Innovative lighting transforms the bathroom into a functional and inviting space as the traditional division between living and functional spaces is removed in modern home living.
Lighting that invites you to linger and relax has no longer been the monopoly of the living room and other high-profile areas of the home for some years. No bathroom planner or interior designer today can avoid the issue of lighting when it comes to contemporary bathroom design.
A bundle of fashionable pendant lights dangle over the washstand. Walls with highly textured tiles are dramatically illuminated with recessed spot lights. Light radiates from the edges of bathtubs. Built-in wall shelving glows with indirect lighting. Small ethnic design table lamps provide atmospheric lighting to enjoy while drinking a cup of tea, a smoothie or a glass of wine.
New LED technology has been reinvigorating bathroom lighting for some years. LEDs not only withstand water better and save electricity (LEDs consume up to 90 per cent less electricity than conventional bulbs and 60 per cent less than energy-saving bulbs); they can also be integrated into the design of furniture in an immense variety of ways. Today they offer a host of opportunities for changing and easily adjustable lighting effects. And it’s not just the functional aspect of lighting that can be improved – the ideal light for illuminating the face or sensor-controlled night lighting, for example – the emotional dimension of bathroom lighting can also be enhanced. The result is that many of today’s showers double as a complete light show or even illuminate the water.
Light is an essential element in our well-being. It’s no surprise, then, that the lamps and lighting systems that illuminate our homes are becoming increasingly sophisticated. But brightness alone does not make for pleasant lighting. After all, we experience our environment primarily through colour. The light from each lamp has a distinctive colour, known as light colour, and this is crucial for the mood that the lighting creates: warm white light gives an easy, cosy feel, while neutral white light produces a more technical ambiance. The bathroom today is both a functional space for physical cleanliness and personal hygiene and a place for relaxation and recuperation. Innovative bathroom products now therefore come equipped with an option for tailored lighting. Convenience products for the washstand area in particular are increasingly differentiated by their lighting systems.
After all, anyone getting up from a warm bed in the early morning doesn’t want to be greeted by dazzling floodlighting. Dimmable lighting that can be slowly and gently adjusted to your personal level of alertness is a welcome innovation here. But once you’re feeling wide awake and refreshed after a shower, you want a clear, crisp image when you look in the mirror. Now daylight is called for: a man wants to see every detail when he’s shaving, and every woman knows that perfect make-up requires perfect lighting.
The new Finion collection by Villeroy & Boch leaves nothing to be desired with its sophisticated lighting concept. One of the premium mirror models in the collection is equipped with LEDs and can be dimmed to suit the occasion. It is also full of potential in lighting design as the light can be adjusted to radiate in different colours and temperatures. In addition to perfect illumination, the small lights create beautiful mood lighting – ideal for when you want to relax in the tub. They are installed as a concealed light strip at the foot of the bathtub or the washstand, but shelves can also be dramatically staged with concealed LED lighting.
With its new RL40 Room Light mirror cabinet, bathroom furniture specialist burgbad has recently presented a lighting concept that combines different lighting functions in the bathroom in a compact product and also provides an attractive overall concept for lighting the whole room. Depending on the user’s mood and the time of day, the new LED mirror cabinets can create different preprogrammed lighting effects, which can be easily selected via a touch-free sensor surface. This allows the user to adjust the lighting with ease to suit his or her mood and the occasion at any time.
In burgbad’s vision, the light planning for the whole room can be based on the mirror cabinet, which provides optimal lighting for all functions with its integrated LED ceiling lighting that reaches all areas of the room.
imm cologne 2018 to offer inspiration for inviting bathroom lighting
The living room and the bathroom may still be physically separated today – at least in the majority of cases – but the rooms are converging in terms of their contents and design. Flooring and lighting are two of the most important bridges for designers. This is also reflected in the updated hall layout concept for the international interiors show imm cologne. A new hall will be opened up next January in the Pure design segment for Pure Architects, which will present architecture-related ranges such as bathrooms, floorings, walling solutions and technical lighting. In addition, the popular Pure Editions hall will focus on decorative lighting. Interior design and technical equipment, the living room and the bathroom, furniture and lighting come together at imm cologne.
For more information visit imm-cologne.com
Article and images courtesy imm spotlight.
