What's so WRONG with the HGTV Dream Home bathroom on the left that is so RIGHT with the Kenneth Brown (featured on HGTV) bathroom on the right?
Not sure? Then check out the photos below. Again, the BHG photo on the left has issues that don't exist with the BHG photo on the right.
I'll bet you figured it out. But if not...according to the American Lighting Association, the bathrooms on the left are lighting the mirror incorrectly, while the photos on the right get the lighting right.
The mirror is the most critical area in the bathroom for proper lighting, the experts say, because it's where the majority of grooming tasks – from make-up application to shaving – takes place.
Unfortunately, many builders install one recessed light over a sink. The folks at the American Lighting Association say that's not ideal.
“The best scenario at the bathroom mirror is a lighting fixture at the
top and two smaller wall-mounted fixtures located on either side of the
mirror,” said architect Joe Rey-Barreau, education consultant for
the ALA and an associate professor at the University of Kentucky’s
School of Interior Design.
I like the way these Kichler Montara fixtures above provide light all around the vanity at right.
“It is possible to add a recessed light over the sink as a supplementary light source, but it should never be the primary light because it will create shadows on the face," Rey-Barreau said.The ALA says decorative sconces that either match or complement the over-the-sink light will evenly illuminate both sides of the face, the ALA says.
Check out the bath at right designed by Andreas Charalambous and featured at HGTV. Here you have a recessed light above with beautiful, modern lights on either side of the mirror. Perfect!
Rey-Barreau recommends a minimum of 150 watts of incandescent lighting per sink or 40 watts of fluorescent.
“An alternative to a compact fluorescent is the halogen IRC by Osram, which is low-voltage and provides 28 lumens per watt. It gives a lot of light and gives good color so that skin doesn’t look washed out,” says Paul Eusterbrock of Holtkoetter International, a lighting manufacturer based in Minnesota.
“People need energy-efficient light that helps them look good,” he says.
