Your bathroom, more than just a room for washing

Have you ever noticed how much time we spend in the bathroom? Worldwide, the average, according to statistics, is just over an hour and that's not even counting a pleasant full bath. Doesn't it seem logical that you want to create an ambience in the bathroom that is both functional and relaxing?

Whether you prefer a brisk "cat wash" or rather splash extensively, with colors, patterns, furniture and appropriate materials you can give the bathroom your personal touch and make it modern, classic or timeless.

In the realization of bathroom dreams, fashion is constantly changing and again and again something new invites you to experiment. However, you should not forget that these trends do not last forever and that your tastes may change in a few years. If you want to feel comfortable in your bathroom in the long term, it is advisable to rely on subtle colours and timeless furnishings. With appropriate coloured towels, plants and various decorative items you can then provide for example for colorful eye-catchers.

Special tasks require special light

From a functional point of view, it is more practical to use different brightness levels for bathroom luminaires and thus meet every occasion. With the right lamps and illuminants, the individual areas in the room can then be put in the right light.

If you come to the bathroom sleepy in the morning, a dim light is certainly more pleasant than a glistening spotlight and even at night a discreet lighting is sufficient to find your way around. If, on the other hand, it comes to "fine tuning", you are well equipped with a bright light on the mirror or even an illuminated make-up mirror. In a warm light, it is also much easier to relax in the bathtub.

When choosing bathroom lamps, the size of the room and the cut and whether there is a natural light source is also important. In combination with the light from outside, the mirror image often looks completely different with additional lighting.

Even small things change the look

It is not always necessary to redesign the entire bathroom to achieve the "wow effect". Often it is enough to concentrate on individual details. For example, switch to dimmable ceiling lighting or a model with color change. How about a different coloured faucet? There are so many opportunities for you to be creative these days.

Even with great creativity, safety comes first

As already mentioned, in your bathroom you can try out design and realize ideas. However, please do not forget that there are important things to consider to ensure your safety. After all, nobody wants to have to worry about whether one or the other flood of water knocks you out of your socks or whether more than just the bathroom needs to be renovated afterwards.

So what needs to be considered for this carefree stay in your oasis of well-being?

Whether you have furnished your bathroom in a modern, classic or neutral way, one thing remains the same. There are various so-called IP zones (ingress protection) in this room. In each zone, the entry of foreign objects into your luminaires is protected differently. They correspond to the different areas of use in your bathroom and indicate which lamps you may or should use here. In total, there are three different IP classes/zones.

It all starts at IP zone 0. This corresponds to the inside of the bathtub and the floor surface of a shower. Whereby 10 cm wall height are added to the floor area of the shower / shower tray.

IP zone 1 connects directly to zone 0 and extends upwards over a height of 2.25 m. This value is measured straight upwards from the ground. The size of the footprint of the bath or shower is considered the limit here. If you have a shower without a shower tray, it is necessary to observe a distance of 120 cm to the shower head as a limit. Here it is advisable to use luminaires that are protected from water jets in direct contact and are operated by means of protective extra-low voltage (12 V).

IP zone 2 includes all remaining parts in the wet area that normally do not, rarely or only briefly come into contact with water, steam or mist.

In rooms with a height of 2.25 m, for example, only luminaires may be installed in the ceiling that are covered by a permanently attached glass pane or which are operated with protective extra-low voltage (12V). That is, when touched, you do not have to be afraid of an electric shock. If your ceiling is above the mentioned height, these safety requirements do not apply. Luminaires in the area of the shower and bathtub (degree of protection 0 with IPX7) may only be operated with an operating voltage not exceeding 12 V/AC (AC voltage) or 30 V/DC (DC voltage).

Above the shower and bathtub (protection area 1 with IPX5), the luminaires may have an operating voltage of max. 25 V/AC or 60 V/DC.

Let's come back to the different IP classes. Each consists of two numbers that tell you how sensitive a device (in this case, your lamp) is to dust and touch (first number) and how dense it is to water and steam (second number). An example of such a number would be IP65. This is a product that has complete touch protection. Dust cannot penetrate and it is protected against water jets from any direction. The lowest value is 0 (zero).

So, enough talking shop. In the end, there is only one thing left to say – approach the design of your bathroom with fun and anticipation of the result and discover your inner lighting designer. 

The first digit of the IP degree of protection

The first digit refers to protection against contact and foreign objects. The degrees of protection are divided into the following values:

IP0X: No protection.

IP1X: Protection against foreign objects with a diameter of 50 mm.

IP2X: Protection against foreign objects with a diameter of 12 mm.

IP3X: Protection against foreign objects with a diameter of 2.5 mm.

IP4X: Protection against foreign objects with a diameter of 1 mm.

IP5X: Protection against dust in harmful quantities (dustproof)

IP6X: Complete protection against dust ingress (dustproof).

The second digit of the IP degree of protection

The second digit refers to protection against moisture and water penetration. The degrees of protection are divided into the following values:

IPX0: No protection IPX1: Protection against vertical water droplets.

IPX2: Protection against inclined falling water droplets (angle < 15 degrees).

IPX3: Protection against water spray (angle < 60 degrees).

IPX4: Protection against splashing water.

IPX5: Protection against water jets from all directions.

IPX6: Protection against strong water jets and temporary flooding.

IPX7: Protection against temporary immersion in water.

IPX8: Protection against permanent immersion in water (waterproof).

IPX9: Protection against high pressure and steam jet cleaners.

What degree of IP protection is required in the bathroom? 

In dry rooms, protection against moisture plays a subordinate role. Therefore, luminaires with protection degree IP20 can also be used, which has no protection against splashing water. In the bathroom and damp areas, however, IP protection level plays more of a role. Hier must be increasingly expected with the occurrence of moisture and splashing water. Therefore, for luminaires placed in the bathroom, the protection classes IPX4, IPX5 and IPX7 are recommended.

What does IP20 mean?

Luminaires with protection degree IP20 have contact protection against solid foreign bodies up to a size of more than 12mm. There is no protection against water.

What does IP55 mean?

Luminaires with degree of protection IP55 have complete contact protection and are also protected against water jets from any angle.

What does IP44 mean?

Luminaires with degree of protection IP44 are protected against solid foreign bodies up to a size of more than 1mm and against splashing water.

What does IP65 mean?

Luminaires with IP65 degree of protection have complete contact protection against foreign bodies and against water jets of any direction.

What does IP54 mean?

Luminaires with IP54 protection have complete contact protection, whereby dust gets through in small quantities. In addition, it is protected against splashing water in any direction.

What does IP67 mean?

Luminaires with protection degree IP67 are dustproof and contact-protected. In addition, luminaires with protection degree IP67 are temporarily retained under water.