From simple sconces to stand-out chandeliers, these 10 bathroom lighting ideas will not only make your bathroom more functional but infuse it with style too!
We’re planning to renovate all three bathrooms in our home so I’ve been doing a lot of searching for bathroom lighting lately. Having done a major bathroom renovation in our previous home just a few years ago, I know how important it is to get the lighting right and not leave it as an afterthought. Today I’m sharing ten bathroom lighting ideas to not only make your bathroom more functional but infuse it with style too! (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
1. Layer Your Lighting
Adding layered lighting is important for any room in your home, including your bathroom. I’m reminded of this daily as I attempt to put on makeup in possibly the most unflattering, shadowed lighting ever, created by recessed lights that are almost directly over my head. Unscrewing the middle recessed light has helped a little, but the struggle is still real 😂:
And yes, the rest of the bathroom is a freaking disaster too – a complete bathroom remodel is happening soon!
Some recessed lighting in bathrooms is great for general lighting but that ambient lining should be combined with task lighting and, when possible, accent lighting. In the primary bathroom of our previous home, we had several recessed lights for ambient lining, double sconces above the vanity mirrors for task lighting, and a large woven pendant over the bathtub as accent lighting:
Sources: Wood & rattan double vanity | Vanity knobs | Bathroom faucets | Vanity lights | Vanity mirrors – gold | Soap & lotion sink set with tray | Woven pendant | Freestanding bathtub | Tub filler | Dipped leg stool | Striped towel
2. Make a Statement!
When you have the opportunity with a larger bathroom, consider accent lighting that makes a statement! It took me FOREVER to decide on a light fixture for above our bathtub and I finally pulled the trigger on {this woven pendant}, thinking it would either be the perfect thing or look totally oversized and ridiculous. When it arrived in a GINORMOUS box, I thought there was no way it was going to work but it ended up being one of my favorite things about our bathroom:
Sources: Door knobs | Woven pendant | Freestanding bathtub | Tub filler | Dipped leg stool
So push outside of your comfort zone a bit! Instead of a light fixture that blends into the background, try one that’s a little bigger, a bit more sparkly, or a unique style. That statement-making light fixture might end up being your favorite thing about the space. (Note: look into local building codes in your area before hanging light fixtures above your bathtub – ours was installed on its own dedicated GFI for safety)
3. Change the Look With a Simple Shade Swap
This is one of my most budget-friendly bathroom lighting ideas! Instead of replacing an entire vanity fixture, consider a simple shade swap to update the look of your lighting. When I did a mini makeover of our girls’ bathroom in our previous home, I was originally planning to replace the vanity light fixture but then realized it was really just the shape of the glass shades that dated it:
I swapped them out for {these glass shades} which gave it an instant update for under $50:
I’m sure you noticed that I painted their bathroom vanity too – that was another inexpensive but impactful change! You can see the step by step of how I did it in my post on how to paint bathroom cabinets.
4. Unite Twin Vanities With Sconce Lighting
The use of two separate side by side single vanities instead of one double vanity has been gaining in popularity. It can look disjointed or fabulous depending upon how you do it. To me, this is a great example of twin vanities done right and it’s largely because of the lighting design:
Having two of {these identical and evenly spaced sconces} on the ends plus a third centered between the two vanities, gives this design a beautifully cohesive look. The single rug in front of the two vanities helps unite them too.
5. Mix Up Metal Finishes
Mixing metals is one of my favorite bathroom lighting ideas. Just because your faucet is brushed nickel, it doesn’t mean that your bathroom light fixtures have to be brushed nickel too. Mixing metal finishes is totally ok and I think makes a bathroom look more stylish and less builder basic. In our bathroom I chose brushed nickel faucets and mixed them with {these aged brass vanity lights}:
A good rule of thumb in mixing metal finishes is to use each finish more than once in the room – in our case, we had brushed nickel shower hardware and brass robe hooks, vanity knobs, and mirrors. Check out my post on mixing metals in bathrooms for more tips on how to pull off the mixed metal look!
You can also mix metal and painted finishes, even within the same fixture. I chose {this double vanity light} for our powder room that mixes brass and white:
Check out how it looks in our newly remodeled powder room in my post about our bathroom shiplap.
6. Ditch Your Builder-Basic Bathroom Fan Light
In smaller bathrooms, sometimes the only ambient lighting comes from a bathroom exhaust fan with integrated light. There’s a good chance that it looks something like this pretty unsightly one that we currently have in my girls’ bathroom:
If you’re looking to up your bathroom’s style factor, ditch your builder-basic fan light and go for something more decorative. For example, {this bathroom fan} that looks like a simple flush mount light (and comes in satin white, matte blank, and brushed nickel) would be a welcomed upgrade:
Or you can keep things simple and add a combination recessed can light light/fan such as {this one}.
7. Choose Pendants Instead of Sconces
For task lighting above a bathroom vanity, the almost universal choice is sconces. But what about using small pendants instead? I absolutely love the look of these 10″ capiz pendants flanking {this raffia mirror} in this stylish bathroom:
They’re actually the same capiz pendants as the larger one we have in our entryway. Another example in a totally different style is the pair of {these glass dome pendants} above {this gorgeous double walnut vanity}:
8. Go Unique by Shopping Outside of the Bathroom Lighting Category
One of my other favorite bathroom lighting ideas has to do with using atypical lighting. When searching for bathroom lighting online, typically you’re going to navigate to the bathroom lighting section of the brand’s website. But if you limit yourself to “bathroom lighting” you might miss out on creating a beautifully unique bathroom design! For example, Studio McGee used a pair of {these modern sconces} to add a dose of sleek modernism to {this guest bathroom} that they designed:
I love the mix of modern and traditional – it really makes this bathroom a stand-out!
9. Flip It!
A lot of vanity lights can be mounted in different directions such as the lights facing up vs. the lights facing down. So even if they’re shown only going one direction in brand photos, consider what they’d look like with a simple flip! For example, {this double globe sconce} looks super cool hung horizontally above a bathroom mirror:
but I love the look of a pair of them hung vertically flanking a mirror too:
10. Dimmers
I’ve always been big on having dimmer switches on lights throughout our home but hadn’t ever installed them in a bathroom before. When figuring out the electrical plan for our bathroom addition, on a whim I decided to add dimmers to the pendant light and vanity sconces. I ended up using them a ton at night! Dimming the pendant over our tub set the most beautiful scene for a relaxing soak:
And being able to dim the vanity lights when we were winding down and getting ready for bed at night was so nice too. It’s something I’ll definitely include in the remodel of the primary bathroom in our current house also (we have and love {this Caséta by Lutron smart lighting system} that includes dimmers you can control with your voice, app, or remote).
And with that… I’m off to continue taking the wallpaper down in my girls’ bathroom which is the next bathroom remodel on my hit list! In the meantime, if you’re thinking of jumping into a bathroom remodel you can check out my favorite bathroom remodel ideas, bathroom storage ideas, bathroom mirror ideas, and must-have bathroom measurements for recommended heights for hanging towel bars, robe hooks, TP holders, and more.
