The 6 lighting zones every UK bathroom needs (and why one is illegal in the wrong place)

Q: How many lights should a bathroom have?

Treat it as six zones rather than a number of fittings: task light at the mirror, ambient perimeter, a combined shower light, niche underlighting, a low-level bath or floor wash, and a decorative light at the WC or vanity. A small London bathroom can deliver all six with five or six fittings if they are circuited and dimmed in groups rather than installed one-per-ceiling.

Q: What IP rating do bathroom lights need?

Inside the bath or shower basin itself, IPX7. In the zone directly above a bath or shower up to 2.25 m from the floor, a minimum of IPX4, and IPX5 where the fitting may be subject to water jets. In the 0.6 m band around that zone, IPX4. Outside the zones, a standard fitting is acceptable, but every circuit in the room still needs 30 mA residual current device protection.

Q: Can I hang a pendant light in a bathroom?

Only outside the protected zones. A standard decorative pendant is not suitable above a bath or shower or within the 0.6 m band around it. Keep pendants over a WC or a vanity area that sits clear of the wet zone, and check the flex length so the fitting is well above head height and cannot be reached from the bath or shower.

Q: Why does my bathroom look grey and clinical?

Almost always the colour temperature. Cool white light at 4000 K or above drains the warmth out of stone, timber and painted surfaces. Use 2700 K for the ambient, niche and bath layers, and no more than 3000 K at the mirror, with a colour rendering index of 90 or better so skin tones read naturally.

Q: Does bathroom lighting work need certifying?

In England, most electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable under Part P of the building regulations, and it must be carried out and certified by a competent registered electrician. Ask for the certificate and the test results at handover, and keep them with the property documents.

Last updated: 3 October 2026

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A bathroom lit by a single ceiling fitting will always look flat. It casts a hard shadow under the eyes at the mirror, it puts the brightest point of the room directly above your head, and it makes expensive stone read as grey. The fix is not more light — it is light in layers, each doing one job.

We plan bathroom lighting as six zones. Five of them are about how the room looks and works. The sixth, a decorative pendant, is the one that gets homeowners into trouble, because in the wrong position it is not permitted at all.

This guide sets out each zone, the fittings and colour temperatures that make it work, and the electrical zones that govern where anything can legally be installed. For the room budget that carries these costs, see our bathroom renovation cost guide.

The six zones at a glance

Zone	Job	Typical spec
1. Task at the mirror	Even light on the face	Two flanking sconces, CRI 90+, 3000 K, IP44
2. Ambient perimeter	General wash, no glare	Hidden cove LED, 2700 K, dimmable
3. Shower ceiling	Safe light in the wet zone	Flush combined head and downlight, IP65
4. Niche underlight	Depth and display	Diffused LED strip, IP65, 2700 K
5. WC pendant	Decorative focus	Low-output pendant, outside the wet zones
6. Bath or floor wash	Night-time navigation	Hidden strip or low-level guide light, 2700 K

Zone 1: task lighting at the mirror

The mirror is the only place in a bathroom where you look at yourself closely, and it is where most lighting schemes fail. A single downlight above the mirror drops light straight down the face, creating shadows under the brow, the nose and the chin, and leaving the eyes in shade.

Two wall lights flanking the mirror at roughly eye height — around 1600–1700 mm above the finished floor, or level with the middle of the mirror — light the face from both sides and remove the shadow entirely. Use a colour rendering index of 90 or better so skin tone and makeup read true, and keep the colour temperature at 3000 K or below; 4000 K is unforgiving on the face and makes the room feel clinical.

If the wall is fully tiled to the ceiling, plan the cable positions before tiling. Adding sconces later means chasing finished stone or porcelain, which is either impossible or expensive. A single horizontal strip above a mirror is a workable alternative, but it must be diffused and set forward of the mirror plane — otherwise the mirror reflects the strip and you see the light source rather than your face.

Zone 2: ambient perimeter lighting

The ambient layer should be invisible. A hidden cove or perimeter LED, run behind a ceiling shadow gap or above a wall panel, throws light onto the ceiling and down the walls without a visible source. This is the layer that makes a small bathroom feel taller and more generous.

Two details determine whether it looks architectural or cheap. First, the strip must not be visible: if you can see individual diodes, the effect is a dotted line rather than a wash. Use a deep, well-diffused channel with a frosted cover, and set the strip back so the source is hidden from every normal viewing angle. Second, keep it warm at 2700 K and dimmable. A dimmable ambient layer lets the room shift from functional in the morning to soft in the evening without switching on the task light.

Use constant-voltage LED tape of decent quality with a driver rated for the load, and leave access to the driver. A driver buried behind sealed tiles is a future problem.

Zone 3: the shower ceiling combination

Above a shower, one fitting does two jobs: a flush-mounted combined shower head and downlight. It keeps the ceiling plane clean, removes the need for a separate light, and is the only sensible way to light a shower in a compact room.

In electrical terms this is the most demanding position in the room. A fitting directly above a shower sits in the protected zone and must be rated IP65, with a sealed cable entry and a gland — not a standard downlight with a decorative trim. It also needs 30 mA residual current device protection on the circuit. This is non-negotiable and it is the first thing a competent electrician will look at.

Where a combined unit is not practical, a separate IP65 downlight in the ceiling is acceptable, but keep it clear of the shower head spray pattern so hard water does not etch the trim.

Zone 4: niche underlighting

A shower niche with a hidden LED above the shelf is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost details in a bathroom refurbishment. It gives the niche a sense of depth, provides a soft night light, and makes shampoo bottles look deliberate rather than stored.

The strip must be IP65 and tightly diffused, mounted on the underside of the shelf above so the source is completely hidden. Keep it at 2700 K to match the ambient layer. The cable needs to be planned at first fix, and the niche must be formed and tanked before the strip is fitted, with the strip sitting in a recess that drains rather than a pocket that holds water.

Zone 5: the decorative pendant — and where it is not permitted

A low-output pendant over a WC or a vanity area adds character and is a legitimate part of a layered scheme. This is the zone that causes the problem, because a pendant is only acceptable outside the protected zones.

The rules are set out in the wiring regulations and are based on distance. Inside the bath or shower itself is the most tightly controlled zone. Directly above a bath or shower, up to 2.25 m from the floor, is the next zone, where a minimum of IPX4 is required. A 0.6 m band around that zone carries the same IPX4 minimum. A standard decorative pendant has none of this protection, so a pendant over a bath, inside the shower area, or within that 0.6 m band is not a permitted installation — no matter how good it looks.

Keep pendants over a WC or a vanity that sits clear of the wet zone, set the flex length so the fitting is well above head height and cannot be reached from the bath or shower, and confirm the position on the electrical layout before the ceiling is closed. If you want a decorative fitting closer to the wet zone, choose a sealed, IP-rated equivalent and accept that it will look different from a fabric-flex pendant.

Zone 6: bath indirect wrap and floor-level guidance

The sixth zone is the one you use most and notice least: a low-level warm wash that lets you use the bathroom at night without switching on the full scheme. Options include a hidden strip beneath the bath rim, washing light across the floor, or a small movement-triggered guide light at skirting level.

Keep the output low and the colour at 2700 K. The purpose is navigation, not illumination. A movement-triggered fitting that comes on at low output and fades after a couple of minutes is genuinely useful in a family home, particularly where the bathroom is used during the night. This zone also reads beautifully against a freestanding bath, where a soft under-bath wash makes the bath appear to float.

The electrical framework behind all six zones

Zones: IPX7 inside the bath or shower basin, IPX4 minimum in the zones above and around it, IPX5 where jets are possible.
Protection: every circuit serving the bathroom on a 30 mA residual current device.
Certification: most bathroom electrical work in England is notifiable under Part P and must be certified by a registered electrician.
Switching: pull cords or switches outside the zones; no standard plate switches within the protected area.
Access: leave service access to every LED driver.

We lay the six zones out on a reflected ceiling plan and set the circuit groupings so each layer dims independently. Our electrical team installs and certifies the work, and the layout is fixed before tanking and tiling begin. Fix the brassware finish before the electrical layout is signed off, because the two are seen together in every mirror view — and for the room-level cost of all six layers, see the bathroom renovation cost guide.

Frequently asked questions

How many lights should a bathroom have?

Think in six layers rather than a number of fittings: task at the mirror, ambient perimeter, shower light, niche underlight, a low-level bath or floor wash, and a decorative light at the WC. A small London bathroom can deliver all six with five or six fittings if they are circuited in groups.

What IP rating do bathroom lights need?

IPX7 inside the bath or shower basin, IPX4 minimum directly above and in the 0.6 m band around it, and IPX5 where jets are possible. Every circuit still needs 30 mA residual current device protection.

Can I hang a pendant light in a bathroom?

Only outside the protected zones. A standard pendant above a bath or shower, or within the 0.6 m band around it, is not a permitted installation. Keep it over a WC or vanity that is clear of the wet zone.

Why does my bathroom look grey and clinical?

Almost always colour temperature. Cool white at 4000 K and above drains warmth from stone, timber and paint. Use 2700 K for ambient, niche and bath layers, 3000 K maximum at the mirror, with a colour rendering index of 90 or better.

Does bathroom lighting work need certifying?

Yes. In England most electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable under Part P and must be carried out and certified by a registered electrician. Ask for the certificate and test results at handover.

See all six layers in your own room

We render your bathroom with every lighting zone applied, and you can toggle each one on and off before you commit.

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