Bathroom Lamps

Which lamp should you choose for a bathroom?

In a bathroom, the ceiling light and the wall lights provide the main lighting. The table lamp comes on top: it gives a low, soft light for an evening bath and serves as a night light. Three criteria are enough to choose it.

• The IP rating: IP44 is the most widespread benchmark for a damp room. It appears on the product page of every lamp.
• The power supply: a cordless lamp is recharged outside the bathroom and sits wherever there is no socket. This is the case for around a hundred models out of the 113 in the selection.
• The size: most are between 15 and 30 cm high with a base of 10 to 20 cm, which fits on a shelf 20 cm deep.

Rules of thumb. The IP rating and colour temperature of each model are shown on its product page.

What does the IP44 rating of a bathroom lamp mean?

The IP rating describes the protection of an electrical device. It is written with two digits: the first, from 0 to 6, concerns solid objects and dust, the second, from 0 to 8, concerns water. The higher a digit, the stronger the protection. In a room where the air fills with steam, it is the second digit that matters.

A general reading of the IP rating. None of these ratings allows the lamp to be put under water.

A higher rating is not always necessary. For a lamp placed somewhere dry, on a cabinet away from the shower, IP44 is enough in most cases.

Where should you put a lamp in the bathroom?

The rule fits in one sentence: somewhere dry, stable and out of reach of direct splashes. A cordless lamp can be moved with one hand, but it also tips over more easily than a fixed light.

• On a shelf or in a wall niche: at eye level or above, the light spreads through the whole room. Allow a 5 cm margin around the base.
• On the storage cabinet: the safest spot, away from the basin and the shower.
• On the vanity top: only if it is wide, on the side opposite the tap.
• On a stool near the bath: away from the edge, so that a stray movement does not knock it into the water.

Table lamp or wall light?

To light your face in front of the mirror, you need a fixed light, placed on each side of the mirror or above it. That is the role of wall lights, covered on the bathroom lighting page. The table lamp complements this lighting, it does not take its place.

What light for a bathroom: warm or neutral?

The colour of light is measured in kelvins (K). The lower the figure, the warmer and more golden the light. Cordless lamps generally give off a warm white, between 2,700 and 3,000 K: this is the shade of rest, the one that suits the bath and the end of the day.

• 2,700 K: warm light, close to candlelight. For atmosphere and as a night light.
• 3,000 K: a crisper warm white, a good compromise for a lamp that stays on in the morning.
• 4,000 K: neutral white, reserved for mirror lighting for make-up and shaving. In that case look for a colour rendering index of 90 or more.

Look at the dimmer too: many rechargeable lamps offer several brightness levels. The lowest serves as a night light, the highest gives an accent light, not enough to light a whole room on its own.

Opaque or diffusing shade?

A metal shade sends the light downwards and casts a pool of light on the cabinet: this is the case for the Flowerpot VP9 by &tradition or the Gustave by Flos. A resin diffuser lights in all directions, as on the Panthella 160 Portable by Louis Poulsen.

Metal, resin, ceramic or marble: which material for a damp room?

More than half of the lamps in the selection are metal, mainly lacquered aluminium and steel. Next come resin and plastic, for around twenty models, then ceramic, glass and stone. All these materials cope with steam, but they do not age in the same way.

Rules of thumb by family of material. The exact composition is given on each product page.

As for colours, white, black and green dominate, followed by blue and red. In a white bathroom, a brightly coloured lamp is enough to add character. Louis Poulsen accounts for nearly one lamp in five in the selection, ahead of &tradition, Hübsch, HAY and Tala.

Four cordless lamps for the bathroom

Louis Poulsen Red and chrome Panthella 160 Portable V3 portable lamp - Louis Poulsen €270,00 &tradition Ivory cordless table lamp Flowerpot VP9 - &tradition €189,60 Hübsch Brass metal portable lamp Taten - Hübsch €110,00 Flos Chrome designer portable table lamp Gustave - Flos €290,50

Charging, battery life and care of a cordless lamp

A cordless lamp runs on a battery. Its battery life depends mainly on the brightness chosen: it ranges from a few hours at full power to several dozen hours at the lowest level, depending on the model. The exact duration and the charging time appear on each product page.

• Recharge outside the bathroom: in a dry room, with the lamp wiped dry. The charger and the cable are not protected against water.
• Wipe the lamp after a shower if condensation has settled on it, especially on chrome and brass.
• Air the room for 10 to 15 minutes after use to limit condensation and marks.
• Recharge every two to three months a lamp that is rarely used, to look after the battery.

The same lamp is useful elsewhere: on the patio table on a summer evening, on a bedside table or in the hallway. For regular use outdoors, look at the models designed for the garden.