Where short accent runs work best
Behind the mirror is the most reliable position. A strip on the back of a mirror or its frame, facing the wall, throws a halo that separates the mirror from the tile and gives soft general light with no visible emitter. Keep the strip inset an inch or so from the edge so the light spreads before it reaches the wall rather than showing as a hard outline.
Under a floating vanity is the other strong position. A run behind the front lip of the cabinet, facing back toward the wall, lights the floor, makes the vanity read as if it floats, and gives you a useful low light at night. A niche or shelf recess takes the same idea at a smaller scale. Keep total output modest; a powder room lit like a kitchen feels wrong. Low brightness tape such as the LEDClub 24V COB 200 Series low brightness strip is often the right scale for an accent halo; check its lumens per foot, watts per foot, CRI, and cut interval on the product page (verify before you rely on them). Confirm its ingress protection rating suits the position too, since a mirror or vanity run can catch occasional splash and steam, and step up to a rated strip and matching connections where it will.
IP ratings and splash zones, stated exactly
Never treat a strip as generally "waterproof." What matters is the exact IP rating printed on the product page and whether that rating suits the position you are putting it in. A halo behind a mirror above a sink catches occasional splash and steam, and a run near the floor can meet mopping water. Those are different exposures from a dry ceiling cove.
Two points are worth repeating. First, the rating belongs to the whole system, not just the tape: connections, end seals, driver enclosure, install method, and the location classification under code all have to suit the environment. A rated strip fed by an unsealed splice in a splash zone is not a rated installation. Second, verify the exact figure rather than trusting a category. Where you want a sealed product, the EnoLED 24V Glow67 Series wet location IP67 strip states an IP67 rating; confirm that rating, its stated location suitability, and its output figures on the product page (verify before you rely on them), and check what your local code requires for the zone. More options sit in the bathroom collection.
Power, control, and the electrical side
The loads here are small, which makes it tempting to skip the arithmetic. Do it anyway. Multiply watts per foot by installed feet, add at least 20 percent current headroom (verify the current guidance), and match driver voltage to the strip exactly, 24V for a 24V strip and 12V for a 12V strip, never crossed. If you run both a mirror halo and a vanity run, wire them in parallel from the driver rather than in series.
Think about where the driver lives. A vanity cabinet is convenient but is where splash and cleaning water end up, so its enclosure rating has to suit that spot, or the driver belongs outside the room. Strips do generate heat, and a channel helps dissipate it and protects the tape behind a mirror; a channel is not mandatory, and it reduces but does not guarantee removal of visible dots. Any hardwired driver, junction box, wall switch, or dimmer in a bathroom is line-voltage work in a damp location, so follow the manufacturer instructions, your local code, and the NEC where it applies, and use a licensed electrician where the work requires one.
