The key when shopping for these, whether they’re brushed nickel bathroom lights or not, is to find something that is going to jive with the rest of your home.  You really don’t want your guests to feel like they’ve left your home and ended up in someone else’s when they step into the bathroom.

You might be thinking that you don’t have brushed nickel lights anywhere else in your home, how are they going to work in the bathroom?  That’s the beauty of these!  They don’t necessarily have to match materials with your other lighting choices, but they should be similar in shape and design.  The brushed nickel look works in every bathroom, you just need to decide on the design.

What bathroom light works best?  The shape and size of your bathroom will determine which light fixtures work best for you, but there are some common themes.  Small bathrooms can get away with only having one brushed nickel bathroom light fixture, usually above the mirror.  The size of the mirror or vanity will determine how large of a fixture that you need.  A long double vanity might need two fixture, or one really long one.  Two fixtures costs more money up front, but they use less light bulbs than really long ones, so you’ll save money over time in energy and replacement costs.  If your bathroom is a shape other than rectangle or square, you’re going to need to provide some light for those corners.  A bathroom ceiling light would work best for lighting a small space around a corner.

Shopping for brushed nickel bathroom lighting isn’t a tough task, but when you have a good idea of what you need before you decide which one you want you’re going to make a better decision!

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To best answer this question, we have to first look at some very similar situations.  Why does a designer suit or dress cost more than a generic brand?  The main reason is the brand alone “demands” those kinds of prices, but there are some other things.  Designer brands generally use higher quality materials, fit you better, and even pay their employees more money.

For some, these qualities (along with the status) are very important when shopping for a suit or dress, but does it really matter when it comes to bathroom mirror lights?  I have to say that it really doesn’t.  I deal with bathroom light fixtures for a living and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell if you lied to me and said that yours were Kimball & Young.  There is almost always a cheaper version when it comes to bathroom lights, and no one but you will know!

Craftsmanship is obviously important when it comes to mirror lights for the bathroom, but so is your budget.  The key is to find something that you can afford and be happy with.  Bathroom light fixtures don’t take much abuse (aside from natural disasters) in their lives so you can probably get away with a less expensive and lower quality brand, as long as you’re happy with its lighting and design.

I’ve been doing this for a long time and have always been encouraging clients to choose what fits their budget instead of their status (in nicer words than that!).  Your bathroom, and it’s lights, should look great but not at the cost of having to hold back in other areas of your life.

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If you’ve read other posts on this site you’ve probably come across the idea that dirty bathroom lights are the cause of many remodeling jobs.  I know that many people just want to change their bathroom vanity lights because they want something new, but when it comes to actually improving the amount and quality of light you might be able to get away with what’s already there.  The mixture of shower steam, hairspray, makeup, and other bathroom products leaves a gnarly film on the vanity lights.  Many times it takes an industrial degreaser to get that many years worth of goo off, but if that sounds like your bathroom this is the best first step.  Take off the globe (the glass around the bulb) and really clean, I mean really clean it!  Oh, you thought it was supposed to be off-white?  Yeah, sorry it was just filthy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to berate you for not having a clean home, it’s just that nobody cleans the vanity light fixtures when they’re scrubbing the shower and toilets.

Deciding to install new vanity light fixtures is a pretty big decision because it usually means that you have to upgrade everything else around it so everything matches.  It’s like getting a brand new entertainment center and still having your giant, rabbit eared box of a TV sitting there.  You’re going to want to swap out the shower curtain, towels, and maybe even the faucet and hardware.  With that in mind, be sure that you really want new bathroom vanity lighting before going shopping.

Shopping for new fixtures is a fairly straightforward process on the surface, but rather complex when you’re actually looking at the plethora of light selections available.  You want vanity lights that will blend in with the rest of the designs in your home.  To get the full scoop on how to do this, be sure to read my post on how to choose bathroom lighting fixtures.

Bathroom vanity lighting shouldn’t be rocket science, so I’ve tried to make the decisions as clear as possible.  Clean and polish what you already have to see if you can get more life out of it, or be ready for a full shopping experience and bathroom makeover with new fixtures.

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When installing new bathroom ceiling lighting, your possibilities are almost limitless, but most of them won’t do much good at all!  There are a few key things to consider when deciding the light’s placement that will have the biggest impact.  If you don’t already have a fixture installed, look at the bathroom closely to figure out which area needs light the most.  I know that sounds obvious, but look at it like you’ve never been in there before and you’ll see things very differently than the person who uses that shower every day.  Look for corners that are darker than others or what the light is like in the shower to figure out the best placement.  Also, avoid placing ceiling lights near any tall bathroom storage cabinets, as they will block a lot of the light that comes down.

Another couple of things to consider when installing a new light fixture are what it’s going to be exposed to and how easy it will be to change it.  Light fixtures above the shower are going to need to be water proof to be able to take the steam and moisture that rise out of the shower.  Also, Murphy’s law states that the light is going to burn out at the time that you need it the most, so how easy is it going to be to change when your kid is sick on the toilet in complete darkness?

If you’re looking to upgrade an existing fixture you can improve its performance in a few different ways.  The type of bulbs that you use in the bathroom ceiling light are going to have a big effect on your bathroom’s overall lighting.  CFL bulbs last forever, but give a bathroom a yellow tint.  Instead, try tungsten or halogen to get energy saving benefits and cool, natural light.

A really cool thing you can do with bathroom ceiling light fixtures is install a dimmer switch.  This has all sorts of benefits.  The most obvious is setting the mood for a romantic and relaxing bath.  Another, not so obvious, feature that I love about having bathroom dimmer switch is that you can turn on the light as much as you want when you first get up in the morning or have to “go” in the middle of the night.  The harsh and instant light from a traditional switch is incredible stressful when you’re still groggy, instead use a dimmer to get just as much light as you need to take care of business.

There are a lot of cool things that you can do with a bathroom ceiling light.  Use the tips outlined above and you’ll be on your way to having a bathroom that you actually enjoy spending time in!

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Here’s a trick that many of the “big box bigwigs” probably don’t want you to know.  It’s cheaper to buy lights online, than from your local Home Depot or Lowe’s.  They say that they guarantee the lowest prices, but that normally only applies to things that available in other brick and mortar stores, not online sales.  So here’s what you do – Go to homedepot.com and find the section to choose your “home store”, whichever is closest to you.  After you set that you can browse through their website to see which bathroom vanity light fixtures you like and are available at your “home store.”  There will be a little green box at the bottom which tells you if it’s available at your store so you can go and see it in person.  Go check the ones that you like out, come home and buy it online for cheap bathroom vanity lights!

If vintage is your style, check out estate and remodeling sales.  It’s incredibly easy to find really cool vintage bathroom light fixtures at these, and they’ll only cost you a few bucks.  You’ll probably have to spend some time cleaning it up to make it look good, but the money that you save will be well worth it.

Another easy trick is to buy a vanity light fixture that will fit right into where your existing ones do.  This will eliminate the need for paying someone for installation.  If it fits right in the existing spot all you have to do is turn the power off, remove the old one, and install the new.  You just saved at least a hundred bucks by doing it yourself and you get the pride of a job well done!

To save money once it’s installed, use energy efficient light bulbs.  You may think that you should jump right into compact fluorescent lights, but put the brakes on instead!  CFL bulbs (and fluorescent light in general) makes a very yellow cast on the skin.  This means that your blue makeup will look green on your face when you’re looking in the mirror.  Not good!  Instead, try tungsten or halogen.  These aren’t as efficient as CFL’s but will give you natural and even light that saves a ton of money over regular incandescent bulbs.

Saving money on bathroom vanity lights isn’t tough at all.  Use the tricks and tips outlined above and you’ll be well on your way to new lights at a fraction of the price.

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The first step is to clean.  I’m not saying that your bathroom is dirty (maybe I am) but there are parts of every bathroom that haven’t been cleaned in years, including the lights.  Sometimes a thorough cleaning can brighten up a bathroom enough that new lights aren’t needed.  Remove the glass cover (called a globe) from your lights and let it soak in some warm soapy water and proceed to give it a good bath.  You’re going to be surprised at the years worth of grime that comes off of it!  Also be sure to wipe down the walls to get all of the grime that a steamy shower deposits up there.  This will do wonders for many bathrooms, and if you do end up changing the lights you’ll at least have a clean space to do it in!

Second, figure out why you want new lights.  If you only want to improve the appearance of your bathroom, choose “vanity” lights!  Just kidding.  If you’re remodeling, this part won’t help you, but if you need to brighten the bathroom it will.  Bathrooms are really dark for all sorts of reasons, but many times you can get away without changing the entire fixture.  An important rule to keep in mind is that dark colors absorb light and light ones reflect it, so if you have dark paint, shower curtain, towels, or drapes in the bathroom those might be what’s sucking all of the light out of the room.  You can try swapping those out for reflective colors and it should make a huge difference in the brightness of the room.

Also, look at the light bulbs that are in the fixtures.  Bathrooms don’t like fluorescent light because it gives skin a yellow tint when looking in the mirror.  Instead try a tungsten or halogen light in the vanity light fixture, they’re very bright with a very natural and sunlight-esque tone to them.  Traditional incandescent light works well, but they are major energy hogs.

Unless you’re swapping out the bathroom light fixture for purely “vanity” reasons (I’ll stop…) try these other ways to bring some new life into your bathroom.  It can save you a lot of money and help you work with what you already have.

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Most homes have a “feel” or theme that permeates through every room.  This theme is a reflection of you and your family’s personalities that makes it not just your house, but your home.  Many homes have bathrooms that feel like you stepped into a strangers house and there is no continuity from the other rooms.  This is incredibly important to keep in mind when shopping for bathroom lighting fixtures, your bathroom should feel like every other room in your house.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what the theme is of your home, look at it like you’ve never been there before.  Look up, down, left, right and make a note of everything that you see.  There will be some common themes, or at the very least, common shapes and materials.  If many of the fixtures and bedroom table lamps in your home are silver, make note of that.  If round fixtures and lights are your thing, note that as well.  If your wall mounted shelves are of a modern look, make note of that.  These different qualities of the stuff in the rest of your home will help you determine what will go into your bathroom.

After you have an idea of your home’s theme, or at least common characteristics, write all of them down.  Those qualities are going to become your shopping checklist for your next bathroom light fixture.  You’re going to be looking at qualities like color, texture, shape, and material along with more abstract feelings like modern, contemporary, rustic, vintage, and even kitschy.

Take your list and narrow it down to five or six different things.  Those are now the qualities that you look for in your new light fixtures, and if it doesn’t fit your list it won’t fit in your home.

This technique, obviously, could be applied to anything that you put into your home.  Most people benefit from this little exercise when it comes to bathroom stuff because many people look at a bathroom like it’s just a place to take care of business, rather than an extension of the rest of the home.  Spend the extra few minutes to do this and you’ll find the perfect bathroom lighting fixture the first time you go shopping!

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Bathrooms can be dark for all sorts of reasons.  They may have poor lighting, dark paint on the walls, or just an overall dingy feeling that makes it feel dark.  It’s important that you tackle the dark “feel” before you tackle the actual lighting problem.  It’s cheaper than upgrading light fixtures, and may solve your problem completely.

Bright bathrooms don’t necessarily have more lights than dark bathrooms do, but what they have is a lot of reflection in the small space.  Light colored walls and spaces contribute to this.  If you rent your house/apartment there isn’t much you can do about the color of the walls, but you can change out some of the other stuff.  Dark colors absorb light and light ones reflect it, so take a look at things like your shower curtain and towels to see if their sucking the light out of your room.  Replace them with light colors like white or yellow to brighten the whole room up.

Cleaning your bathroom is important as well.  I’m not talking about wiping the pee off the toilet seat, I mean taking stuff off of the walls and really scrubbing it down.  That means the glass on the light fixture, the shower curtain rod,  and wiping down the walls.  In many older homes years of dust and shower grime add to the dark and dingy feel of a bathroom.

If you don’t have any luck with the first two steps, take a look at the actual lighting.  Try out halogen or tungsten lights instead of the regular incandescent ones.  These bulbs provide light that is closer to sunlight and will make the room feel brighter.  Before replacing the light fixtures, try replacing the glass on them.  These are called globes, and changing from a frosted to a clear on can make a huge difference.

Upgrading the light fixture should be the last thing that you do.  It costs more than the other steps, and is the most drastic.  Figuring out if a light fixture is going to be brighter than your current one shouldn’t be too tough, and a side by side comparison (or by memory) should do the trick.  Installing them is easy, just be sure to kill the power to the whole bathroom before playing with wires.  All you have to do is remove the old one and install the new one.

Getting rid of your dark bathroom lighting problem isn’t tough at all.  First, deal with what you already have and if that doesn’t work upgrade the lights!

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Balanced light from your bathroom vanity light fixtures is incredibly important.  Typically, the light shines from on top of the mirror (the vanity light), reflects from counter top and off of light colored walls and back to your face.  This creates some balance, but it’s certainly not ideal.  Think about a hair stylist station or a make up station and how the lights are positioned there.  They have equal light coming from all sides, leaving no shadows on the face.  While a huge setup like that isn’t practical for a home, there are some options.  Small spotlights can be easily installed on the sides of the mirror to help light shine onto the face, or dark walls can be painted a lighter color to brighten the entire room.

The light bulb type that you use is also important.  We all want to conserve energy and lower our utility bills, but tube and compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are terrible for bathroom lighting.  They create a yellow tone on the skin, which means that color of make up that you’re putting on in the mirror is a different color once you get out!  Instead, tungsten or halogen bulbs work great and create a very neutral and natural cast on the face.  These lights use less energy than regular incandescent bulbs and work better!

Another easy trick to getting the best results from these bulbs is to install a dimmer switch.  Most people will want a calmer light when they’re bathing or getting ready for bed, and a brighter one when putting on make up or plucking eye brows.  The dimmer switch will get you both of those and everything in between.

Getting your bathroom set up just the way that you want it is very important.  It helps make sure that your day begins and ends on the right note.  Take the time to get it just right and see what a big difference it can make in your life!

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There are four types of lighting you can install. The four basic types are accent lighting, general lighting, task lighting and decorative or sparkle lighting. Professional decorators and designers usually combine the first three types of lighting in a room, sometime even the four of them. For the bathroom, task lighting is the most basic and critical lighting fixture you can install. Proper lighting design will greatly assist you in your bathroom routine such as applying of make up, dressing a wound, shaving and when you are putting on your manicure and pedicure.

1st Tip: Task lighting should be placed above the vanity mirror, near the sink. You can also opt to place it at each side of the mirror instead, depending on the aesthetic value of your preference.

2nd Tip: It is highly recommended that you install incandescent or halogen fixtures in your vanity mirror. This way, you are able to control the brightness of the lights by just installing a dimmer.

3rd Tip: Remember that it would be better to ‘over light’ than not to have enough light. If you do not have enough light, you will need to add another light fixture. If you have more than enough light, a dimmer is all you need to control the brightness in the room. Whatever amount of lighting you need, the dimmer will let you achieve it without having to install or uninstall another lighting fixture.

4th Tip: If you can find one, it is best to have neodymium light bulbs as your lighting fixture for your vanity mirror. It closely simulates sunlight that is why it is preferred by many. Neodymium is like an incandescent light bulb but with a slight bluish tint in it. The bluish tint is caused by the neodymium placed inside the glass envelope. This is the reason why it is less yellow than the ordinary incandescent light bulb.

5th Tip: Refrain from using recessed down lights because it causes too much shadow on your face. You can use this type of lighting anywhere else in the bathroom but not in your vanity mirror.

6th Tip: Near your vanity mirror, you might want to install a small lit concave mirror. This will magnify the image on the mirror plus, the additional lighting will help you in specific tasks such as applying your make up or shaving.

7Th Tip: Take also in consideration the lighting for your bathtub, shower or Jacuzzi area. To illuminate these areas, you can use two recessed downlights with special shower trims. If your bathroom is already fully constructed, then a remodel or recessed housing is appropriate. You can also choose to install a shower trim that has a glass diffuser and special gasket or a shower trim with a domed glass diffuser for uniform light distribution.

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