We are here to tell you that when it comes to bathroom lighting, the wall-mounted sconce isn’t your only option. The quickest way to give your bathroom a refresh is to take a good hard look at your lighting situation. Do you still have tacky 80s sconces mounted on top of your mirror? This article is for you, my friend.
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of any room, but bathrooms in particular. As Heather says, it is the jewelry of the space. You can have killer wallpaper, custom vanity, and gorgeous plumbing fixtures, but without the jewelry, it falls flat. We love to use lighting in unexpected ways to bring a little luxury and drama to the mundane. Read on below for some tips and tricks on how to update the lighting in your home HW style.
Skip the boring sconces if possible!
Do you have high enough ceilings in your bathroom that you can hang a single pendant over your mirror (or go crazy and hang two as we did in our Flagler project below)? I’d say a good rule of thumb is that you need at least a 9-foot ceiling to be able to go this route, and a qualified electrician to rewire for you. (Don’t forget drywall and paint to patch if you already had said 80s sconce lighting in place).
We love to center a beautiful pendant over a single vanity especially for a high drama moment in a powder bath. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Pendants aren’t just for kitchen islands anymore.
If you have a large single vanity, consider doing a small chandelier off-center as we did below to give you that wow moment. A good rule of thumb on this one is to make sure that your chandelier is not wider than your vanity. The key is to add a little visual interest without overtaking the space.
Think light and airy with a lot of glass instead of dark and heavy, particularly in a relatively small space. Another use for a gorgeous chandelier is of course over the bathtub, which gives any bathroom a major luxurious update immediately.
If your ceilings are too low for a pendant or chandelier, or your budget doesn’t allow for any re-wiring, it is okay to go to the traditional sconce route but keep it interesting. Flank your mirror with two gorgeous sleek sconces in an unexpected matte brass, or choose a sconce of a completely different material such as these woven ones we used on a recent project.
We have entered the 21st century where it is okay to mix metals. In fact, we LOVE mixing metals and materials in a bathroom and the best way to do that is with lighting and hardware. This is your chance to have a little fun!
Lastly, let’s talk flush mounts. We don’t use a ton of flush mounts mainly because we get to work with a lot of nice high ceilings in our client’s homes. However, they can be a great option for someone with a low ceiling and no room to add any wall mount lighting. Choose something that’s a bit sprawling to make the most impact particularly if the room is wide enough to handle it.
The most important thing to remember is that there are no ‘rules’ anymore. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to your bathroom lighting. Mixed metals, pendants in lieu of sconces, or a killer chandelier hung over your bathtub can elevate your bathroom into the kind of space you can’t wait to show off. Check out our shop for some of our favorite options.
