Bathroom Lighting is important not only to generate the required amount of light to illuminate the bathroom or yourself via the Mirror, but also the type of light to set the mood and ambience to create that relaxing atmosphere whilst bathing.

There is a wide choice of Lumieres from Modern to Contemporary and  even Traditional Bathroom lights, for ceiling, walls and floor.

IP Ratings: Safety is paramount and there are Regulations covering which light fitting can be used in a Bathroom depending upon the I.P. rating of the light fitting and the position in which the light fitting would be installed in relation to the proximity of water.
I.P. stands for “Ingress Protection”. The IP number comprises of two digits, the first digit is for solid objects and the second digit is for moisture, so for Bathrooms we are only concerned with the second digit and the higher the number the more protection there is afforded against the element of moisture.

The Regulations divide the Bathroom into different zones whilst classifying the required I.P. rating for each zone.

Zone 0

Interior of bathtub or shower tray: Any fitting used in this Zone must be low voltage, (max 12v) and be rated at least IP67, which is total immersion proof.

Zone 1

Perimeter of bathtub, or shower tray, up to a height of 2.25m above the floor: In this Zone a minimum rating of IP44 is required. If there is a likelihood of water jets or a demountable shower head being used for cleaning purposes a fitting rated of minimum IP65 must be used.

Zone 2

Perimeter 0.6m wide around Zone 1 and 0.75m above Zone 1: In this Zone an IP rating of at least IP44 is required. If there is the likelihood of water jets or a demountable shower head being used for cleaning purposes a fitting rated of minimum IP65 must be used.

Zone 3

Perimeter 2.4m wide around Zone 2 and 0.75m above Zone 2: In this Zone if there is the likelihood of water jets or a demountable shower head being used for cleaning purposes a fitting rated of minimum IP65 must be used. Otherwise no specified IP rating is required, although lights should be suitable for their location and provide adequate protection against electric shock.

Outside of Zones

There are no stated IP requirements. Luminaires should be suitable for their location and provide adequate protection against electric shock.

The IEE Regulations do not make specific reference to wash basins, but in the opinion of the Lighting Association they should be treaded as Zone 2 (i.e. IP44).