age in place lighting – Lighting by Jeffrey

This post is a continuation of a series suggested by a friend, detailing the rationale and process of selecting lighting for my wife’s and my new rehabbed home. In this post, I’ll discuss the lighting of the bathrooms.

Prior to this home, we lived in a house that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of 81 French Norman style home built on the former Cleveland Heights / East Cleveland estate of John D Rockefeller, by his son John D Rockefeller, Jr. To remain as true to the original concepts, we made no change to the exterior and very few substantive changes to the interior. Consequently, the bathrooms featured all the original fixtures and tile. This was the bane of my wife’s interaction with the place. It became especially egregious when she broke her ankle. The bathroom was probably the single most significant reason we moved. The amount of steps could definitely arm-wrestle the bathrooms for that title, but that is not the point of this particular examination.

Aside from dealing with a tub, she was also dissatisfied with the lighting. One vanity strip over the mirror was all I could do in each of the four bathrooms. Of course, her face (and mine) fell into shadows. In addition, she was unable to easily shave her legs in the shower. Nighttime bathroom visits could be akin to sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. With a new house, I already had the list of problems that needed solving.

The original main bathroom, altered at some point in the 1980s.

Two Unusable Rooms

The main bathroom in the new house was remodeled at some point in the 1980s with a dark wood vanity. In the last decade a “walk-in” tub was installed. This was an easy decision. We planned to demolish the whole room, “borrow” 18” from the adjoining TV Room and turn it into an accessible bathroom. We moved the door, changed it to a 36” opening and planned for a “wet bath” with no curb, no shower enclosure, grab bars and a built-in bench with handheld shower wand option. If she or I became wheelchair bound, we could stay in the house and stay clean.

Shower cabinet in the original second bathroom (left) with original tile, sink and 70s era wallpaper. Countertop is also likely original.

The second bath was all original. It was a funky blue with a small, original multi-head shower cabinet. The tile was in surprisingly good condition. The sink was okay and the cabinets had seen better days, but we planned to keep it, fix it and revel in its 50s charm.

During the demo, the GC called. The new tub had apparently been leaking…for a long time. The water had rotted through the main joists that supported both bathrooms. It is likely that the original shower cabinet was also leaking. The lead pan under it was deteriorating. They could not save the second bathroom. New floor joists would need to be installed across the entire span, complicated by what the contractor said was a missing support pier. (We noticed sagging floors in the area and that was the reason.) Both back-to-back bathrooms would need to be demolished.

The lead pan under the original shower cabinet was in rough shape, allowing water to leak and destroy the support joinsts below.

We had already agreed to take space from the TV Room, so we now had the capacity for two well-sized rooms. We agreed that my wife would use the larger, accessible bathroom and I would take the (somewhat) smaller one. I sketched out a plan for the divided space, provided a vanity concept that would be used in both and the contractor got to work building his and her wet baths.

My original sketch on dividing the available two-bathroom space. 18″ was borrowed from the room to the left to make the two room more usable. “His” bathroom at top, “her” wheelchair accessable bathroom on the bottom.

Original sketch for “his” bathroom with floating vanity and pendant lighting. Very little was changed except depth of room and showerhead placement.

Lighting

Over the years, shower stalls have gotten larger and larger, but most still have a single recessed unit overhead. In an approximately 6’-0” wide space, I knew shadows would be a problem, so I specified two medium beam angle recessed cans in each. As in the rest of the house, I used the Nora Sapphire III product.

My wife wanted a blue bathroom. The GC/K&B specialist found a white porcelain with blue veining that she immediately approved. We matched the dense blue to a paint that was used on the vanity and the wall surfaces that were not porcelain. She also wanted chrome fittings.

“Her” lighting sketch with outlet box placement instruction for the electrician. I was onsite during box placement to confirm the c-c dimention as it related to the cabinet.

I explained that the lighting would be positioned on each side of the mirror to provide her with the right amount of light, unlike the old place. I’d also include a recessed can over the sink, to deliver light from three directions, thereby eliminating shadows. I had already sketched pendants at each side of the mirror in the bath concept. She told me she did not want pendants, so I gave her a curated list of long linear sconces from which to choose. A quick trip to the local lighting store and she affirmed one of the options, the Modern Forms Vogue 20” sconces.

“His” bathroom

I believe green will be the next popular accent color, replacing blue which has enjoyed a great run. I wanted the exact same porcelain as hers, but with green veins. “Sorry. Not available.” Interestingly, there is virtually no green vein or green accented porcelain or ceramic tile on the market. The GC called all of his sources and we visited almost every tile house in the county and found only three options. I found some online, but didn’t want to pick something so important without seeing it live. I finally agreed on a celadon tile with feather vein texture. Unfortunately, they did not make a version for floors, so it took the contractor another month to find a multi-color penny-tile that matched perfectly. To complement the feel of green, I went with brass fixtures and fittings. The lighting I wanted was in my original sketch. The Kuzco/Alora Bijou pendants. I selected the 5” (5 sphere) model because of the tight space to the left.

Nightlights were included in the hallway from bedroom to bathroom to create a pathway and insure visibility during nighttime visits.

To insure we could safely navigate to the toilets at night, I installed two step lights in each bathroom along with a 24” strip of low lumen output LED Tape under the vanity. In all the bathrooms, (the hall and bedroom, too) I used a full-face WAC step and wall light. The 140 lumens per foot, standard grade tape is from American Lighting.

Nightlighting in “her” bathroom

To give us the purest white for grooming, I decided to use 3000K color temperature in both rooms. While I was comfortable with the decision in her bathroom because of the white and blue colors, I was worried that the color would fight the celadon in my bathroom. Luckily, the tile has responded nicely to the 3000K light.

Controls

Each bathroom has four switches. One for the two shower recessed units, one for the mirror sconces plus the over-the-sink recessed and one for the night lighting. A fourth controls the ceiling exhaust fan. The night light switch is part of the Control-4 home automation system so I could configure an illuminated pathway “scene” from the bed, down the hall and into the bathroom.

Illuminance Measurements

My goal was to provide better lighting at the face, and in the shower, in addition to providing better functionality. Nighttime navigation needs only a limited level of light, but delivers a ton of safety. Because the main bathroom does not have a window, the nightlights also furnishes around the clock support.

While it doesn’t matter for her bathroom, I took these measurements at dusk. The sky was clear, the sun had just set, but it wasn’t yet dark, so there is a bit of light coming from the window. (See first line of data.) Because of the wide variety of lighting, I provided a range in the “All Lighting” measurement, rather than an average calculation.

Type of Light	Her Illuminance Measurement	His Illuminance Measurement
Dusk via Window	0.0 fc	0.1 fc
Nightlight Only – Middle of Room at Floor	1.5 fc	2.0 fc
Nightlight Only – Middle of Room at Eye Level	0.21 fc	0.13 fc
Shower Only – Standing at Showerhead at Eye Level	46.5 fc	36.6 fc
Shower Only – Seated at Eye Level	20.6 fc	49.8 fc
Mirror Lighting Only – Standing at the front of the vanity Measured at Face	216.0 fc	305.0 fc
Mirror Lighting at Center of Sink	190.2 fc	197.0 fc
All Lighting – General Areas of Room	35 fc to 193 fc	41 fc to 167 fc

While both rooms are almost the same size in area, her bathroom is a wider, full rectangle, accounting for some of the “lower” levels of light. (seated shower, general lighting) His bathroom is narrower, with a small passageway at the door that adds to square footage, but not usable space.

Her bathroom benefits from a bit more reflectance because of the white field on the tile. It also has a glossier finish. It does lose some of advantage with the deep blue around the mirror.

Her mirror sconces are flat against the wall with an initial output listed at 2139 lumens each. His mini-pendants are away from the wall slightly, thereby closer to the face, delivering about the same output at 2100 lumens, but a higher illuminance measurement at the face.

These numbers, in general, exceed recommendations, but more importantly, they provide us with the right amount of light, where we need it and when we need it.

“His” bathroom – shower area with two recessed downlights to eliminate glare

Final Thoughts

With the amount of time we spent preserving the original features in the Living Room, Foyer and TV Room, losing the original small bathroom was tough to swallow. We think we could have made the kitsch work and had a lot of fun with the space. When the inevitable arrived, we decided to lean in and create the most carefree bathrooms we could. With no glass enclosure and no shower curtain, a quick squeegee after a shower and the area is spotless. Ultimately, that was the goal of the house. Twenty-two years of living in a historic property skews judgement. As we age, I’m sure we will appreciate the decision more. After 40 plus years of living in older homes with older bathrooms, it is nice to have a fresh, clean, functional and easy to use bathrooms.

America is now home to the largest-ever population of senior citizens. This group is retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day. By their own admission, they refuse to do so in the same way as their generational predecessors. That means, for the next twenty years, designers and architects will be creating living environments that support people who are getting older. Along with wheelchair accessible showers and easier to operate door handles, lighting alternatives must be considered.

As we age, a number of things occur in our eyes. Pupils begin to constrict. The lens begins to yellow and the cornea becomes more opaque. The muscles surrounding the eye become less responsive and we have an 80% change of developing cataracts. All of these issues can be ameliorated to some degree with more intelligently implemented lighting. While there are MANY ways to make lighting better for the aging eye, let’s start with the four most helpful.

#1 – Get Rid of the Long Bathroom Light Over the Mirror

If you do nothing else for the senior when designing or remodeling, at least avoid the long bar light over the top of the bathroom mirror. This is the single most egregious luminaire for the aged eye. As we tip our head upward for personal grooming, we are forcing our eyes to stare directly into the light. This introduces glare and that is difficult for the eye to process. Instead, use a light on each side of the mirror. Select those with good diffusion (No clear glass!) If possible, include one overhead light, such as a deep recessed can, on the ceiling. Light from three directions will ameliorate any shadows and reduce any glare.

#2 – Don’t Use Surface Mounted “Recessed” Lights

Surface mounted replacements for recessed cans are growing in popularity because they are inexpensive. They are also big, fat glare bombs. The glare created will distract and obfuscate sight for the senior. If recessed cans are planned, be certain to select those where the light source is pushed back into the plenum at least 2 ½” to 3”. Find those that deliver a beam of light at 60° or less. The concentrated beam emitted from a deep base will deliver a much more comfortable light for senior eyes.

#3 – Bedroom to Bathroom Lighting

For reasons best left to medical people, older adults visit the bathroom in the middle of the night more than younger people. These dark trips can easily result in a fall. Turning on bright lights can quickly disrupt melatonin replenishment. Night lighting, or motion activated lighting that delivers a clear path from bed to toilet should be included to avoid both problems. Consider adding LED Tape under the sink, under the bed or along the baseboards to assist in navigation. Be certain the switch is position within reach of the bed. If a nightlight is used, NEVER employ a blue color! Use a maximum of 2200K (Amber) or a red light. These colors will not disrupt sleep.

#4 – Illuminate Changes in Elevation

A simple fall can be life-altering for an older adult. Many household falls can be attributed to steps and stairs. Especially problematic are small changes in elevation, such as those found in sunken living rooms and multi-level architecture. Those can be exacerbated by treads and risers finished in the same color. As we age, we lose a portion of our ability to differentiate color. Misinterpreting where the tread begins causes improper foot placement resulting in a fall. Lucky, LED Tape is now inexpensive and readily available. Illuminating the underside of a tread, adding an illuminated tread channel at the edge of each step, or running an extrusion down the full flight can add much needed light. There are great step-lights and even handrails with light coming from the underside. With scores of step lighting solutions, this problem can easily be eliminated.

#4 ½ – Hallway Lighting

The loss of surefootedness will carry into the hallway, especially those with a consistent color such as hardwood or wall-to-wall carpet. Throw rugs are also dangerous. The lighting used on stairways and steps can be carried into the halls. Sconces and overhead lights can add to glare, but step lights designed to push light down onto the ground will provide helpful illumination, without the harmful glare. Navigating a hallway without tripping over the cat or the rumpled-up rug prevents falls.

…and More

Get rid of clear glass and decorative “Edison” vintage lamps, add indirect light over cabinets, at toekicks and inside cabinets, use aiming, opaque-shaded sconces on each side of the bed and place lamps to the side and behind reading chairs. If the elimination of glare, coupled with an increase of light is considered, solutions will immediately come to the fore. The older user needs different lighting. Remembering that will result in a successful age in-place design.