Good lighting is important in any bathroom. While a bathroom needs to be a place where people can relax, dim lighting isn’t sufficient for all the tasks performed in a bathroom. When you are designing an accessible bathroom, good lighting should be an even higher priority. Good lighting makes an accessible bathroom safer, and it improves usability for people with limited mobility or impaired vision. Careful thought in lighting design results in a bathroom that is practical, functional, safe, and comfortable.
Designing Accessible Bathroom Lighting
What goes into designing the lighting for an accessible bathroom? The lighting must be tailored to meet specific needs, creating an environment that includes a safe minimum level of ambient light, as well as task-focused lighting. There should be even light levels, with no deep shadows or sharp shifts in light levels, and minimum glare. The bathroom should be designed in a forward-thinking way, adaptable to the future and the person’s changing needs.
Preventing Accidents: Bathroom Lighting for Limited Mobility and Visual Impairment
The primary goal of making a bathroom accessible is to make it safer and more functional. Especially in older homes, the lighting is not generally designed for people with limited mobility or visual impairment. Poor lighting in a bathroom can make it difficult to navigate, and differences in lighting intensity can cause eye strain and increase the risk of an accident. What’s more, ineffective lighting can make it harder to see hazards in the bathroom, including slippery surfaces and sharp edges. It can also be hard to see glass doors or panels, which increases the risk of breakage or collisions. An accessible bathroom must work for the specific needs of the person who will be using it, so the first step in accessible design is to identify those needs.
- People with limited mobility need lighting to highlight potential hazards. Lights should be placed strategically, incorporating uniform lighting that illuminates the entire area, so that there are no dark corners, and shadows are diminished. Additionally, focused task lighting is necessary in areas where care is particularly important, like the shower, bath, and toilet.
- Visual impairment requires additional adjustments. High contrast can make it easier for a visually impaired person to better distinguish different areas of the bathroom. An area like the bathtub, where relaxation is the goal, can be lit with a warmer hue than the area by the sink and mirror, where a cooler hue used by the sink and mirror can indicate a task area. Lighting should be used to highlight contrasting colours, for maximum effect. Be careful to take into account the person’s specific disability; someone who has recently had cataract surgery will be uncomfortable in a bright white light. The goal is to reduce glare while allowing colour contrast and illumination.
Smart Lighting for Accessible Bathrooms
As technology evolves, smart home features are making life increasingly easier. In an accessible bathroom, there are several different solutions that can make lighting more functional. Automated lighting can be adapted based on the time of day, or can turn on and off based on whether the room is occupied. This helps keep lighting optimal without the need for someone to manually operate the light switches. Motion-activated lights are another way to accomplish this, so that no one need fumble in the dark for a light switch. Adjustable lights are also helpful in an accessible bathroom, because they allow different people to adjust the light according to their comfort levels.
Looking for the Best Lighting for Mobility-Friendly Bathrooms? Contact BMAS
At Bathing Mobility Advisory Service, we offer a wide range of options to help you create an accessible bathroom with the styles, colours, and finishes you want, tailored to meet your needs and suit your aesthetic sensibilities. We are specialists in bathroom design and installation, and our business still operates from the family values and service on which our company was built. With showrooms in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Hitchin, we make it easy to plan a new, safer bathroom, as you browse our displays of walk-in showers, walk-in baths, and more, assisted by our experienced, friendly team. The bathrooms we design are not only practical, but also beautiful, and our team is committed to helping people bathe safely and independently in their homes. We will work with you to create a bathroom design that suits you, and most bathrooms are completed within a working week. From design to completion, BMAS is with you every step of the way, and we will only sign off on a project when both you and the installation manager are pleased with the results. We hold ourselves to a high standard, and are proud of the work we do, providing quality workmanship backed by dedicated service . Visit one of our showrooms to learn more, or contact us for a free home visit and no-obligation quote.