grade. I got rid of mine in a NY minute.

Yes I’m referring to those.

Try EZlightwraps.com. They will solve your issue lickity-split.

Anoop, totally agree with you! I have Hollywood lights in all of my bathrooms, and I love them. I replaced the average-looking light bulbs with pretty ones, and it totally changed the look without me having to spend hundreds of dollars. Don't underestimate the power of a good light bulb! And you're right, aside from can lights, those are pretty much the only light that both provide a sufficient amount of illumination and look pretty.

Canned lights can be uncomfortable because they are somewhat pointed. Especially if you have eye problems like cataract or have eye glasses with reflective edges.

Cover it with https://www.houzz.com/photos/users/ezlightwraps as it will not dim but diffuse and update with no work.

I agree. the EZ Light Wraps covered the old bath vanity fixture until my budget changes and do full renovations. Happy with them.

Love my EZ Light Wraps. Here’s my before/after.