What kind of mirrors and vanity lighting are you planning for your bathroom remodeling project? Are you considering traditional over-mirror lighting or a sleek, futuristic mirror with built-in LED lights? What about a framed mirror with custom backlighting? Our bathroom remodelers here at Hunter Kitchen & Bath in Bryn Mawr, PA, describe some of the benefits of bathroom-lighted mirrors over traditional bathroom lighting below. Keep reading to learn more about current trends in backlit and lighted bathroom mirrors.
You could always choose a traditional flat mirror and use overhead or side-mounted light bars or sconces. However, with the range of options available to install a pre-lit mirror with LED lights, you can find several choices suitable for your bathroom remodeling project.
Bathroom lighted mirrors come in several shapes, sizes, and lighting options. Some offer backlit options with lights behind the frame of a protruding mirror. If you want the mirror to remain flush with the wall in a smaller bathroom, look for mirror lighting that shines through the mirror.
Some built-in lighting arrays allow you to change color temperatures and brightness or set your bathroom lights on a timer with your smart home controls. Even without smart home features in your bathroom, many mirrors can connect to a dimmer switch or rotate through a color cycle with a remote.
Lighted mirrors offer an attractive solution for hidden lighting in a bathroom without detracting from your bathroom’s style. They also offer better views of your face when you’re getting ready for work. Many of these mirrors offer anti-fogging features to prevent steam from fogging the mirror during your shower, LED lighting, which can save you money on your energy bills, locked compartments for your medicine, make-up mirrors, etc.
Whether you want a backlit framed mirror in your bathroom or a vanity mirror with lighting built in on all sides, there’s a style of bathroom lighted mirrors perfect for your dream bathroom. You can also get as technologically advanced as you like, with some mirrors offering smart home connectivity to program or remotely control your bathroom lighting.
Many bathroom lighted mirrors offer different color temperatures and dimming options, ranging from bright white light to do your makeup at the vanity, to warmer tones to complement brushed gold or brass fixtures in your bathroom and to calm and relax you after a long day.
When you need a good view of your face to apply makeup, shave, or style your hair, wraparound lighting from a backlit or pre-lit vanity mirror can help you see every detail. True daytime lighting can ensure that you never miss a spot when blending your makeup or trimming your beard or mustache.
Many bathroom mirrors also offer built-in magnification, giving an up-close view without needing a smaller handheld mirror. Tweeze eyebrows, check your box dye coverage, and get sharp cat-eye or winged eyeliner in front of your main bathroom mirror.
Most bathroom lighted mirrors also come with anti-fogging devices built-in to prevent steam from accumulating on the mirror surface, leaving your mirrors ready to use right after you step out of the shower. When you need to apply product to your hair, your mirror is immediately ready so you can style your hair and apply facial cleansers and moisturizers.
When planning a bathroom remodeling project, you can save energy with LED bulbs in your over-mirror lighting. If you want to light your sink and vanity area with just your mirror lighting, pre-lit LED mirrors can provide up to 50,000 hours of use—over ten years of light.
LED lights are extremely energy efficient, and replacing some or all of your bathroom lighting with high-quality LED lighting can save you in costs for replacement bulbs and on your electric bills.
When planning a bathroom renovation, consider bathroom lighted mirrors for better views when applying makeup, shaving, or styling your hair. Add sophistication to your bathroom design, make getting ready in the morning a breeze, and even add value to your home.
When you’re ready for a bathroom remodel in Bryn Mawr, PA, contact our design experts at Hunter Kitchen & Bath. Call us at 484-872-8801 or contact us online to schedule your free in-home consultation with a designer.
If you just finished a kitchen remodeling project in your Pennsylvania home, you might have already noticed some spots or dust on your new custom cabinetry. Your new cabinets need special care to maintain their beauty and extend their lifespan after a kitchen remodeling.
Our kitchen design and remodeling experts at Hunter Kitchen & Bath in Bryn Mawr, PA, describe some cabinet care and kitchen remodeling tips below. Read on to learn more about caring for your cabinets in your new dream kitchen.
Your kitchen project was probably a costly investment. While it will continue to look stunning without much upkeep, maintaining a regular cleaning and care schedule can help it remain attractive for years while extending the functional use of your kitchen cabinets and countertops.
Using gentle cleaners on your kitchen cabinets, immediately cleaning up spills and splatters, protecting cabinets from damaging UV rays, and taking care not to damage your cabinets are all important to keeping your cabinets looking beautiful.
Splashes or spills left to sit on new cabinet surfaces can seep through the paint, stain, or sealer. Be sure to wipe up any food, grease, or liquid that spills on your cabinets before they have time to set.
Another step you can take is always using your vent hood when you cook to keep moisture and oil residue away from your cabinets. Steam from an open pot or pan can carry tiny droplets of oil onto countertops and cabinets around the stove. Using your vent can direct the steam away from the rest of your kitchen.
After your kitchen remodeling, you need to keep your new cabinets clean. Some chemical cleaners will damage laminate, wood, or painted cabinet surfaces, including ammonia, bleach, abrasive scrubbing powders, and acetone. These substances can eat through protective coatings, exposing the wood underneath to the elements in your kitchen.
You should also avoid any cleaners labeled “heavy duty” or “extra strength,” as these may have concentrated detergents that can damage cabinet surfaces. A mild dish soap and warm water or a dilution of vinegar in water are often enough to clean your cabinets without damaging the coating, laminate, or stain.
A bright, sunlit kitchen is often warm and welcoming, but too much sun can damage your cabinets over time. Direct sunlight on your cabinets can fade paint or wood stains and cause laminate coatings to bubble or peel. If the protective coatings deteriorate too much, sunlight can affect the wood underneath, causing uneven weathering and fading of natural wood cabinets.
Hang blinds or curtains over windows that shine sunlight directly into your kitchen to prevent fading, warping, or peeling. Keep blinds closed as often as possible so sunlight filters in through the slats rather than directly through the window. If you install curtains or drapery, you can choose a lighter material that reduces the amount of sunlight rather than blocking all light from the outside.
Your cabinet doors and drawers contain complex hardware to function properly, including runners, rollers, and spring-loaded hinges. Open and close your cabinets and drawers with a soft touch rather than letting them slam closed. Repeated abuse can damage the hardware and the holes in the cabinets where the hardware mounts in place with screws.
Additionally, when cleaning your cabinets with a gentle cleaner, you should avoid using anything other than a soft cloth or sponge. Scouring pads, steel wool, or stiff-bristle brushes will leave scratches on the cabinet surface that can be difficult and costly to fix.
Caring for your new cabinets properly is the key to long-lasting style in your kitchen. For more information about kitchen remodeling for your Pennsylvania home, contact our expert design team at Hunter Kitchen & Bath in Bryn Mawr, PA. Call us at 484-872-8801 or fill out our online form to schedule your free one-hour in-home consultation.