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Help with bathroom lighting. Starting from scratch!

6 years ago

I am in the process of completely renovating our master bath. The room is 11.5' x 8'.Can you help with lighting? I have thinking 4 cans plus 3 sconces around vanity. Double sink vanity is 61" long and will have 2 recessed medicine cabinets. I'm thinking sconces to each side and 1 in the middle. Sound right?


Comments (8)

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Hi Rae - That sounds right to me. You said the magic words - sconces at the vanity. You might consider having the down lights and the sconces on separate switches (and a third for exhaust fan). Just for some flexibility in lighting. And you might want to put the lights on a dimmer switch. That’s one of the best decisions I ever made!

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    STOP there is no space for 2 sinks in that vanity you will literally have no counter , is that a free standing tub if it is how will you ever clean behind it? You barely have the space to do so at the ends. I would do the pot lights and then one like this in halogen above the mirror which should be above the single sink centered on the vanity


  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I know you have not asked about the layout but I can't resist to tell you that you will probably regret the one you drew above. I absolutely agree with Patricia Colwell Consulting . A 5'1" vanity does not give you enough counter top. The drawers in your vanity will be narrow. You may feel cramped when you are two persons at the each sink. I also like having the 2 sinks far away from each other because you have a longer continuous counter top (and wider drawers).

    I also agree with Patricia that it is very hard to clean a free standing tub when it is close to the wall. If you want one, I would build a small deck around it so you don't have to clean the floor behind the tub.

    If you can change your door for a pocket door and center it on the West wall, it would make a huge difference. If you were to go with a deck, make sure that the deck is not all in front because it makes it harder to get in. If you are right handed, you might consider to place the faucet on the shower side so your right hand can access things that are placed on the deck. See picture:

    Note that with this layout, you don't have a place for a towel handy when you get out of the shower. It is possible to change the door for a regular door and mount a hook or a bar behind it to put your towel or place your towel temporarily on the vanity while you shower.

    The walkway is 3'3" wide (not 3'0"). It is a bit narrow but still workable.

    I forgot that your space is 11'6". I drew this floor plan thinking it was 11'0", so you have another 6" extra .

    With this layout, I would switch the tub with the shower so you don't have your head too close to the toilet.

    As for lighting, I would do something like Patricia suggests.

    Sorry for the lengthy comment.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Whatever you do, make sure that you put lighting that's parallel to your face so there are no shadows on your face. Especially important to me when I'm shaving.

  • 6 years ago

    RoominessTV, yes we are planning multiple switches. I would love dimmers but haven't voiced that to my contractor. I need to. Thanks!

    Suanne, thanks for the thought in comments. I can't switch the tub and shower because there is a window above the tub in the drawn location. Also, the doorway shown is a small hall so a pocket isn't necessary, but I can't move it as the center of the wall is the back of my (not walk in) closet. The layout is pretty set. Just need to think about a larger vanity maybe. Thanks again.

  • 6 years ago

    I thought of maybe one option if you can't move the door but I would need to see the layout of your bedroom and closet and where their doors are located. If you are interested, I would need a floor plan of your closet and bedroom with the dimensions.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    One other option:

    Shower is 3'0"x4'3" (not 4'6")