1. Select bathroom wall lighting for the purpose that it is intended. Clear, bright lighting provides the best illumination for grooming; if you spend relaxing time unwinding in a tub with soft music playing and atmosphere is your concern, subtle wall lighting will set the proper mood.
2. Excessive light should be avoided in bathrooms. Consider switches that let you regulate the intensity of lights, or use wall sconces with shades and globes that eliminate the shadow effects caused by very bright lights.
3. The idea of wall sconces disseminated from the long-ago days of kings and cold, drafty castles, when wall fixtures held illuminating torches. Sconces are usually used in pairs, mounted approximately 5.5 feet from the floor with light aiming upward or downward to accent fireplaces, windows, doors, and even large works of art and wall hangings.
4. Because wall lighting illuminates vertically, it gives the illusion of spaciousness. Wall lights placed at the front door entrance of a home light a path to safety and offer a warm welcome to visitors.
5. The shades of torchieres are open at the top, directing light upward. Opaque or translucent shades and colored bulbs eliminate glare and provide ambient lighting.
6. Wall lighting with swivel arms that swing around to provide direct lighting to a specific location are actually considered task lamps. Today's wall lights are often used for the same purposes that floor and table lamps are used for; they are an option when floor or table space is limited.
7. Proper placement of lighting for reading is important to avoid eyestrain; wall fixtures used for reading should direct light from behind the reader's shoulder. Wall-mounted fixtures should be mounted approximately 2.5 feet above mattress level, or at eye level.
8. The most hazardous, poorly lit areas of a home are hallways and stairways, but wall-mounted fixtures placed 6 feet apart and located at the top and bottom of stairways can eliminate household accidents in those locations. Light switches should be located at both ends of a hallway and at the top and bottom of staircases.
9. Wall light fixtures that use halogen bulbs are not as cost-efficient as fluorescent bulb fixtures, but are noted for their clear, aesthetic properties. Halogen bulbs that are included free with fixtures are often inferior to the halogen bulbs purchased individually.
10. Some light fixtures recommend a maximum bulb size for safety purposes; if no size limitations are noted, beware of using extremely bright lights that produce uncomfortable contrasts between light and dark, and seem to rob you of energy. It is best to have multiple light sources and levels of light in one room rather than one extremely bright source.
