Bathroom Lighting Ideas for Your Renovation (and the Wet-Area Rules to Know)
Great bathroom lighting combines soft ambient light, bright shadow-free light at the mirror, and accent lighting in niches, under floating vanities and behind mirrors. Every fitting must suit its wet-area zone under the Australian wiring rules, which means sealed, IP-rated fittings near the shower and bath. Plan it with your renovator before waterproofing and tiling.
Wet-area zones in plain English
The Australian wiring rules, AS/NZS 3000, divide bathrooms into zones around the shower and bath. The closer to water, the stricter the rules. In simple terms:
| Zone | Where it is | What's allowed (simplified) |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 0 | Inside the bath or shower base, where water collects | Only safety extra-low voltage (SELV) equipment rated for immersion |
| Zone 1 | Above the bath or shower, up to 2.5 m high | Fixed equipment rated at least IPX4, suitable for the location |
| Zone 2 | A further 0.6 m out from zone 1, up to 2.25 m high | Fixed equipment rated at least IPX4, such as enclosed light fittings |
| Outside the zones | The rest of the bathroom | Standard rules, with fittings suited to a humid room |
There are extra rules for switches, power points and basins, and the exact dimensions depend on the layout, so your electrician will work out the zones for your bathroom. The takeaway for planning: anything near water needs to be sealed and correctly rated, and some things can't go there at all. For more on what IP ratings mean, see our guide to coastal outdoor lighting, which explains each rating.
8 bathroom lighting ideas
1. A lit shower niche
A soft line of LED strip across the top of a shower niche turns a practical shelf into a feature. It needs wet-area rated strip in a sealed profile, sealed connections, and a driver located outside the wet zones. It's planned before waterproofing so the cable and profile can be sealed in properly.
2. A backlit or side-lit mirror
The best mirror lighting comes from the sides or from behind, lighting your face evenly. A backlit mirror, or vertical strip or wall lights either side of the mirror, avoids the shadows a single light above the mirror casts under your eyes and chin.
3. A floating vanity with a toe-kick glow
LED strip under a wall-hung vanity makes it look like it's floating, and gives a gentle night light that won't wake you up.
4. Cove or bulkhead light over the bath or shower
A cove or bulkhead with concealed strip gives soft ambient light without a row of downlights. Over the shower, it must suit the zone. Our guide to cove, bulkhead and shadow-line lighting explains the options.
5. Wall grazing on feature tiles
Textured tiles, stone or a fluted wall come alive with light grazing down from a shadow line or strip above.
6. Pendants beside the vanity
Outside the wet zones, slim pendants either side of a mirror add a decorative layer and task light together.
7. A sensor night light
A low-level strip on a motion sensor lets you find your way at night without switching on the main lights.
8. Dimmable scenes for a bath
Dim the downlights, keep the niche and toe-kick glowing, and a bathroom becomes a place to relax rather than just get ready.
Planning a build or renovation?
Luxe designs and installs architectural lighting across the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. Book a lighting consultation.
Getting mirror lighting right
- Light from the sides or behind. Front-facing, even light is what you need for shaving and make-up.
- Choose 3000K with CRI 90+. Warm enough to feel relaxed, accurate enough to see true skin tones. Our guide to warm white vs cool white explains why CRI matters.
- Avoid downlights directly above the mirror. They light the top of your head and cast shadows down your face.
- Dim it. Bright for mornings, soft for evenings.
Humidity, ventilation and fittings that last
Bathrooms are hard on electrical fittings. Steam finds its way into anything that isn't sealed, and in Queensland's humidity a poorly ventilated bathroom stays damp for hours.
- Good ventilation. A correctly sized exhaust fan, ducted outside, protects fittings as well as paint and grout.
- Sealed fittings. Choose IP-rated downlights and profiles even where the rules allow less.
- Drivers outside the wet area. In a ceiling space or a nearby cupboard, accessible for maintenance.
- Quality strip. Wet-area rated, in a sealed profile, with sealed end caps.
When to plan it in a renovation
The key moment is before waterproofing. Niche lighting, backlit mirrors, toe-kick strip and wall lights all need cabling and sometimes recesses in the walls. Once the waterproofing membrane is on and the tiles are laid, changing them means cutting tiles and redoing waterproofing.
The ideal order is: lighting plan, then rough-in by the electrician, then waterproofing, then tiling, then fit-off. Get your electrician and renovator talking before demolition, and share the lighting plan with the tiler so niches and grout lines line up with the strip.
We work with renovators through our builder and renovation lighting service. See our bathroom LED lighting and waterproof LED strip lighting pages for the finish we aim for, and our guide on whether you need an electrician for LED strip for the rules on DIY.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best lighting for a bathroom?
Layered lighting: soft ambient light from a ceiling light or cove, bright, even light at the mirror from the sides or behind, and accent lighting in niches or under a floating vanity. Choose warm white around 3000K with high colour rendering so skin tones look natural.
Can you put LED strip lighting in a shower niche?
Yes, if you use strip and a profile rated for wet areas, sealed connections, and a driver located outside the wet zone. In Queensland it must be installed by a licensed electrician, and it's planned before waterproofing so the cable and profile are sealed in properly.
What IP rating do bathroom lights need?
It depends on the zone. Inside the shower or bath only safety extra-low voltage equipment rated for immersion is allowed. Fittings in the zones around the shower and bath need at least IPX4. Your electrician will match each fitting to its zone under AS/NZS 3000.
Should bathroom mirror lighting be above or beside the mirror?
Beside or behind the mirror is best, because light from the sides lights your face evenly. A single light above the mirror casts shadows under the eyes and chin. Many renovations use a backlit mirror plus soft side or vertical strip lighting.
When should I plan bathroom lighting in a renovation?
Before waterproofing and tiling. Niche lighting, backlit mirrors and toe-kick strip need cabling and recesses in the walls, and changing them after tiling means cutting tiles and redoing waterproofing.
Get your free lighting quote.
Call 0411 212 528 or request your consultation. Licensed electrical contractor #90549.
