ᐅ Bathroom lighting design with ceiling spotlights

Hello,

here is my first draft for the lighting design of my bathroom. The main idea was to achieve a symmetrical layout with wall distances of 60 cm (24 inches). I am considering spotlights with a beam angle of 65°. With a luminous flux of 500 lm per spot, I get an undimmed value of 400 lm/m² (37 lm/ft²).

I am unsure if the arrangement is ideal:
- The toilet and bathroom users are illuminated directly from above
- Is a 60 cm (24 inches) distance from the mirror problematic?
- Users at the washbasin might also be illuminated directly from above
- Are ceiling spots with a diameter of 68 mm (2.7 inches) suitable for bathroom areas, or are there better alternatives?

The floor plan is 3.8 m x 2.8 m (12.5 ft x 9.2 ft), so about 10 m² (108 ft²).
The walk-in shower is separated by a wall 2.2 m (7.2 ft) high. On top, there is an RGBW LED strip installed. At the toilet/bathtub area, there is a knee wall about 1 m (39 inches) high.
The vanity is 160 cm (63 inches) wide. Above it, a mirror of the same width with LED circular lighting is to be installed.
The bathroom already exists; now the lighting is to be installed in the suspended ceiling.
All light fixtures are powered by ballasts controllable via DALI.

With DALI control, you can achieve excellent results. Use Ansorg (or similar) recessed ceiling lights instead of the small standard fixtures.

I couldn’t find any from Ansorg with CCT. I found some from Deko Light that have 24V and diameters of 64 and 95mm (2.5 and 3.7 inches). Why choose larger fixtures, and where would you position them?

Why is it that there are always so many spotlights everywhere? Especially in the bathroom, people have different needs. In front of the mirror, I want good lighting—bright and ideally from above or the side directly at the mirror (there’s a reason why mirrors in theatre dressing rooms are lit this way). In the bathtub, however, I don’t need it as bright; it’s more about creating a cozy atmosphere.
For the shower: it can be brightly lit in specific spots, but when I get out to dry off and apply lotion, I don’t need harsh lighting either.

That’s why I wouldn’t just fill the entire bathroom with spotlights, and definitely not have them all controlled together.

Consider the different areas for yourself and how you want them to be lit (my thoughts are above). Then plan these individual areas separately and control them individually as well.

We have (dimmable!) spotlights in the shower and toilet,

(unfortunately without lit lamps in this photo)

a brightly lit mirror

and LED strips in the shower, which we think create a nice light there.

Depending on mood, we can combine these areas or light up just one.
(I just realize these pictures are already outdated—we are making progress, even though it often feels like nothing is happening.)

At some point, a sauna will be added, and it will have its own lighting.

I don’t want a bathroom that’s lit evenly in all corners all the time.

Sure, if all of them are switched on together, that would be too much for me.
1. I definitely don’t need a light directly above the toilet.
2. Directly above the bathtub – that’s glaring when you’re lying down, so that’s not good. When I’m enjoying a bath, I prefer it darker anyway. Bright light is fine for shaving or similar tasks, but not directly above, as I said, that causes glare.
3. The shower lighting is fine as it is.
4. A light above the sink in that position is unnecessary – you usually have a light directly at the mirror, don’t you?
5. The LED strip on the partition – does it shine upwards? It wouldn’t add any brightness, just some “ambilight” or something like that.

I would put lighting at the mirror above the sink (not from the ceiling), then move the three spotlights closer to the bathtub, and remove the other three. Alternatively, add a reading lamp near the toilet if one is needed.

Light at the mirror:
Lighting from the right and left usually provides better and more shadow-free illumination than lighting from above only.