Thread: The Dimly Lit Den.

My shave den is nearing completion. Mostly just need to finish hanging the hardware (towel racks, etc.) that our rental didn't come with in the first place , and tidy up some organization a little bit.

A problem that continues to plague me, is the lack of sufficient lighting when I shave. There is a standard ceiling fixture, w/globe style glass shade bout the size of a large grapefruit, directly above the sink. There is also a light/exhaust fan combo fixture pretty much in the center of the room on the ceiling. I have 100 watt & 60 watt equivalents CFL in each, respectively. The 60 CFL barely fit with the shade back in place, and I got one of the smaller ones.

I thought getting one of those 1x/5x vanity mirrors that attaches to the wall via a scissor arm would solve the problem. It didn't. Everything below the jaw line is still in a shadow. Which doesn't make seeing my sparse & thin tropical storms any easier.

Long story short, I've started looking for lighting solutions.

Criteria
18" long (surprisingly common).
No more than 2 & 15/16" (just under 3") wide/deep.
Chrome/other shiny metal finish is preferred; white is acceptable.
Not hardwire required. We rent, so neither me nore the property management would like me to put big holes & new wiring in the walls.
Ideally between $20 & $30. No more than $40.

I plan on sitting it on the backsplash (11/16" deep), right under the main mirror. The more it blends with the rest of the bathroom fixtures, the better. When I brought this up to SWMBO, she said, without discussion: "No. That telescopic mirror I let you put on the wall is ugly enough!" So that may well be the biggest challenge.

I'm hoping that if it is sleek enough/non-obtrusive, I can talk the wife into being okay with it. Rather than thinking it's "another hideous thing I have to look at. Only now, its something electric that you want to put inches from the faucet." I'm not mad about this; it was her idea & project to give our master bathroom a "shave den" makeover. I just hang stuff .

Forgot to add probably the most important part: Does anyone have suggestions to solve my lighting dilemma??

Good luck. I'm still on the edge of my seat, waiting for your posting in "The Shave Den". I'm nearly done with mine as well. Just a few more tid-bits.

I,m not sure. My bathroom has similar lighting and I'm fine , but then again I don't even need a mirror I have learned to shave by feel. Tc

Change the over head fixture to a 3 bulb, or a spot, track maybe :<0)

This is going to sound very strange but sometimes I supplement with candles.

First off the CF bulbs are the biggest pieces of crap to ever hit the market. They are actually classified as toxic waste. They should be sent to the appropriate disposal facility. You can get some sweet LED bulls and LED fixtures that will provide real light without the toxic waste. There are very clever fixtures that fit over the oct. box and look like a recessed fixture and kick out amazing light.

Strip LED lights are available and also fixtures from 12" up. Or a properly placed simple one; battery operated for when needed.
These are really bright and can be cut to length. Need a 12 volt 2A power supply also.
Waterproof-Flexible-LED
There is a combo with power supply, strip led and dimmer with remote control. Study well before you buy.
~Richard

Originally Posted by RezDog

First off the CF bulbs are the biggest pieces of crap to ever hit the market. They are actually classified as toxic waste. They should be sent to the appropriate disposal facility. You can get some sweet LED bulls and LED fixtures that will provide real light without the toxic waste. There are very clever fixtures that fit over the oct. box and look like a recessed fixture and kick out amazing light.

CFL are not my first choice. Incandescent bulbs are inefficient. But with CFL's, $8 for two bulbs of decent quality is much easier to swallow than $14.95 for a single LED "60-100 watt replacement bulb". LED bulbs, for a standard socket, lack a plethora of selection.

LED's either don't put out squat for lumens, or ya just can't find one to fit your need that also has a price that won't leave a sour taste in your mouth & bruising on your wallet.

Here are some of the ones I've come across when my A.D.D. drags me away from the wife at the store.


Not the pucks.


Sorry again for the sideways pics. These were taken for my own "note keeping" originally.

The first pic, the light in the middle, is the top contender at this point. The wife was less begrudging when I point it out... but she may have just been too tired to give a big enough eye roll. 270 lumens @$20.

Richard: thanks for the idea. I could give the leftovers to the wife for her to do something arts & crafts with. I only worry that putting those along the backsplash or outlining the mirror will make them look "unfinished" since they would be out in the open.

Still brainstorming on this. Had the idea to put those LED strip lights suggested by Richard on the underneath side of the sink, since its pvc or somethin and lets some heavily diffused light through.

For a quick test, I stuck a flashlight on the floor of the under sink cabinet. The picture doesn't represent very well, but it gives you the idea.