Count on 200 to 300 lumens per square metre. For a bathroom of 6 m² that is 1,200 to 1,800 lumens, so four to six spots. But the number is not the whole question here: where they hang decides whether you can actually see yourself in the mirror.
The sum
A bathroom needs more light than a living room and about as much as a kitchen. You do precise work in it, often with wet hands and without your glasses on.
Take 250 lumens per square metre as the middle value. A bathroom of 6 m² then comes to 1,500 lumens. With the Cielo at 400 lumens that is four spots; with a 350 lumen spot, five. The difference between lumens and lux is in What is the difference between lumens and lux?
Keep roughly half the ceiling height between spots, and 60 to 80 cm to the wall. With a 2.50 m ceiling that is around 1.25 m. More on that in How far apart should ceiling spotlights be?
The mirror is the real problem
This is where it almost always goes wrong. Spread all the spots neatly across the ceiling and one of them ends up directly above the mirror, throwing light down onto the top of your head.
That casts shadow under your eyes, nose and chin. Exactly the places you are looking at when you shave, put on make-up or check a mark on your skin. It is the same effect as over a worktop: your own head sits between the lamp and the surface you want to see.
Two ways to solve it:
- Light from the side. Two light points left and right of the mirror at eye height give light onto your face from the front instead of from above.
- Move the ceiling spot forward. Put it not above the mirror but 30 to 50 cm in front of it, above where you actually stand. The light then falls across your face at an angle instead of straight over your head.
Count that mirror lighting separately, on top of the spots that light the room.
Not every spot is allowed everywhere
In a bathroom the position decides which spot you may hang. Above the bath or the shower the requirement is stricter than at the washbasin, and that has nothing to do with the socket.
Our bathroom spots have IP65, such as the Lesto and the Lyvo. Which zone asks for what is in Can a GU10 spot go in the bathroom?
Mind the recess depth. If there is a concrete floor above the bathroom, or a dropped ceiling of only a few centimetres, an ordinary spot is out. The Lyvo needs 27 mm.
Colour temperature
3000K is the safe choice here. Warmer than a kitchen, cooler than a bedroom: warm enough to be pleasant in the evening and cool enough for colours to read correctly.
What does matter is colour rendering. With a low Ra your skin looks grey and the colour of make-up will not match how it reads outdoors. See What is Ra or CRI in LED lighting?
Many of our spots have a CCT switch that sets 3000K or 4000K during installation. If so, set them all to the same position.
Two things you cannot change later
The driver has to stay dry. A spot with IP65 is watertight, but the block above it usually is not. Make sure it sits somewhere no steam or leaking water reaches.
Dimming or not. A bathroom you walk into at night is far nicer if the light can go low. That does need dimmable spots and a suitable dimmer, see Which LED dimmer do you need for your spotlights?
If you would rather not switch at all, there is a spot with a motion sensor.
The suitable spots are at recessed spotlights for the bathroom.
How many spotlights do you need in a 6 m² bathroom?
Four to six, depending on the output per spot. Count 200 to 300 lumens per square metre, so 1,200 to 1,800 lumens in total.
Where do you put a spotlight near the mirror?
Not above it but 30 to 50 cm in front of it, or two light points left and right at eye height. Light straight from above casts shadow under eyes, nose and chin.
Which IP rating do I need in the bathroom?
That depends on the zone. Above the bath or shower the requirement is strictest; at the washbasin it is lighter. Our bathroom spots have IP65 and are therefore allowed everywhere.