ADA regulations specifically affect two areas of lighting, wall and ceiling hung fixtures. Lights that are hung on the wall can not protrude further than 4 inches from the wall and must be mounted between 2’4” to 6’8” above the finished floor. Ceiling hung fixtures must hang 6’8” above the finished floor.
ADA stands for The Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that was enacted in 1991. This piece of legislation mandated the design and lay out of publicly accessible places to accommodate persons with physical disabilities. For additional information go to ADA.gov.
Tags: ADA Lighting
According the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average American spends 2 years of their life on personal grooming. Adequate bathroom lighting is not only essential for this reason alone, but the bathroom is becoming more and more a sanctuary where a person goes to relax and recharge after a long day.
The area to concentrate on when lighting a bathroom is the vanity/mirror area. Lighting should be placed to eliminate shadows. To accomplish this a bath bar at least 24” wide and with a minimum of 150 watts of light should be placed above the mirror 78” from the floor. Two additional wall sconces should be hung on each side of the mirror at least 28”apart and 60” above the floor.
If your vanity consists of a double sink use either two fixtures (one over each sink), or a single bath bar almost as wide as the mirror again hung 78” from the floor.
In powder or half baths where grooming will be kept to a minimum the amount of light does not have to be the same as a full bath, but the wattage of the lights should still be a combined total of at least 150 watts.If your bathroom is average size the vanity lighting is usually sufficient for lighting the entire room. In larger bathroom, or bath room suites additional lighting will be needed. This can be accomplished with ceiling mounted fixtures, wall sconces and even recessed. Just remember to check electrical code when placing fixtures over bath tubs and in showers. Fixtures in these areas need to be shower or wet rated.
Tags: Bathroom Lighting
…this is now. Other designers and manufacturers that have put there own spin on this bubble idea. Literally, the fixtures look like bubbles hanging from the ceiling. The simplicity of these fixtures will create drama and whimsy to any room. These “bubbles” are going everywhere and being used in all decorating styles. With the resurgence of “retro” styling, these are even more popular today.
