Vanity, Mirror & Bathroom Wall Lights

As a guide, a bar sits 50mm to 100mm above the top edge of the mirror, which on a standard vanity lands it around 1,900mm to 2,000mm from the floor. Sconces mounted beside the mirror are centred at eye height, roughly 1,500mm to 1,700mm, and a tall household goes a little higher. Your electrician sets the final position, so give them these numbers with the fitting.

Above the mirror is the safe choice for small ensuites and wide mirrors, because one bar lights the whole glass evenly. A light either side of the mirror at eye level throws the fewest shadows on your face, which is why it is the makeup artist's choice, but you need about 150mm of clear wall on each side. If you have a mirror cabinet, check the door swing before you choose sconces.

A 600mm bar. The bar should be about two-thirds to three-quarters of the mirror width and never wider than the vanity cabinet. So a 600mm mirror suits a 400mm to 450mm bar, a 1,200mm mirror suits 800mm to 900mm, and a double vanity takes one 1,200mm bar or a 600mm bar over each basin. Set the Width (mm) filter on this page to your number and only the right lengths show.

Down or forward. A bar that throws light down and slightly forward puts it on your face, which is the whole point of a vanity light. An up-facing bar bounces light off the ceiling and gives a soft glow, so use it only as a second layer on top of a downward bar or a pair of sconces. Some bars, like the Rockford, can be mounted either way, so check the product page.

Close to a shower or bath, yes, and everywhere else in a bathroom it is the sensible default. Australian wiring rules set wet zones around baths and showers and your electrician confirms which zone the mirror wall is in. IP44 protects the fitting from splashes from any direction, which covers a basin and a steamy mirror. It does not make the fitting steam-proof, so keep it out of the shower recess and use the exhaust fan. Use the IP Rating filter on this page to see only IP44 and higher.

4000K cool white for makeup and shaving, because it is the closest match to daylight and shows skin tone honestly. 3000K warm white is more relaxing and suits a vanity light that also lights the room at night. A tri-colour fitting has a switch that lets you pick 3000K, 4000K or 5000K after it is installed, so you are not locked in. For the truest colour look for CRI 90 or higher.

Around 700 to 1,200 lumens across a single-basin mirror and 1,600 or more across a double vanity, on top of the room's general lighting. Compare lumens rather than watts, because an efficient 12w LED bar can be brighter than an older 20w one. The Lumens filter on this page narrows the range to the output you need.

Nothing in practice. Both names describe a wall light fitted above or beside a mirror to light your face. Mirror light is used more often for the slim LED bars that clip over the top of the mirror, and vanity light for the whole category including sconces and orbs. Everything on this page answers to both names.

We sell the lights rather than the mirrors, and there are three ways to get the look. Hollywood mirror lights frame the mirror with a row of globes. A slim LED bar from this page mounts on the wall above it. For a backlit floating mirror, bathroom LED strip in an aluminium profile behind the mirror is the trick, and we cut it to your measurements.

No. Every vanity light on this page is hardwired to 240V, and in Australia that has to be installed by a licensed electrician. Book the electrician only after the fitting has arrived and been checked, hand them the IP rating and mounting height, and keep their invoice or certificate of compliance in case you ever need a warranty claim.