Kitchen & Bath: Lighting a Bathroom Mirror

As a lighting designer, I’ve seen many bathroom mirrors illuminated by a single recessed downlight mounted directly above the sink. This is a mistake — not only are the shadows from a downlight unflattering, but they make it hard to do certain tasks. As an example, look at photo A. The recessed light casts harsh shadows on the man’s face and provides no light beneath his chin. The result is that he has inadequate light for shaving; a woman would also have trouble applying makeup in this light. Good lighting should illuminate the entire face without casting shadows. A better strategy than downlighting is to place a diffuse light strip on the wall over the mirror. The plastic