August 15, 2018
capitalize on trends in bathroom lighting with electric lanterns - Tips & Trends

Capitalize On Trends In Bathroom Lighting With Electric Lanterns

Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or enjoy an American home, the number of bathrooms and amenities they offer are crucial. The ideal is to have at least 1.5 baths that are clean, well-lit, and modern. Ideally, they will be spacious and incorporate the latest trends in materials, lighting, and design. As a result, many contemporary bathrooms have spa-like features that might include separate showers, free-standing tubs, marble vanities, beautiful electric lanterns, and other niceties.

A Bit Of Bathroom History

Having enough conveniently located, well-equipped bathrooms within the home is a relatively new concern as it was just 100 years ago that indoor plumbing became routine in urban building projects. Prior to 1900, most people had an outhouse plus chamber pots, a bowl, & a pitcher in their rooms, while taking their weekly bath by gaslight in a galvanized tub in the kitchen or on a porch. Today, fewer than 0.64% of American home are unplumbed but 630,000 lack full plumbing facilities including a toilet, sink, tub, and running water

Prior to 1991, most homes had just one bathroom, even if the dwellings were two or more stories. After 1992, 1.5 baths was the norm, according to census reports, while having two baths was not the norm until 2011. The ideal for convenience is having at least one bathroom on each floor of living space, but today’s buyers prefer an ensuite located in the master bedroom. According to a survey by USA Today, 49% of home buyers would even pay a couple thousand dollars more for a master bath.

Over the last few years, many homeowners want to turn at least one bathroom into a relaxation zone. To accommodate this trend, they may expand the footprint of their bathroom through an addition or by knocking down internal walls. With the help of a designer and plumber, they may reposition plumbing fixtures, add heated flooring, expand their shower, install a separate tub (or just opt for a roomy, luxury shower, depending on their lifestyle), add double sinks with marble or engineered vanity countertops, retile the area, and upgrade lighting. This trend toward creating a spa-like setting remains strong in 2018.

Amenities in Modern Bathrooms

The right bathroom lighting can help you make the most of a renovated bathroom. Lighting experts advise you to layer the light so that you have some ambient light to navigate your way into the room plus task lighting for more intense tasks, such as doing your nails or makeup. You should have mix of wall lights around or above your vanity, flush electric lanterns or chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and maybe even some recessed accent lighting to emphasize a sink, shower, or other features.

Many bathrooms rely on wall lights mounted at the top or on the sides of the bathroom mirror rather than a flush mount fixture to provide ambient light the whole room. This can be a mistake, as a bathroom should have adequate lighting complete with the right CFL or LED bulbs that correctly show your skin tone and prevent dim spots.

Vanity Lighting

Whether you are dragging yourself in the bathroom first thing in the morning, shaving, or preparing your makeup for a hot date, the first place you look is most likely the bathroom mirror. Having fixtures on either side of the mirror evenly shine light on the face, which makes sconces or hanging pendants ideal lighting for grooming tasks. For best results, they should be mounted 36-40 inches apart and at eye level about 66” from the floor. To regulate the light and lengthen the life of your light bulbs, add dimmers.

Depending on the positioning of the mirror, you may prefer a wall light centered above the vanity. Ideally mounted about 75-78” from the floor, you can choose a single or multi-light fixture at least 24” in width to provide the best lighting.

Overhead Lighting

In many rooms of the house, a central flush mount fixture is the best way to provide ambient lighing. In many bathrooms, a better way to flood the space with light is to use rope or cove lighting around the perimeter or recessed lighting where appropriate. For example, a sealed recessed light works well in a shower or over a toilet.

Having a hanging light above the tub can help create the spa-like atmosphere you want over a free -standing claw foot, soaking tub, or jacuzzi for taking luxurious baths by yourself or for a romantic evening. Even when your fixtures are glass and metal, you can step outside the box and get crystal chandelier to complement your other lighting.

Using Electric Copper Lanterns In Your Bathroom

Electric lanterns from Lantern & Scroll offer the light you need while bringing style to your room. Offering reproduction lanterns that span a range of styles, we can help you create a look you’ll love. For a colonial or historic home, for example, you might choose wall sconces or overhead lights from our Charleston or Tradd Street Collection. If you have a modern homes, you could pair hanging or wall mounted lights form the Canaan Cities Collection with a dramatic chandelier from the John Street X or Midtown X Collections. For adding pendants to frame mirrors, the Queen Street Collection offers a small, a sleek alternative.

Currently, some designers are pulling away from using rose gold and copper-toned lighting and accents in bathrooms but you can certainly go with that tone if you like it, as it offers an elegant, warm glow. Most interior fixtures from Lantern & Scroll are available in colors that complement interiors, including bathrooms. Aside from copper, aged bronze, and black, you can choose shades of while, silver, and even greys and blues – tones that are particularly popular in bathrooms these days – while having the durability of a solid copper fixture. Not only does copper have anti-bacterial properties, it has long been the standard for exterior lighting near water which indicates that your beautiful copper lantern will last a lifetime.

If you are trying to decide on the best bathroom lighting for you, we will gladly consult with you at the Lantern & Scroll showroom or by phone or email.

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