In my quest to find the perfect blend of retro and modern for my master bathroom remodel, I have plenty to consider. Which elements of the bathroom redo will be more modern, which will be more retro and most importantly, how will I blend the two styles? While I’m letting all those questions spin around in my brain, I thought I would delve into the world of lighting to start figuring out what is out there and what types of fixtures might go well together in a retro modern bathroom….
In any bathroom remodel, when thinking about lighting, considerations include not only the design of the light, but also what type of fixtures will work best — individually and together — to both illuminate and decorate the space. One alternative is to put in a bunch of well placed, yet minimal can lights, and then add sconces to either side of the mirror to put more light where it is most needed and emphasize the focal point of the room. Another alternative: Put a single central flush-mount fixture to illuminate the space, and add a horizontal light bar type fixture over the mirror for additional light. As I hunted for contenders for my lighting game, I kept in mind how they might work together…
Above: Possini Glass Disk 15″ Wide Round Ceiling Light — from Lamps Plus. This model reminded me of the retro “UFO” style lights from the 1950s and 1960s. At 15 inches in diameter, and mostly glass, it is a nice size light and would likely do a good job of filling my master bathroom with light.
Above: Jonathan Adler Parker 15 1/4″ Wide Nickel Ceiling Light — from Lamps Plus. This light (which Pam posted about earlier) is not only chrome and fun, but injects a bit of pattern to an otherwise boring ceiling. If I decided to use one-inch square mosaic tile, this would be a good way to echo its shape in other areas in the room.
2. Bath light bars for a retro modern bathroom makeover
Above: Nuvo 76/277 with Diamond U Channel Glass, White — Amazon (affiliate link). I’ve always liked retro bath light bars for use over the mirror. I think they cast a flattering light for putting on makeup, doing hair, etc. This one is affordable and comes with a retro-esque pattern.
3. Sconces for a retro modern bathroom
Above: Galaxy — from Rejuvenation. Here’s another cool chrome pin light. I think it would fit well in my house and look awesome flanking my bathroom mirror, but I do have to wonder if pin hole lights are flattering for the complexion.
Above: Havana half-wall sconce from Jonathan Adler.
Of course I still have to make a few more trips to my local ReStore, scour Craigslist, Ebay and Etsy and decide which way some of my other bath elements will lean, but now I have a good idea of what kind of retro and modern styled lighting is available. My retro/modern mixing muscles are beginning to tone up and are getting ready for my master bathroom renovation.
Max says
These are all fantastic options – I don’t envy your position! My favs are also the Jonathan Adler pieces. The styling is geometric enough to be harmonious with a Mid-Century design yet retains that modern, luxurious feel you might find in an upscale hotel.
My old house had fixtures similar to those 4-light sconces from Home Depot in both bathrooms, but they were original to the house, so the bases were chrome plated and they had beautiful shades – frosted with a raised/embellished starburst detail. If you’re leaning towards the economical side, these might be a better option, and because they’ve been around for so long it might be easier to find retro shades for them.
Stacy says
We went with a NOS light bar with a pattern. In our case I think it gave some authenticity to all of the new matierials we chose, which all had some vintage style. And it’s one place where you can have something “unique” that you won’t see in your neighbors’ houses. I wanted to tone down the sleek and new feeling, and I think it worked well. But there are so many good choices, it’s hard to go wrong.
Eartha Kitsch says
We have a couple of those Nuvo bar lighst in one of our bathrooms over the mirrors. They’re really nice and well made and totally look vintage. They do however come with these huge daisy shaped screw covers that it’s hard to see in the photos online. That makes them look kind of flower power retro. It can easily be fixed by a trip to the hardware store and a few bucks for screw covers though if the flowers are too flashy. I’d highly recommend those lights.
We had the Jonathan Adler High Nickel wall sconces (the ones with the metal overlay with the squares) at our old house and they were just beautiful. I’d recommend those too.
Kate says
Thanks for the tips Eartha! I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to use either fixture! 🙂
Cynthia says
We also have the Nuvos over the medicine cabinets in our master bath. The medicine cabinets, sinks, and vanity (as well as our tub) were all salvage from another house (the bathroom itself is new construction; we added onto the house). The Nuvo lights blend wonderfully with the salvaged pieces. I have been meaning to replace the flower caps for a long time, but have not gotten around to it…maybe someday, but they do not bother me enough to make it to the top of my to-do list. But I do love the lights. We used salvage lights in other bathrooms that we remodeled, and our contractor was surprised that these were not also salvage, as they looked as authentic mid-century as the salvage ones we used elsewhere.
lynda says
When I choose a light fixture, I do try to think about how easy it is to clean and if it is easy to change the bulbs without the possibility of breaking anything. Easy tends to be best the older I get!
Just another Pam says
Nice lighting! There was one when I was looking a couple of years ago quite like the one by Alder but at a third the price, a quick check didn’t find it. I toyed with it but found some first generation ball fixtures so that solved that problem.
The ones below are some of the ones Canadians can get easily and at excellent price points. So many nods to retro these days….what a difference a couple of years makes.
[Just Another Pam, the links did not work so I took them out – The First Pam here on the Blog.]
Just another Pam says
Don’t you just hate when that happens? Sorry ’bout that, Number One!
Rona, for the Canadians, usually has an impressive selection of retro inspired lighting and most of their price points are good to excellent. During the mid-century/retro years there were lamp factories making all kinds of amazing lighting in P.Q. so they are carrying on a tradition I suppose.
Brad Smith says
Unless you want to hate yourself on a daily basis, I would avoid most of those direct overhead lights, especially the barebulbs. Down light casts really unflattering shadows, highlighting all your bags and wrinkles…..yuck!
Wall sconces work great for more user-friendly light in the br.. I actually installed your first choice, that Glomar Home Depot bargain, on the wall above the med cab in one bath. The white glass globe puts off a nice indirect, diffused glow and flatters the face nicely.
JKaye says
We have what appears to be the original bath light bar in our main bath (’59 ranch). It looks a lot like the $22.97 model you feature from Home Depot. So, it shows that you can get an authentic (but rather plain) retro look even on a tight budget. (I’m still aggravated with myself for not snapping up the same-sized glass cover with a filigree design that I saw at the ReStore, that would have added a bit of pizazz to our light fixture.) This sized light fixture provides plenty of light around the sink area in our rather small bathroom, but, it would be nice if we had a bit of supplemental lighting over our bathtub/shower.
I love the look of sconces flanking a bathroom mirror. We don’t have space for them, however. Those orange ones are gorgeous.
Kate says
I agree JKaye, It is great that there are still “retro” styled lights available! I will be hitting up the ReStore and checking out Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist many times before I can officially decide which lights to use in my master bath remodel! The orange sconces are gorgeous…perhaps one of my mood boards will have to have an orange color scheme! 🙂
Steve H says
Does anyone know if the sconces that are “up-down” symmetrical (like the Adler ones) could be used horizontally like a light bar? Also, when did the “make up” style light bars with all of the little round bulbs come into fashion?
E-Chic says
I don’t know when they came into fashion, but our original 1965 bathroom has a mirrored bar with screw-in white “hollywood” lights over the medicine cabinet. So, they were in use in the 1960’s.
Ours uses little bulbs – they are a bit bigger than a golf ball and on smaller screw-bases than a normal bulb. There are 4 of them & they light the room pretty well. I’ve never liked the 1980’s era bare-bulb light bars (with the visible filaments) but something about this one seems charming – probably the petite size of the bulbs & the fact that they’re white, not clear, helps.
bluecanary says
Wow…this could not come at a better time. That bar light with the floral pattern is a dead ringer for the one over the mirror in the house we are currently renovating. Unfortunately, that one is shattered in several places and can’t be re-used, and I had had no luck in finding a similar one to replace it. This one is perfect, and for 25 bucks! Thanks Kate, can’t wait to see which ones you pick for your place.
Lynne says
Not going to be an easy choice, Kate! You could go in so many directions and loose your main focus easily. My favorites are the Jonathan Adler with the filigree metal, but I’m thinking that all of those cut outs might be hard to keep clean in the bathroom. I know in my bathroom, they would get kinda furry quickly!
Kate says
You’re right Lynne, I have to keep my focus to make sure I can successfully blend the retro and modern style. I plan on doing some mood boards to see how my blend of retro and modern “looks” before committing to any plan for my master bath remodel! Stay tuned!