Bathroom lighting is the one part of a house where taste has to give way to regulations, and the regulations are written in a language nobody speaks. Zones. IP ratings. Two and a quarter metres. SELV.
It is simpler than it sounds. There are four areas in a bathroom, they are defined by distance from water, and each one accepts a different kind of fitting. Once you know which area you are lighting, the choice narrows to something manageable.
One thing first, because it governs everything below: in England and Wales, most electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. This guide will tell you what to ask for and what to buy. It does not replace an electrician, and we would not want it to.
On this page
- Why bathrooms have zones at all
- The four zones, in centimetres
- Which IP rating goes where
- The positions that take an ordinary fitting
- Lighting a mirror properly
- Colour temperature and CRI
- Switches, sockets and extractor fans
- Small bathrooms and en suites
- Three bathrooms, three schemes
- Five mistakes worth avoiding
- In short
- Common questions
Why bathrooms have zones at all
Water conducts electricity and a wet body conducts it better. The zones exist so that the closer a fitting is to water, the harder it has to be to get water into it. That is the entire logic, and every number below follows from it.
Separately, and regardless of zone, every circuit in a bathroom must be protected by a 30mA RCD. Any modern consumer unit will already do this. If your fuse board still has rewirable fuses, that is the conversation to have with your electrician before you talk about lights at all.
The four zones, in centimetres
Zone 0 — inside the bath or the shower tray
The water itself. Anything fitted here must be rated IP67, fully immersion-proof, and run at low voltage. In practice this means specialist recessed lighting and nothing else. We do not sell for Zone 0 and nor do most people.
Zone 1 — directly above the bath or shower, up to 225cm
The space above the rim of the bath or the shower tray, from the top of Zone 0 to 225cm above the floor. A ceiling light over a bath in a standard British bathroom is almost always Zone 1, because standard ceilings are 240cm.
Minimum here is IP44, and IP65 if the area is ever cleaned with a jet or hose, which in a domestic shower is worth assuming. What each IP number means is in IP ratings explained.
Zone 2 — 60cm beyond Zone 1
A band 60cm wide measured horizontally out from the edge of Zone 1, up to the same height of 225cm. The area within 60cm of a washbasin tap counts as Zone 2 as well, which is the part people forget when they put a light beside a mirror.
Minimum here is also IP44.
Outside the zones — everywhere else
Beyond that 60cm band, and above 225cm away from the bath, you are outside the zones. There is no IP requirement here, and an ordinary indoor fitting is permitted, provided the circuit is RCD protected and the room is ventilated.
Two honest caveats. A small, steamy bathroom with a poor extractor is hard on any fitting, rated or not, so we would still choose something sealed and simple over an open shade near the shower. And directly above a bath, even higher than 225cm, most electricians will still want IP44. So would we.
Which IP rating goes where
An IP number has two digits: solid objects first, water second. Outdoors and in bathrooms, the second digit is the one that matters.
- IPX4 — splashing from any direction. The minimum for Zones 1 and 2.
- IPX5 — low-pressure jets. Sensible in a shower enclosure.
- IPX7 — temporary immersion. Zone 0 only.
Where a fitting carries a rating, we state it on its page. In our bathroom lighting collection, the 18W Dimmable Round Flush Light is IP44, which makes it the one to reach for over a bath or a shower. The rest of the collection is chosen for the positions described in the next section: the mirror wall, the ceiling of a larger bathroom, the space by the door. If you need a rated fitting for a specific zone and a page does not give a figure, write to us before you buy and we will find out rather than guess.
The same two digits govern anything fitted outside, which is covered in our guide to where to put an outdoor wall light.
The positions that take an ordinary fitting
This is the part that changes what is possible in a bathroom, and it is the part nobody explains.
The ceiling, in a bathroom of any size. In a bathroom where the centre of the ceiling is more than 60cm horizontally from the edge of the bath or shower, the central fitting is outside the zones. That single fact opens up the whole of ceiling lights, not just the sealed ones. The Glass LED Ceiling Light in 25cm or 28cm and the Nordic Glass Ceiling Light both suit that position, and the Travertine Stone Ceiling Light gives it some weight.
The mirror wall, when the basin is not directly beneath. Measure 60cm from the tap. Outside that, a decorative sconce is permitted. This is where a bathroom stops looking like a bathroom: the Travertine Wall Light and the Eclipse Sconce are stone, and read as furniture rather than fittings.
The far wall, the door wall, the space above a towel rail. Nowhere near the water, nothing to worry about. The LED Strip Wall Light at 60cm or 80cm works as a horizontal line above a mirror, and it dims by remote.
A corridor en suite or a cloakroom with no bath or shower. A room with only a basin and a WC has no Zone 0 or 1 at all, only the 60cm around the tap. Almost anything is allowed. It is the easiest good-looking room in the house and most people put a downlight in it.
Lighting a mirror properly
The commonest bathroom in Britain has one light, in the middle of the ceiling, behind you when you stand at the mirror. It lights the top of your head and throws your face into shadow. Every hotel bathroom you have admired did the opposite.
Three ways to fix it, in order of how well they work:
- A pair of sconces flanking the mirror, at 160 to 170cm to the centre of the fitting, roughly 75 to 90cm apart. Light arrives from both sides at face height and cancels the shadows. This is the hotel answer. The Wabi-Sabi Wall Light at 32 x 14cm is made for it.
- One light above the mirror, mounted 15 to 20cm above the top edge, ideally wider than the mirror is. Better than a ceiling light, softer than nothing. The LED Strip Wall Light is the straightforward version.
- A ceiling light moved forward. If you can only have one fitting, put it in front of where you stand rather than behind. Even 40cm forward changes the shadow.
Whatever you choose, aim for light that arrives at your face rather than at the mirror. And remember the 60cm rule around the tap when you place it.
Colour temperature and CRI
Most British bathrooms are lit with cool white, and it is the reason people look grey in them at seven in the morning.
2700K to 3000K is the range. The Travertine Stone Ceiling Light is 3000K and the 18W flush offers 3000K among its settings, which is the coolest we would go over a basin.
More important still is CRI 90 or above, the measure of how honestly a light renders colour. A bathroom mirror is the one place in the house where you judge your own skin tone, and low-CRI light gets it wrong. The full argument, room by room, is in our guide to choosing colour temperature.
Switches, sockets and extractor fans
Three rules that catch people out in a refurbishment:
- No ordinary light switch inside the room. Use a ceiling pull cord, or put the switch on the wall outside the door.
- No ordinary sockets. A shaver supply unit is the exception, and it must sit outside Zones 0, 1 and 2.
- Ventilation is part of the lighting job. A bathroom without a working extractor turns every fitting into a steam bath, and the first thing to fail will be the light you chose most carefully.
Small bathrooms and en suites
In a bathroom under about 2 metres square, nearly everything is inside a zone, and a flush fitting is not a compromise but the correct answer. The Flush Corridor and Bathroom Light and the Minimalist Cylinder both sit tight to the ceiling.
Two more thoughts for small rooms. Light the walls rather than the floor: a room reads as larger when its edges are lit. And if there is no power where you want light, a rechargeable fitting will put a lamp on a shelf or a windowsill with no wiring, no zone and no electrician.
Three bathrooms, three schemes
Three British bathrooms, and what we would actually fit in each.
The small en suite, shower only, 180 x 120cm
Everything is in a zone. One sealed flush fitting, centred, and nothing else: the 18W Dimmable Round Flush is IP44, 1.5cm deep and 1,800 lumens, which is ample for a room that size. If there is a shelf, add a cordless lamp from rechargeable lights for the evening.
The family bathroom, bath and basin, 250 x 190cm
Two layers. A flush fitting in the centre of the ceiling, comfortably outside the zones at that size — the Glass LED Ceiling Light at 28cm, or the Nordic Glass Ceiling Light for something warmer. Then one sconce on the mirror wall, measured 60cm clear of the tap: the Wabi-Sabi Wall Light. Put them on separate switches and the room does mornings and evenings differently.
The large bathroom, freestanding bath, 300cm or more
Here you can treat it as a room rather than a utility. The Travertine Stone Ceiling Light in the centre, a pair of Eclipse Sconces flanking the mirror at 165cm, and, if the ceiling allows and the bath is well clear, a pendant from pendant lights over the end of the room. Keep 210cm of clearance beneath it, exactly as you would anywhere else in the house.
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Assuming everything in a bathroom must be IP-rated. Outside the zones it does not, and that is where the good-looking fittings live.
- Forgetting the 60cm around the basin tap. It is the rule that catches mirror sconces.
- One light, in the middle of the ceiling, behind you. It is the worst possible position for a face.
- Cool white everywhere. 4000K over a mirror is unkind and unnecessary.
- Buying before measuring. Two minutes with a tape from the edge of the bath decides everything on this page.
In short
- Zone 0, in the water: IP67, low voltage, specialist only.
- Zone 1, above the bath or shower to 225cm: IP44 minimum, IP65 preferred.
- Zone 2, 60cm beyond Zone 1, and 60cm around the basin tap: IP44 minimum.
- Outside the zones: no IP requirement. Ordinary fittings allowed.
- Every bathroom circuit: 30mA RCD, no exceptions.
- Mirror sconces: 160 to 170cm to the centre, 75 to 90cm apart.
- Bulbs: 2700K to 3000K, CRI 90+.
Common questions
What are bathroom lighting zones ?
They are four areas defined by distance from water. Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower tray, Zone 1 is directly above it up to 225cm, Zone 2 is a 60cm band beyond Zone 1 and around a basin tap, and everywhere else is outside the zones. Each zone sets a minimum IP rating for the fittings in it.
What IP rating do I need for a bathroom light ?
IP67 in Zone 0, at least IP44 in Zones 1 and 2, and IP65 where water jets are likely such as inside a shower. Outside the zones there is no IP requirement, though a small steamy bathroom is kinder to a sealed fitting than an open one.
Can I use a normal light in a bathroom ?
Yes, if it sits outside the zones: more than 60cm horizontally from the bath, shower or basin tap, on a circuit protected by a 30mA RCD. That covers the centre ceiling of most bathrooms and the wall opposite the bath.
How high should bathroom mirror lights be ?
Mount a pair of sconces with their centres 160 to 170cm above the floor and 75 to 90cm apart, one either side of the mirror. A single light above the mirror should sit 15 to 20cm above the top edge. Both put light on your face instead of behind your head.
What colour temperature is best in a bathroom ?
2700K to 3000K, with a CRI of 90 or above. Cooler light is unflattering in a mirror and makes a small bathroom feel clinical.
Do bathroom lights need an electrician ?
In England and Wales, most electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations, so yes: use a registered electrician, who will certify the work. Choosing the fitting is your job; connecting it is theirs.
Can I put a pendant light in a bathroom ?
Outside the zones and with enough ceiling height, yes, and it is one of the nicest things you can do in a large bathroom. Keep it well clear of the bath, leave 210cm of clearance underneath, and check the clearance advice in our pendant height guide.
Measure first, choose second
Take a tape measure to the edge of your bath, mark 60cm out from it on the floor, and stand back. Everything beyond that line is yours to decorate.
If you are unsure whether a particular position falls inside a zone, send us a photo and the measurements at contact@thelightheritage.com. We answer every message ourselves.
Browse bathroom lighting, wall lights and ceiling lights, or read the two guides that go with this one: choosing colour temperature and what size table lamp do I need.
