The Essence of Good Lighting in the Bathroom

17 March, 2020 -

Our products’ quality is our guarantee. In EBIR we are specialists in bathroom lighting and we have been investigating for more than 25 years what factors affect the design and manufacture to get luminaries and mirrors with an excellent quality of light, which provide a perfect lighting for the tasks to be performed in the bathroom.

In this post we will talk about some of those aspects and how important the quality of lighting in our bathroom is, and why EBIR LED luminaires and mirrors offer the best guarantees.

We design luminaires with color temperature for all types of bathrooms

One of the main doubts when choosing the lighting for our bathroom is to match the right tonality, that is, to select a warm or cold light. However, first of all, we must determine what the color temperature is and how it affects the way we see ourselves reflected in the mirror.

We define color temperature as the predominance of one of the colors of the light spectrum in white lights, altering the white color towards warmer or colder tones. 

These changes are measured in degrees Kelvin (K) and can vary according to their intensity: 

  • Warm white: Color temperature between 2700K and 3500K, provides a white light with a yellowish touch.
  • Natural white: Color temperature of 4000K, provides a natural white light.
  • Day white: Temperature of 5700K, provides a clean white light.
  • Cool white: Color temperature between 6000K and 7000K, provides a whitish light with a hint of blue.

In the bathroom, we are usually going to need clear, sharp lighting to help us perform tasks properly. That’s why we recommend opting for more neutral shades around 4000K, which closely match natural light.

Ergonomic points designed for the use

Good quality and the right light tone are of great importance. Therefore, in EBIR we are very aware of this factor, to achieve a correct lighting in the bathroom. 

Usually, bathrooms have 2 main points of light, however depending on their size there may be more. These are, the zenithal light and the mirror light.

The zenithal light, which is the point above the wash basin and projects a vertical light downwards, is called accent light, as it causes very marked shadows on our face and makes it difficult all around to see the details.

The light in the mirror is a point generally located on the top or surface of the mirror. Bathroom and mirror luminaires with integrated lighting project light onto the face, designed specifically for users, providing uniform, shadow-free illumination and making it easier for users to see details.

Measuring lumens and luxes to ensure quality

Measuring the quantity of light that reaches the user is a relevant factor that determines the effectiveness of the product. Therefore, in EBIR we take into account both lumens (lm) and lux to achieve quality lighting.

Both of these data are used to measure the luminous flux. While the lumens are the total light power taking as a reference the light source itself, the luxes measure the intensity of light on a given surface where the light reaches a certain point, in our case we take measurements on the face, which allows us to see the exact light flow that reaches the user.

Common use point: is the point where common tasks are performed, such as brushing teeth, combing hair… Optimal lighting will allow tasks to be carried out comfortably.

Point of maximum accuracy: It is the closest point to the mirror, usually where we place ourselves when we approach to check out the detail in the mirror, for example when putting on make-up or shaving.

Knowing this information is of great importance for the user, since it is very useful to know the quantity of light that will be available to carry out the tasks in the bathroom.

Basically, the intensity, angle and color temperature of the light are factors that we keep in mind throughout our design and manufacturing process, in which we carry out numerous tests both with real users and in our simulation laboratories, in order to offer our customers a highly functional product that helps make easier our day-to-day tasks in front of the mirror.

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