Mandy PhillipsAre you having a difficult time choosing the best color temperature for bathroom lighting?
Well, you’re not alone.
One principle to keep in mind when it comes to bathroom lighting design is to create a soothing atmosphere and safe environment by choosing the ideal color temperature.
A modern bathroom is a relaxing place that benefits from warm and cozy lighting.
But your bathroom lighting should also be bright enough to efficiently and safely perform bathroom tasks such as showering, grooming, or applying makeup.
Check out how to create a beautiful bathroom lighting design that is efficient, comfortable, and safe.
Finding the Best Color Temperature for Bathroom Lighting
Choosing the best color temperature can make or break your bathroom lighting design.
The color temperature of your lighting fixtures will help create the atmosphere, purpose, and style you want to have in your bathroom.
But what is the ideal bathroom lighting color temperature?
White light is either daylight, cool white, or warm white, and is produced by light fixtures.
Each of these color temperatures creates a different look and feel inside the room.
PRO TIP
As a general rule, your bathroom lighting should mimic natural light.
How Do You Measure Color Temperature?
Color temperature is expressed through the Kelvin numbered scale.
The lower the color temperature, the more yellow light it produces, giving a warmer and more relaxing glow.
Meanwhile, higher color temperatures produce bluer, cooler, and more energizing light.
Guide to Color Temperatures for Bathroom Lighting
The arrangement for color temperature is simple, symbolized by the letter ‘K’ and measured on a scale from 1,000 to 10,000. For example 1000K and 3000K.
Below, you can find the range of color temperatures that can help you find the best color temperature for bathroom lighting.
- 9000K — Overcast Sky
It is difficult to replicate this light in light bulbs.
Color temperature ranging from 7000K to 9000K will give you the color effect of a deep blue sky.
- 6500K — Daylight
The spectrum of color is a balanced mixture of blue and white light that is intense and strong.
- 5000K — Bright White
This color temperature appears like that of noon daylight, which offers the intensity and clarity of sunlight.
It is best used in professional spaces that require precision.
- 4100K — Cool White (best for bathroom vanity)
Cool white provides white light with a slight blue tint, gravitating towards the blue end of the color spectrum.
It’s best used for working environments that require precision and clarity.
Compared to bright white, subjects are less overexposed in cool white.
- 3500K — Neutral White (best for bathroom vanity)
Neutral white is smacked right in the middle of cool and warm color temperatures.
It appears less diluted and is best used for producing accurate colors.
Neutral white is ideal for settings where you need to stay alert.
You can mostly find this type of light in office spaces or retail settings.
- 3000K — Soft White (best for ambient bathroom lighting)
Soft white is in the yellow range, appearing in a yellowish-white color similar to what you can get from traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs.
This type of light gives off a cozy and warm atmosphere in the room.
It’s best used for spaces where you need to invite relaxation like living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Despite the warmer tone, a soft white light still offers enough brightness for clarity.
- 2700K — Warm White (best for ambient bathroom lighting)
Warm white is the most common color temperature used in typical lighting settings.
Residential and restaurant settings commonly have this light, which is slightly orange and reminiscent of a sunset or fire glow.
- 1500K — Candlelight
This color temperature gives off a soft, yellowish, and warm light ideal for unwinding. It’s best suited for accent lighting.
Other Factors to Consider for Bathroom Lighting
Besides the color temperature, there are a couple more factors you also need to consider for bathroom lighting.
CRI Rating
Color Rendering Index comes hand in hand with the color temperature of a light bulb.
It measures the ability of your light fixture to reveal colors, scaled from zero to 100.
In general, light bulbs with higher CRI ratings will produce more accurate colors.
Here’s a simple CRI rating guide that can affect the lighting you choose for your bathroom.
- 0-55 — Poor
- 60-85 — Good (best for bathroom lighting)
- 90-100 — Excellent
A CRI rating of 80 renders colors as they appear in natural light.
Ambient Lighting vs. Task Lighting
For a bathroom lighting design, there are two types of lighting you need to keep in mind. Each has particular functions which require different light ranges.
Ambient lighting is for general lighting purposes and is the primary source of illumination for your bathroom.
The purpose of ambient lighting is to provide an overview of the room to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, task lighting is intended to illuminate more details of a given space.
It is often brighter than your bathroom’s ambient lighting and placed in areas where you need more clarity.
Although task lighting needs to have ample brightness, it’s best to avoid harsh lighting that can cast troublesome or unsafe shadows.
What Color Temperature is Best for Bathroom Lighting?
Generally, you fix two types of lighting in your bathroom: ambient lights and task lights. Each requires different levels of brightness and clarity.
For ambient lighting in your bathroom, color temperature isn’t much of a concern.
The most important consideration is that your lighting fixture provides enough brightness that you can see everything in the room.
In that case, you can fix light bulbs between 2700K to 3000K like in most residential settings.
Your bathroom’s task lighting should be brighter and more color-accurate.
Bathroom task lights should be provided in specific areas of your bathroom where you do tasks that require better lighting, such as in your vanities, sinks, showers, toilets, and bathtubs.
For bathroom task lighting, it’s more comfortable and safer to use light bulbs between 3500K to 4100K.
This color temperature range replicates natural daylight.
Choosing the most suitable CRI rating for your task lights is crucial, especially for your vanity.
Light bulbs with a CRI of 80 or higher will better reflect your true appearance in the mirror.
Summary:
- 2700K to 3000K for ambient lights
- 3500K to 4100K for bathroom task lights
FAQ
Dimmable lights offer excellent versatility for spaces where you do a variety of tasks, like the bathroom. Vanity light with high levels of brightness is perfect for shaving or doing your makeup. However, too intense bathroom lighting can disrupt the atmosphere if you want to relax while in the bath.
That’s where dimmable lights come in, so consider adding them to your bathroom lighting design. Moreover, you can save energy since you are only using as much lighting as you need at any given time.
A single light source may be enough for a tiny bathroom, but it will not give you shadow-free and bright enough lighting when you are in the mirror. It can make some tasks difficult, like applying your makeup or shaving.
Layering your bathroom lighting gives you a well-balanced space. For example, you can have ambient lighting to provide general illumination to your bathroom and task lights for specific areas like the shower or the mirror above your sink.
Damp-rated lights should be used in bathroom areas with direct exposure to moisture, such as the shower area, especially if you have a steam shower. You can also fix them above your sink or the bathtub area. However, not all of your bathroom lighting has to be damp-rated.
