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Design Dilemma Lighting Bathrooms

90s builder grade bathroom lighting help

2 years ago

Hi! I’m looking for some help with the “hag lighting” situation (aka recessed coming from above) in our bathroom. We will most likely be upgrading the whole bathroom in 3 or so years, but the recessed lighting is ROUGH so we’re hoping to change that sooner than later. I’m thinking of doing a multiple light fixture over the mirror but wonder if the placement needed due to the mirror height will make the light so high that it won’t help much? I’ve also considered sconces or pendants but they might be tricky to add in with the current layout. Thanks!

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Comments (7)

M Riz
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I think the most effective lighting, and probably easiest with electricity is a lighted mirror. I have overhead with lighted mirrors and my face is always lighted evenly. If you put lighting at the top of the mirror it will help your situation slightly as youre still lighting from above but now a bit in front. The other effective lighting you can do are sconces at face level but thats more electric work. So its either a lighted mirror or sconces for me
Ray DeSol
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks! I guess I should’ve mentioned we are trying to keep the mirror as is until the full remodel since removing the old one would also mean patching and painting. I am really interested in a lighted mirror though, so maybe it would be best to spend the money on tackling that now vs adding a fixture above that might not help the situation much…
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M Riz
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Yeah, it would be waste of money, I just built a home and the lighting in all of the bathrooms were important. I have overhead with lighted mirrors in all of the bathrooms. I chose the mirror option over the sconces because its one less thing to clean and I think it goes better with a more modern home. I had a late 90s home that had the same lighting scheme as yours. Who wants to get up in the morning and see ”hag” face lol. I would just do it once right.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
2 years ago
The best quality of light would be to have sconces at the same height as your face on either side of the mirror. Best for shaving and for make up application.
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
2 years ago
inside of that can is a wing nut, it will lower the socket, getting the bulb more flush with the bottom, this will cut out the halo effect you are getting.

Go to home depo and buy the same bulb in a few different color temps or Kelvin, or at least try 3500k
acm
2 years ago
With the way your vanity is laid out, I'd go with a fixture over the mirror. As long as it has enough light (I aim for the equivalent of 200W of incandescent equivalent), it will be plenty to do what you need. I'd put it on a different switch so that the cans can be ambient lighting for the room, but you can switch to the vanity lights when you actually want to get ready. :)
wdccruise
2 years ago
The problem, of course, is that the bulb is tucked up inside the housing so the light is directed only downward. You could install something like the retrofit Halo SMD whose flat lens is slightly below the ceiling resulting in light dispersed in all directions, including reflected off the mirror. If you could remove the housing from the ceiling, you could replace it with a canless fixture such as this Juno WF6 or Halo HLBSL whose lens is flush with the ceiling. When you remodel you'll want to add fixtures on the wall.

-- amateur

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