I have a big window right next to the washer that lets lots of light and then I have 2 ceiling fans with light fixture's attached.
Renee

Renee, I wish I had any window, but I have none in my laundry room.:( I am wired for one fixture so was hoping for something that gives good light without having to go fluorescent. May I ask why you used fans? I hadn't thought about that? Thanks, Jeanie

One "schoolhouse" light fixture in the middle of the ceiling and a door with glass in it for some natural light. We decided against undercabinet lighting to keep undercabinet clearance at a maximum while keeping the cabinets from being too high for my 5'0" wife to reach. Sometimes we wish we had undercabinet lighting, but usually what's there is enough.

Chipshot, when you say "schoolhouse" light fixture, could you explain what that is for me? How much wattage do you use to light your room? I don't have a window, but my door into the room is glass. Thanks, Jeanie

Hi Jeanie,

It's called planning ahead, we just built this house and having an electrician for a husband. I knew I was going to have a FL washer and wanted lots of ventilation to keep mold problems at bay. I also have 2 big deep freezers and wanted lots of light when I go rummaging through them. I also have my dryer, hot water heater and A/C unit, sink and cabinet (above sink) and lots of electrical outlets! I love my ceiling fans. I will try to get pictures in a couple of days to show you if I can figure out how to post them here.
Renee

I don't have a window either so lighting was important to me too. I finally found

Three ceiling "can" fixtures, each holding a compact fluorescent floodlamp.

Laundry is in the dungeon like basement. I added a florescent shop light that hangs between the washer and dryer, 2 40 watt tubes in it and its operated by a switch at the entrance from the stairs. it lights up the area much better than the single CF I had that was not above the W/D set. no searching for the pull cord in the dark anymore.

for those that have a nice room I have 4 light chrome track light fixture I put in my long narrow kitchen. I got it at Lowes for about 35 dollars. it looks real nice and modern.

Something like at the link below?

Nice laundry room (and handle), Mustangs. We have fixtures similar to that elsewhere in our house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Schoolhouse light fixtures

I have a horrible fluorescent which I'm planning on getting rid of. Gives a ghastly glow to the room. I was thinking of putting this Ikea halogen light in instead (though my SO hates it).

Here is a link that might be useful: Light

I don't care for the color that fluorescent lights give off so I just have a standard fixture with a glass dome (it uses 2 60 watt bulbs). My room is small so it gives off plenty of light.

I bought a fixture that used standard bulbs but found that th cabinet doors hit the fixture. So I had to go with a flush mount.

I struggled with the yellowish fluorescent issue but finally came across cool, crisp, bright florescent bulbs that did the trick. So I followed through with the fixture above.

OK, I'm going to try to post a couple of pictures to show the lighting in my laundry room.

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Fluorescent lights have a variety of "looks" by using different color temperatures. I prefer cool or daylight over the warm lights. You can use "pretty" fixtures and use CFLs in them. I have a 4' shop light plugged into the lone bulb outlet in the room and added a bulb fixture above the dryer, over in another corner and over by the water heater. I use an OLD "ring light" fluorescent in the fixture above the dryer and incandescent in the other corners. They're not on enough to worry about CFL. I like the 4' shoplight. Gives fantastic light at only 44 watts. Even, bright and easy on the eyes.

Renee, thank you for your explanation above and now posting the pictures. I really like the looks of the fans and am also planning on FLs so I will have to give fans more thought. Love your laundry signs, by the way.
mustangs, thank you for the picture. I'm also going with white cabinets and pretty sure with white W&D but with accent colors of both red and yellow. Would you mind sharing where you purchsed your light as that would be a nice look in mine I think? Thanks, also for the information on the bulbs.
dadoes, thank you for your input also, but I'm only wired for one fixture, though I did use cans in other areas.
Mike and ella, I had considered some sort of track light. Ellas, I love the one you linked to. How does halogen lighting compare to other lighting? I've never had a halogen fixture.
chipshot, thanks for responding back with the link to the schoolhouse fixtures. They are lovely and unique fixtures but would not go with the look of the room.
ebear, would you mind giving me the dimensions of the room that the 2 60w bulbs light up? I could then compare with the size of my room.
You've all given me such good information, pictures, etc. and I truly appreciate it. (Seems the decisions on the smaller things like lighting fixtures are much harder than the larger ones like flooring, paint, etc.) :)

I haven't had a halogen track light before, but I like the light the halogens in my hood give off. Very warm. I honestly can't stand CFLs; I think I'm really sensitive to the light they give off (I also tend to get a bit down if there are too many days of cloudy weather; whether it's related, I don't know). The halogens can get hot, but my ceilings are 9' upstairs, so I think it will be ok. I like the way I can position them to focus light on different areas of the room. Natural light is best, though; my last laundry room had a nice bright window, so I rarely needed to use the light.

My laundry room is little more than a glorified closet. It measures 6X8 so two 60 watt bulbs are more than sufficient. Ah, to do it all over again. When we built the house I was so excited to get a first floor laundry that it seemed huge to me. If I could go back I would double it in size!

gma_j, Thank you for your comments. I purchased the light fixture at Home Depot. Good luck with your project.

I am adding a 90" built in cabinet to the end of my laundry room. What causes me pause is that I have to get rid of my favor part of the LR, the picture of the lady doing her laundry (see link above). I got it in Bermuda from the artist. I painted her hat red and the item she is washing in order to have it blend in with my colors. I'm sure the artist wouldn't be happy that I did that.

mustangs - I LOVE your laundry room! Very clean look - which is so important! I love it! Great job! And the picture of the lady is wonderful - too bad you can't find a way to incorporate it in your design.

Schoolhouse fixture in context. It's on a dimmer and has a single 150 watt bulb.

Chipshot, That's the type of fixture I wanted but as I mentioned, I bought it and had to take it back as there wasn't clearance to open the cabinet. Ratz!

Lastpebbe, Thanks! If I reframe the pic with no mat and a narrow frame, I just may be able to salvage it.

Just curious, Mustangs, did you consider moving the fixture farther from the cabinets to gain some clearance?

44 watts (2x 22) of 5600K, daylight corrected compact fluorescent in a nondescript 2 bulb glass dome ceiling fixture.

Gives me the light of ~200 watts of incandescent but nice and bright. Perfect for finding spots and oil stains.

They daylight corrected bulbs give off an intense white, almost to the point of being bluish, light that is great for those of us - like myself - who suffer from SADD.

- IT Geek

Chipshot, I did consider moving it but it was a challenge installing it myself as it's 36" in length, so I used the existing holes. DH was watching a football game in the next room so I was on the ladder holding one end up with my head while installing the other end. And frankly, I wanted to be a jerk and say "thanks for all of your help a$$*(le".

Okay, now I vented.