Vanity Lights and Bathroom Lighting

Width, mounting height and the light on your face

Lighting from both sides of the mirror gives the most even light on a face, so a pair of sconces often works better than a single bar when there is room. A bar above the mirror suits compact spaces; choose one no wider than the mirror, often about three-quarters of the vanity width. Sconces sit roughly 60 to 66 inches above the floor, at eye level. Bulbs facing up give a soft, bounced glow, and bulbs facing down give brighter task light with more shadow. Check the light count and the wattage limit per socket.

Damp ratings, bulbs and finish

Bathroom fixtures need a damp rating, and a fixture inside a shower enclosure needs a wet rating. Brushed nickel, chrome, bronze and white are the common finishes, so match them to the faucet and mirror frame. Choose bulbs with a color rendering index (CRI) of 90 or more for grooming, and a color temperature of about 3000 K for natural skin tones. Integrated LED fixtures have no bulbs to replace, so check the stated lifetime. An ETL or UL listing in a title shows tested electrical safety.

Questions about Vanity Lights and Bathroom Lighting

How much light do I need over a vanity?

Aim for roughly 1,500 lumens in total at a single vanity, split across two or three lights, and more if the room is large or dark. A fixture that lists lumens makes this easy; one that lists only watts needs bulb output checked.

How far apart should two vanity sconces be?

Place them on either side of the mirror, roughly 36 to 40 inches apart center to center, at about eye level. Closer than that and the lights crowd the face; much wider and the center falls into shadow. For a wide vanity, add a third light above the mirror.

Why do my bathroom lights look too yellow or too blue?

Color temperature decides it. Around 2700 K is warm yellow, 3000 K a neutral warm white, and 4000 K or more looks cool and bluish. Mixing bulbs of different temperatures in one fixture makes the difference obvious, so use matching bulbs.