We would all like to live in a spacious apartment located in a separate house somewhere in a picturesque area overlooking a landscape that is enchantingly beautiful. But, reality is most often far from these dreams and you have to settle down in a small apartment in such a way as to make living in it as comfortable as possible. To do this, you can use various design techniques - selection of colors, decoration and, of course, the right choice of lighting. In this article, let's talk about lighting a small bathroom, let's see what solutions can visually enlarge the space to give the room a more presentable look.
Bathroom ceiling light
For lighting in a small bathroom, one ceiling lamp is enough.
Advice! Depending on the chosen design option, you can use open or closed lamps.
For suspended ceilings, built-in options are preferable; for a regular ceiling, open models are preferable. Since there is not enough natural light in the bathroom, you can solve the problem using a spotlight with an adjustable angle of rotation.
Sink area
Each bathroom has a sink with a cabinet. As a rule, a mirror is installed above it, which is also important to decorate correctly. This zone occupies almost a leading position in importance, so creating competent lighting for it is very important. Using LED strips or fluorescent lamps, they illuminate the mirror around the perimeter or from several sides. It is important to install light sources in such a way as to prevent the creation of glare; for this, the light must fall exactly on the face. For installation above the mirror and on the sides of it, it is worth using lamps with frosted glass to hide strong brightness.
How to properly light a bathroom mirror
Zoning is used in any room, including the bathroom. You can make the space around the mirror a separate functional area. If there is a podium or niche in a small bathroom, designers recommend lighting them as much as possible.
Advice! An interesting solution would be to place spotlights on both sides of the mirror. They will provide high-quality lighting, but will not dazzle the eyes.
LED lights
Modern LED lamps have already become a part of our lives. Low energy consumption, long service life and the absence of flicker harmful to the eyes are winning more and more fans around the world every day. But to illuminate the bathroom, you can use not only spotlights or wall sconces with LED lamps. Using LED decorative lighting will help realize various design ideas and add special beauty to the bathroom interior.
Floor lighting
An interesting solution would be floor lighting in a small bathroom. Sealed and durable lamps with a power not exceeding 5 W are suitable for the bathroom. This type of lighting source is suitable for rooms with high humidity. To give the floor an unusual lighting effect, you can use colored light bulbs.
With properly thought-out lighting in the bathroom, you can visually expand the space and make a small room look elegant and spacious.
An interesting lighting option in the bathroom is a false window with decorative lighting. In bright lighting, a good option would be to decorate the bathroom with ceramic or mirror tiles. If spotlights are chosen correctly, they will not only serve as a source of light, but will also help create a variety of visual illusions that hide or highlight the highlights of the interior.
Attention! In pursuit of wealth and beauty of the interior, we must not forget about safety. Take care to ground the lighting fixtures and avoid direct contact with water.
If desired, you can additionally install special switches in the bathroom to regulate the light power. In the morning, you can use the maximum power of light, while completely “waking up”. After a hard day at work, when you want to relax and unwind in a warm bath, the lighting is reduced to a minimum.
Fixtures for a small bathroom
No matter how much we would like, no tricks can turn 4 square meters into 10. But efforts should be made to ensure that the level of illumination is sufficient; the already small space of the room is not lost in the shadows. Lamps should be chosen with such power that the room is illuminated with bright, but not blinding light. In the article on choosing lamps, we already touched on the issue of lamp power for bathroom lighting; you can follow the recommendations given in the article for lighting a small bathroom.
It is not recommended to hang one lamp in a small room. Although this solution will reduce the labor intensity of equipping the bathroom with lamps, it will visually make the bath even smaller, since the light will not spread evenly throughout the entire volume of the room, creating thick dark shadows in the corners, behind pieces of furniture and behind plumbing fixtures, concealing the space.
One of the basic rules for arranging lighting in a small bathroom (in a Khrushchev-era building or a modern small-sized apartment) is to uniformly illuminate the entire room using several ceiling or wall lamps. The lamps can be anything - LED spotlights (spots), fluorescent energy-saving lamps, incandescent lamps, halogen lamps. The main thing is that their luminous flux provides sufficient brightness.
If the connection is incorrect, the LED lamps may blink.
The photo below shows possible options for placing lamps in a small room (images are clickable, click to enlarge):
Zoning options
The ideal option is to organize an independent lighting source in each area of the bathroom. A similar rule is also suitable for small Khrushchev buildings. Let's analyze some popular methods of zoning such small bathrooms. Spotlights can be installed above all plumbing fixtures. The desired object is isolated using a directed light beam; its source can be located in different places. An interesting solution for bathroom design is the use of two-position spotlights to illuminate different areas in the bathroom. It is advisable to use diffused soft light to make the bathroom feel comfortable and cozy. Designers recommend using a lampshade made of frosted glass. A white lampshade that does not distort natural shades is also suitable for these purposes.
Attention! Cold spectrum fluorescent lamps are not suitable for illuminating the mirror, as they will distort the image.
The spectrum of the lamps should be similar to the spectrum of natural light. The lamps can be attached directly to the wall using glue or self-tapping screws.
Wall lamps for the bathroom are divided into:
- for near-surface lampshades, fixed at a minimum distance from the wall;
- wall sconces, the lampshade of which is attached to a special bracket.
- suspended structures made in the form of bowls of various shapes, mounted on special hangers.
For a small bathroom, small pendant lamps attached to the ceiling are suitable. Among the new fashion trends is the use of spotlights of original shape.
Advice! If you divide the wiring into several buttons, you can change the light intensity.
Existing room lighting options
It is important to remember that lighting a bathtub with a suspended ceiling or suspended plastic structure has its own characteristics in terms of design and installation.
When considering all options, it is necessary to take into account the architectural features of the room, the safety of wiring and utilities, and focus on the following types of lighting:
- ceiling chandeliers and lamps;
- spot lighting around the perimeter;
- special lighting of individual zones.
Light zoning allows you to harmonize the environment as much as possible and add zest to the design and interior solution.
To do this, you need to calculate the system and worry in advance about purchasing consumables and cables, think about their insulation and stock up on lighting fixtures and switches.
Choosing a place to install lamps
The choice of installation location of the lamp in the bathroom must be careful, since such lighting will demonstrate all the smallest imperfections of the walls in this room.
If desired, you can also purchase floor lighting fixtures for this room. They are structures that are installed on racks of different heights. Such floor lamps can have one or several light bulbs that differ in shape, size, and color of the lampshade. Such devices help to modernize lighting in a small bathroom, for example, in Khrushchev-era apartments, without wasting time on installation. Among the advantages of floor lamps, we note: reasonable cost, variety of models. If you purchase a tall floor lamp, you can use it to illuminate certain areas, such as the bath. Before you begin installing various types of lamps in a given room, it is advisable to develop a ready-made project. Having spent time on its manufacture, you will be able to take into account all the nuances and calculate the total power of the luminous flux that you will ultimately receive.
Bathrooms 2-4 sq.m.
Spacious storage niches.
Shower tray.
Completed renovation in a room of 4 sq.m. White and green shades of tiles complement the decorative panels.
Ceiling lining with plastic.
Multifunctional room 4 sq.m. m, combining a toilet, a bathtub, a cabinet with a washbasin and a washing machine.
Corner bath model in room design 4 sq. m.
An example of a compact layout. A countertop with a sink is mounted above the washing machine, which also provides additional storage space.
Finishing
Marine colors
The most popular and durable finishing material is tile. Thanks to the variety of textures and colors, you can create something exceptional, even stylized. Ceramic tiles can imitate a variety of natural materials. The main assortment is represented by representatives of Russia and Europe. Today, designers are opting for modern styles and eclecticism. But, of course, everyone makes their own unique choice.
Any combination of color and theme is possible, but floral and floral designs are the most popular. Marine themes are a little less in demand. Combined finishing is always relevant: different tops and bottoms, borders, division into zones.
Zoning using finishing
The most interesting material is mosaic. This is the easiest way to add zest to the interior.
Nowadays, fashion trends are inclining consumers towards the use of environmentally friendly materials, and this has extended to the interior of the bathroom. Wood processed using special modern technologies can be used for cladding walls and floors. Marble, granite, travertine slabs, sandstone are also used for cladding - and these are not all possible options.
Secrets and nuances for increasing space
The following ways to increase bathroom space are possible:
- Custom-made furniture. If the room is small, it will be difficult for you to choose furniture of suitable dimensions. Therefore, use the services of designers who will think through the interior taking into account the needs of your family.
- Bathroom built into a niche and finished with the same tiles as the floor. This solution will visually expand the volume of the room due to the flow of colors.
- Wall-hung toilet. This compact option is the best way to bring lightness to the space and an innovative spirit to the atmosphere of the room.
Corner plumbing - sinks, showers and even bathtubs in a similar design - is another idea that will help you manage space wisely and save space.
Project and price
Before you start repairing, you need to think through all the details carefully. The premises are complex from the point of view of architects, and any mistake can lead to negative consequences.
The first problem is the small footage. In a small space you need to fit all the necessary furniture, plumbing and household appliances.
Next, you need to think about and correctly decide on the location of communications.
When selecting materials, it is necessary to take into account aggressive environmental conditions. High humidity and high temperatures can destroy wood or plaster products.
If you plan to draw up a project yourself in order to save money, then it is advisable to look at ready-made design solutions based on photos of bathroom renovations from different sources. In this case, there will definitely be a convenient option.
Next, an approximate price list for materials and work is compiled. It is recommended to look through various hardware stores, estimate the cost of materials and select analogues. Or turn to specialists who will do all the work themselves.
