Dressing Room Lighting: Finding the Perfect Fit

Print 9
 July 17, 2019 by Screen Shot 2019 05 22 at 8
AMARO guideshop SP SUPERLIMAO STUDIO 10

Stunning fitting room lighting is possible and it’s one of the most important factors for a retail store’s success. First, it’s important to consider the relationship between lighting and mirrors.

Store dressing rooms can be too cramped—how can you get a decent 360° view when confined to a 2×2 box?

But the major problem with most dressing rooms is that the lighting is so harsh and glaring that it can be reminiscent of being in a dentist’s chair or a police interrogation room.

So, what is it about dressing room lighting that’s so lacking?

Buzzfeed’s Kristin Chirico did a rundown of fitting room lighting, visiting 20 different stores to get the lowdown on the good, bad and ugly of lighting. Chirico’s post reveals the following:

Screen Shot 2019 04 24 at 3.00.28 PM 1024x515

 

Rule #1 – Overhead Lighting is Harsh

Apparently, many stores throw up a few ceiling-mounted or pendant fixtures and call it a day. But, inevitably, ceiling-mounted lighting creates unflattering shadows on the face and the body, highlighting one’s worst flaws. 

Rule #2 – Fluorescent Lighting is Also Harsh

Fluorescent lighting in the dressing room leads to flickering light on the face, which can mare the face look green. 

Rule #3 – Fluorescent Overhead Lighting is the Harshest

This combination is very unattractive in a retail setting.

Rule #4 – Be True-To-Color (High CRI) with a Hint of Warmth

From Chirico’s post, it’s best to view the ideal dressing room’s lighting as being like Goldilocks’ taste in porridge: not too cool, not too warm, but just exactly right—so, dressing room lighting should neither be as blue as daylight nor too home-and-hearth.

Avoid low CRI, fluorescent or halogen lighting. In conclusion, make sure lighting has a high CRI and that the color temperature is neither too blue nor too yellow. It should have a 90+ CRI and be warm with a pinkish hue.

HEIDIAN 09 Recovered 2 colorrRule #5 – Linear LED Fixtures Mounted to Either Side of a Mirror Highlight the Face

Shine high CRI LED strip fixtures directly from the sides of the dressing room mirror to fill in any unflattering shadows and offer soft, even lighting, making you look like the You who gets eight hours of sleep a day.

So, there it is. Retail clothing stores with high quality, mirror-mounted LED lighting in the dressing or fitting room are ideal. 

Related Posts

Trimless Recessed Lighting: Prerequisites for the ...
Choosing the Right Track Lighting for a Retail Sto...
5 Lighting Design Tips from Starbucks’ Directors o...

Comments

Print 9
Tags:

2
Leave a Reply

1 Comment threads
1 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
2 Comment authors
FullSizeRender 1 e1525818625186cgalat@tenfoldbrand.com'Recent comment authors
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
cgalat@tenfoldbrand.com'
Guest
Carli Galat

Do you have a recommendation on the wattage for each LED strip fixture in a fitting room?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
FullSizeRender 1 e1525818625186
Admin
David P Hakimi

Depends on the ceiling height and square feet of the fitting rooms Carli. You can contact our sales team for more info or you can refer to the lumen calculator on this page:
https://www.alconlighting.com/blog/residential-led-lighting/how-do-i-determine-how-many-led-lumens-i-need-for-a-space/

Vote Up2Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Screen Shot 2019 05 22 at 8

The main writer for Alcon Lighting’s blog.

Related Posts

Lighting Technology: What is Color Tuning?

 March 16, 2021 by 

Color tuning is an exciting and relatively new lighting technology that affords the user an ability to control light color to adapt, soften, and elevate human experiences and environments to particular functions throughout the day, on demand. To overcome the lack of natural light in a space or to increase the added benefit of natural lighting on the human biology, improved lighting now demands a connection to the outdoors to aid in speedier patient recovery in healthcare applications and improved productivity in work settings.

Tags: ...

A Practical Guide to Work and Office Lighting

 December 29, 2020 by 

The word office derives from the Latin term officium. This translates in English to “task performance.” For ideal working conditions on any given interior task, whether inside a building, gathering place or home, providing evenly distributed high-CRI LED light with the proper, human-centric lighting controls, is crucial for improved health, mood and quality of work.

Tags: ...

Interview With Talieh Ghane: What is Healthy Lighting?

 September 2, 2020 by 

Talieh Ghane researches the interaction between light and health at the California Lighting Technology Center. We talked about the biological vs. visual system of light, how to synchronize your circadian clock for better health, how light is like a drug, and why you shouldn’t be on your phone right before bed (guilty).

Tags: ...
About Us

Alcon Lighting

2845 Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
(877) 733-5236
Contact Us