Good bathroom lighting is an essential part of your bathroom design. The right choice of lighting will add ambience and elegance to your bathroom, but keep in mind that the lighting also needs to be functional.

Lighting for bathrooms comes in a variety of styles and finishes, to suit any design. There are bulb lights, sconces, down lights, recessed lights, pendant lights, strip bath lights, shower recess lights, fluorescent lights, and of course lights with exhaust fans. Light shades suitable for bathrooms, are either plain or lightly patterned, with frosted or etched glass shades.

When considering your bathroom lighting, be mindful of where you place the lights. This is especially so over bathroom vanities. Ensure that lights around your mirror are functional and stylish and don’t cast shadows on your vanity mirror so that you have a brightly highlighted area in which to apply your makeup or for your partner to shave. Having a dimmer switch installed in your bathroom is also a great functional feature.

Apart from having your mirror well lit, ensure that you also have adequate lighting over your medicine cabinet so you are able to clearly identify the medicinal products in the cabinet.

If your bathroom is becoming a little outdated you can create a major change to the atmosphere of your room by updating your bathroom fixtures.

Bathroom fixtures are available today in a huge variety of colors and styles, and a new look can be achieved on nearly any budget. Think carefully about the style of fixtures such as faucets, lighting, mirrors, vanities, shower stalls, soap dispensers and towel rails so that everything blends together to add to the appeal of your bathroom.

Here are some ideas to spice up a boring bathroom:

Replace Your Shower or Bathtub
Your shower and bathtub are two of the most important fixtures in your home. An uncomfortable tub or a too-weak shower can make bathing the exact opposite of the luxurious experience that you deserve. By installing a new tub or shower, you can completely change the look of your entire room while increasing your enjoyment of the room. Bathtubs are available in a variety of colors and styles and bathroom accessories can be purchased to tone in with the bathtub or as a contrasting feature Even if your major bathroom fixtures are perfectly serviceable and comfortable, you may just need a few new items to enhance the décor. A new shower curtain or door on your existing bathroom can change your bathroom’s style without the cost of a full replacement.

Update the Look of Your Toilet
Toilets might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to stylish fixtures, but you will be surprised by the array of possibilities you have today. Not only can you spruce up the look of your bathroom with a new color or style of toilet, but you can also save money by purchasing a water-efficient model. If you do not want replace the entire toilet, then consider buying a new toilet seat in a color or design that enhances your ideal bathroom style.

Install a Stylish New Sink

Sinks are a relatively easy way to transform the look of your standard bathroom. A pedestal sink will make your bathroom look larger, and a marble vanity adds elegance. Sinks are among the most flexible of fixtures, giving you a huge amount of choice in style and function.

New Looks from New Faucets

Faucets are the easiest and most affordable bathroom accessories to replace. Faucets come in a wide range of colors and styles from shabby chic to elegant antique. Even the oldest bathroom fixtures can get a whole new lease on life with updated faucets. Remember to match your tub and showerheads at the same time as your sink faucets for a blended look.

When renovating or updating your bathroom, a lot of thought will be given to the choice of colors to use on the cabinets, the flooring, the paint, the rugs, the shower curtain, and even the towels. The bathroom is a room in which we spend a surprising amount of time, so the look, and overall feel are very important and the choice of colors deserve particular attention.

If you are completely renovating your bathroom you’ll need to start considering colors right away. What color will you want to paint your bathroom walls? Will the sink, the vanity, and tub or shower you are installing match with this color or contrast it? You’ll also need to think about how versatile these pieces are if you decide to change the color of the walls in the future.

If you are putting in new flooring, a neutral color is often the best as this will allow you to easily change the color of the walls in the future. As far as paint goes, light colors help create a clean appearance. Many bathrooms are painted in light blues, pinks, purples, and even greens because these colors help to bring color and character to the room while giving it a clean feel that is most appreciated in the bathroom. Light colors also help brighten a room, especially if there is not a lot of natural light that fills the room. Dark colors tend to make the room look smaller, and since bathrooms are generally the smallest rooms in the house, light colors simply make more sense.

Although wood grain vanities have always been popular; white wash varieties have become very popular in recent years. Pedestal sinks allow for space and make the room appear bigger. Lighted mirrors above the sink make the room look larger as well and help to highlight the wall color.

Choosing the color of the towels and the rugs is a lot of fun. You may choose to match the towels and rugs to the color of the paint on the walls, or you may choose a color that contrast with the walls. Towels and rugs can be expensive, so plan your color scheme in advance and be sure that you really like what you do choose. If you go light with the paint colors you can go dark with the towels and other accessories.

When you are done, your bathroom will look quite colorful and lovely!