Your bathroom’s becoming a refuge, so why not light it adequately?

When it comes to interior lighting, bathrooms are probably given the least consideration of all the rooms in the house. The average client I meet doesn’t think to invest there — save it for the living room or kitchen, they say. I see a lot of baths with inadequate lighting at the mirror. Often there’s just a single ceiling fixture that’s supposed to do it all.

But as the bathroom increasingly becomes a place to relax and recharge, complete with steam shower and spa tub, the lighting requires extra thought. And when it’s done right, the payoff is great. After all, this is the room where you start and end your day.

A good lighting plan is a series of layers — placing ample light where it is needed for showers, shaving, or putting on makeup, for instance, while other light sources enhance the overall mood of the room.