apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Bathroom light fixtures are nerveracking- so many choices and nothing is ever right. I got the Talo Parete sconce from artemide (www.artemide.com) for my bathroom, and I love it. It wasn't designed for a bathroom but the people at the store assured me it was fine for bathroom use and I haven't had any problems with it.
Good luck!

Sarah, look at Use: Tools for Civilization(at my signature), they have a great modular line of lighting bath fixtures.

i am taking friends out to the brooklyn botanical gardens on saturday. They have a one year old kid and are vegetarians. would you suggest a kid friendly vegetarian place for dinner. we are coming by subway. they are great pizza lovers

upstairs, that was random...

http://ylighting.com/bathroom.html

and not quite modern but:
http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/fixtures-detail.asp?FixtureID=16

oooh, the one I linked from JenPDX's links - awesome. I like. :)

what about juliska pendant lamps ? www.juliska.com

LampsPlus is mostly gross, but we didn't want to spend a lot since we rent, and I was surprised to find this for our bathroom:

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Bathroom-Lighting/43788

It also comes in double or triple versions.

We just bought the talo miniwall from Artemide. They said that it is the top selling lighting fixture. Also they said that the majority of people are using it for the bathroom. Its small, powerful 150 watts(dimmer advised) and cheap. It comes in polished chrome, white, and i think, brushed nickel. not too sure about the brushed nickel

Before we moved into our new (small) home, the builder had installed those almond colored ceiling light/fans into every bathroom. They make a horrible noise when you use the light and they are truly ugly. Home Depot has them. I would like to replace them with a light fixture but am afraid that the hole is too big from the original fixture and it would be a huge sheet rocking job. Does anyone have a suggestion or experience with this? Or does anyone know of an artemide-type light/fan for bathrooms?

Hey Evans,

Not sure what era your home is but in SF we love ceiling medallions. They cover a multitude of sins.

Although, my guess is if they used a standard junction (?) box in the ceiling you won't need anything.

Well, time for me to go stare at my not-too-ugly blonde wood ceiling fan which I too long to get rid of.

This probably won't work for you, but this is what I just installed in my bathrooms.

http://lamps-lighting.com/LSI-LS13373PS.html

http://www.lightology.com/index.cfm/method-light.store_profile/sku-2002BB-METRO-026F1-WHCH

Not sure which Jado Faucet you got but check out the tech lights at lee's studio - i just ordered the one above - simple and clean lines.

Check out the talo mini wall from artemide

If you are on a budget, you may be suprised at what some big box stores have in stock. (We're stuck in the boonies, so I usually have to take what I can get!) They usually have one or two simple, more modern options packed on the shelves somewhere.

I thought this one from home depot wasn't bad: http://tinyurl.com/ppxwx

Sarah, sorry I don't have any any recommendations for you but I do like SJC's, Matt and Sand's picks. Do they work for you?

Reason for my post is actually to ask Evans some more questions. Sorry Sarah!

Evans, are you talking about an extractor fan to remove the mositure from the bathroom? If so, there are not many good looking units and must not replace them with just a light and no fan. You will get mildew and rot problems if you do not have sufficient moisture extraction.

Let me know if this is what you are talking about and I can tell you more.

My problem with replacing the bathroom light fixture is that the current one also has as part of the fixture the only electrical outlet in the bathroom (above the mirror). Even though using it often trips the circuit breakers I do need an outlet. Most new modern looking fixtures don't seem to have a built in outlet. Has anyone seen one or have a suggestion?

Jimkk -- hire an electrician to add an outlet. He/she can just extend and move wires inside the wall. For a pro its a very easy and quick job, 2 hours at most.

Fabby Lighting has some good ones, in a variety of styles...I ordered one 4 or 5 years ago, and the service was pretty prompt, and prices still reasonable.

I put this fixture in my bathroom a couple of years ago, but I wouldn't recommend it because the bulbs are impossible to find. I have to go to a specialty place for them.

Oops, the link didn't work. Try again...
this fixture

I can't tet the link to work, here is the site. Sorry
http://www.lightology.com/index.cfm/method-light.store_profile/sku-0706BM-PIERCE-022H1-WHAN/dept-Bathroom%20&%20Mirror/szdept_label-Bathroom%20&%20Mirror

Jamie pup - thanks for your response. Moisture is not an issue for the bath fan light because there is a window in each bathroom that has this fixture. I don't think he was required to put it in. It's by Broan. Also note that the builder forgot to put heat duct in one of the bathrooms so we're looking for a nice heater that might be a part of a light fixture. It also can't be too strong in terms of amps less than 1000 because it's a tiny powder room.

race - Try Franny's on Flatbush Ave. Wonderful vegetarian brick oven pizza. And a nice wine selection for the adults. Click on my name for the link.

For Traditional bathrooms, google:
http://www.urbanarchaeology.com/
http://www.rejuvenation.com/
http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/

For modern:
http://www.surrounding.com/
http://www.formplusfunction.com/
http://hivemodern.com/
Lightology, ylighting, etc...

(Arch. Lighting Designer)

Sarah,
I had an idea for a DIY bathroom light that I haven't tried yet. Get a floating wall shelf (West Elm or Ikea) cut 3 holes and mount either small cans or puck lights flush in the underside of the shelf. Put rope lights on top and mount it very close to the ceiling. You'll get downward lighting and a nice glow from up top.

Regarding the Talo Mini...it's halogen or fluorescent. Do you find it buzzes with a dimmer on the halogen? Can a dimmer be used on the fluorescent?

I got a suggestion for you for bathroom lighting: http://www.4houselighting.com/lighting/bathroom-lighting.htm

Thanks for John's suggestion. I got one from http://www.formplusfunction.com/ after all the searching.