Placement of ceiling lights near vanity

6 months ago

How far away from the vanity wall should the ceiling lights be installed?

This is a remodel of a secondary bathroom, about 8x7.5 feet with an 8-ft high ceiling. The new custom vanity has a single sink and is 54 inches wide and 22 inches deep. A lighted LED mirror, 42"W x 36"H, will be installed on the wall in front of the vanity.

I am having the electrician install two recessed ceiling lights above / behind the vanity. (There will also be ceiling lights over the shower and toilet space.)

Conceptual view attached of the finished space.

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Comments (5)

millworkman
6 months ago
Is there a question? If so, a floor plan with where you plan to have the lights may help.
coastal_vibe thanked millworkman
coastal_vibe
Original Author
6 months ago
Floorplans attached. (Three drawings of the same space, but orientations are different.) Five 4" ceiling lights. The ceiling rafters run east-west.

My question is where to place the two ceilng lights at the vanity -- behind or above the vanity? How far away from the wall with the entry door?
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3onthetree
6 months ago
Mirror LEDs on most units are not that bright, more for face work when leaning in. Overhead lighting should be for the vanity as well, not creating shadows from your head in the way, so not placed in the aisle. Enough ambient light will suffice for the doorway.

I must ask, why is the shower viewable from the door? Typically, the vanity, more of a furniture-like piece, is what is optimally viewed from a doorway. So a different scheme has the 3x5 shower across from the toilet, and vanity along the window wall which can be longer than 54".
coastal_vibe thanked 3onthetree
coastal_vibe
Original Author
6 months ago
@3onthetree: OK, so I am having the electrician install the ceiling lights at 11 inches from the wall; i.e., in line with the center of the vanity (above the vanity instead of behind the user at the vanity)
coastal_vibe
Original Author
6 months ago
@3onthetree: I kept the original footprint because of the plumbing and electrical. The northern wall (next to the toilet) is a supporting wall with plywood on the bathroom side. If the shower is swapped with the vanity, then shower pipes need to go into the shear wall, and the sink drain needs to be increased to 2-inch diameter.

There are light switches on the wall next to the entry door. A 3x5 ft shower in the vanity space would extend all the way to the jamb around the entry door and allow no space for wall switches. The original vanity was 46 inches wide; the new 54-inch wide vanity will be an improvement and is adequate for the intended user.

There is no perfect layout for a bathroom. Some people prefer to have separation between a toilet and a vanity and not have them next to each other. Some people do not like to see any part of themselves in a mirror when they are in the shower or on the toilet.

I have lived here for almost 40 years, and it has never bothered me that the tub/shower was visible from the upstairs hallway.

Recent photos of the original bathroom attached. Photo of new (unfinished) vanity attached.