Tags: Chandeliers | By: Shades of Light | Date: 2021-05-10
Dated, dull, and dim lighting can drag an otherwise stylish bathroom or powder room down. If you’re looking to give your bathroom lighting a lift, but traditional lighting designs don’t speak to you, look to bathroom chandeliers to keep your home on the cutting edge of decor trends and styles. Between styling hair and makeup, brushing and flossing your teeth, showers and soaks in the bath, shaving, dressing, and more, your bathroom is the center of a whirlwind of activity. That makes it the perfect room to add a little unexpected glamour. Chandeliers in bathrooms are bold style choices that bring function with a huge veneer of flair. From mini chandeliers for petite powder rooms to showstopping crystal chandeliers in the primary bathroom, this style trend is the ideal something extra for every home.
Bathroom chandeliers are lovely, luxe additions to modern bathrooms, but mounting large hanging fixtures in bathroom environments requires a few special considerations. Follow these tips to find a bathroom-safe chandelier you can be proud of.
Safety Ratings: Choose a wet rated chandelier for any light mounted above the bath or shower; choose a wet or damp rated fixture for any other placement. Dry rated lighting fixtures should not be mounted in bathrooms, although they can sometimes be used in powder rooms if there is absolutely no chance of the fixture ever coming into contact with moisture. Our product pages list dry, damp, and wet ratings under the “Safety Rating” field to make it easy to choose the right bathroom fixture.
Walkway Clearance: Always mount hanging fixtures so the bottom is at least 7 feet above any walkways or areas you or your family will pass beneath and at least 8 feet above the bathtub.
Installation: Leave installation to the pros! Chandeliers can be heavy and most bathrooms will lack the wiring to support one; hire an electrician to handle installation so you can be sure your fixture is mounted properly.
Pro Tip: Put bathroom chandeliers on dimmers so you can turn the lights down for a relaxing soak and turn them up for your morning makeup or shaving routine. As a bonus, you’ll be able to turn on dim lights to see by for any nighttime bathroom visits.
To design your divine dream bathroom, first decide where to hang your bathroom chandelier. Mounting a hanging light fixture over the bathtub is one of the most popular and luxurious placements for a bathroom chandelier and with good reason. Relaxing into a hot bath with a glamorous chandelier glimmering above you is sure to make you feel pampered and posh! Chandeliers mounted above a tub require a few special safety considerations, which we detail at the end of this article; so if your bathroom or bathtub layout isn’t right for this placement, you can achieve a similarly lush look by mounting the chandelier in the center of the room.
While these two placement options will be suitable for a wide range of rooms, sometimes you may find your bathroom is uniquely shaped or otherwise requires special considerations. Don’t be afraid to choose less common chandelier placements to customize the space to your needs and style. If you have a walk-in shower instead of a tub, try centering a chandelier to your vanity. If centering the chandelier on your ceiling leaves something to be desired stylistically, choose other focal points, like a window or mirror, to center your fixture around. This is also a great technique for breaking up a large bathroom space into smaller decor moments when a large chandelier risks feeling overwhelming.
The height of a properly sized chandelier will depend on a few factors, such as the height of your ceilings and where you intend to hang the fixture. There are multiple methods for choosing chandelier height throughout various rooms of your home, and those methods can be applied to calculate bathroom chandelier height as well.
Find a chandelier within this range and when mounting it, make sure the bottom of the chandelier is at least 7 feet from the ground for safety (and at least 3 feet from the tub). While this number serves as a great guideline and starting point for finding the right chandelier height, it may need to be adjusted for rooms with low ceilings—maintaining 7 feet of space between the bottom of the chandelier and ground is a vital safety requirement, and you may find that a semi-flush ceiling light is a better fit for your room. These fixtures give the effect of a chandelier but are more suited for low ceilings and smaller spaces.
Chandeliers Above Vanities: If you plan to mount your chandelier above the vanity, or another piece of furniture, measure your chandelier against that piece of furniture. The chandelier should fall roughly 36 inches above any tabletop, and the tabletop should be at least 12 inches longer or wider than the chandelier. If you choose to mount your chandelier above your vanity, be aware of the way the fixture casts light— in order to properly see yourself in the vanity mirror when styling hair, applying makeup, or shaving, your face should be evenly lit with no harsh shadows. You may need to supplement your chandelier with bath sconces hung on either side of the mirror for the best lighting experience.
Chandeliers Above Bathroom Seating: For fixtures mounted above bathroom chairs or vanity benches, it is best to mount the fixture as close to 7 feet from the ground as possible to maintain enough room to pass safely beneath the fixture.
Once you have a placement area and size in mind for your bathroom chandelier, the fun part begins—choosing a beautiful fixture that reflects your unique taste! Here are a few bathroom chandelier style categories to get you started in your search for a breathtaking bathroom chandelier fixture. For a wider selection, you can also browse our full chandelier collection.
Clean lines and simple designs are key for a sleek, modern look. Choose modern bathroom chandeliers in bright finishes like chrome or polished nickel or add a touch of drama and glamour with rich black and warm metallics.
Weathered finishes and shapes with traditional inspirations are perfect for accenting farmhouse decor in a bathroom. Choose elegant farmhouse bathroom chandelier shapes like draping beads or vintage notes like clear seedy glass to illuminate your rustic, French Country, or cottagecore bathroom in style.
Flush mount bathroom chandeliers come in all shapes, styles, and finishes, making this a versatile solution for petite bathrooms and powder rooms. If your bathroom has low ceilings or otherwise limited space, semi-flush mount bathroom ceiling lights can bring the feeling and effect of a chandelier without causing a safety concern.
If energy efficiency is a top priority in your bathroom lighting choice, consider an LED bathroom chandelier! LED chandeliers are just as stylish as their traditional counterparts, but they can help you save on energy bills and extend the lifespan of your fixture. In bathrooms, you will want to make sure you consider the technical specifications of the lamp; LED fixtures will usually have long-lasting integrated lamp arrays that cannot be easily changed. For bathroom use, choose LED chandeliers that have a CRI of 90 or above which will allow you to see colors the most accurately and is particularly useful for makeup application. Color temperature in the 2700k to 3000k, often called ‘soft white,’ is suggested for bathroom use.
Boxed Starburst Chandelier in an Elegant Powder Room Entryway
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