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With lockdown in full swing many of us are taking comfort in the little things, such as a long, relaxing soak in the bathtub.
If you’re a homeowner you may be considering a bathroom renovation project, so that you can increase your enjoyment of your at-home wellness space. After all, you want to have the ideal environment in which to look after your physical and mental wellbeing and, for a while at least, forget the challenges and stresses of the outside world.
We’re specialists in designing and handcrafting stunning luminaires for your bathroom, shower room or wet room and our goal is to help you choose the perfect lighting fixtures which will deliver that sumptuous at-home sanctuary you are after.
The first thing you need to do is familiarise yourself with IP…
What’s IP – and why does it matter?
When it comes to lighting your bedroom, kitchen or living room, the right lighting solution is often as simple as style, taste and budget. But bathrooms, shower rooms and wet rooms are different. These space can’t be fixed with just any lighting fixture. Why? It’s all about the IP.
IP stands for ‘Ingress Protection’. It’s a rating system which refers to how well protected your lighting fixture is against the intrusion of dust or water. The higher the IP numbers, the stronger the protection.
Safety always comes first, but many homeowners can feel suddenly restricted when they realise the lighting they’ve earmarked for other rooms of their home can’t be used in the bathroom.
So, what to do? There are a range of IP protections to suit a range of needs – from sprays to splashes, all the way up to full immersion – the trick is knowing what IP rated light to look for and where in your bathroom to place it.
Know your zones
Because IP rating is determined by measuring the light’s proximity to a water source, it can be helpful to think about your bathroom in terms of lighting zones.
For instance, do you need a light with a high IP rating in the doorway of your bathroom where water is unlikely to reach? Probably not. But this is essential when it comes to lighting above a sink, shower or bath, where splashes or sprays are inevitable.
Spaces directly above a shower or bath are considered “Zone 1” while those within 60cm of a water source are “Zone 2”.
This is where things get technical… The scale goes from IP1 to IP8 to protect against water intrusion and IP1 to IP6 to protect against solid objects. The combination of these two numbers gives you your overall IP rating. For instance, IP11 offers protection against condensation and the intrusion of solid objects larger than 50mm in size.
Most of your IP rating needs will be within Zones 1 or 2. Both require an IP rating of 4 to adhere to bathroom lighting regulations.
Thankfully, all of the lights in our Bathroom Lighting Collection are rated IP44 which means they adhere to bathroom lighting regulations for Zones 1 and 2.
They are fully splash-proof and protected against the intrusion of solid objects over 1mm in size, making them perfect for your bathroom lighting IP rating requirements.
The best part? You won’t have to compromise on style. There are plenty of elegant options available; everything from lustrous metallic wall lights to simply elegant pendants, giving you the choice and flexibility to transform your bathroom into an oasis, safe in the knowledge that you’re doing everything by the book.
For more lighting commentary, design news and advice, follow Gwyn Carless at the Light Yard on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or LinkedIn. To speak directly with a member of the Gwyn Carless at the Light Yard team, call + 44 (0)330 223 3940.
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