Fabric cables indoors are no problem. As soon as water comes into play – shower, washbasin, balcony, garden – rules apply that aren't a question of style. The good news: there's a dedicated outdoor range with the same look.
IP ratings in one paragraph
The first digit stands for solid objects (dust), the second for water. IP20: protected against fingers, not against water – all normal indoor components. IP44: protected against splashing water from all directions. IP65: dust-tight and protected against water jets – rain, garden hose. IP67: temporary immersion. For outdoor lights, IP65 is the safe choice, IP44 only under cover.
Bathroom: the three zones
Zone 0 is the inside of the bath and shower – no light belongs there. Zone 1 reaches up to 225 cm directly above the bath and shower – at least IP44, only safety extra-low voltage or hard-wired with an RCD. Zone 2 is the 60 cm strip around the bath and shower – IP44. Everything outside (the washbasin area, the rest of the bathroom) can be fitted with normal IP20 lights, as long as they don't hang directly above the washbasin in the splash zone; a fabric cable wall light with IP20 above the mirror next to the basin is common and permitted, a pendant above the bath is not.
In short: fabric cable lights in the bathroom, yes – by the mirror, on the ceiling in the room, above the WC. Not above the bath, shower or washbasin.
Outdoors: the outdoor range
For terraces, balconies, carports and gardens there's fabric cable with a silicone inner sheath (UV and temperature resistant, −40 to +100 °C) and fabric that doesn't fade, plus IP65 lamp holders in silicone or plastic with a sealing ring, IP65 ceiling roses and Y-connectors for multiple drops (Eiva system). Light bulbs: standard E27 LEDs, as long as the lamp holder is open at the bottom and protected from rain – or IP65 bulbs to be on the safe side.
Anatomy of an outdoor pendant light
In the configurator under “Outdoor lights”: ceiling rose (IP65) or plug (IP44 Schuko), connectors, lamp holders, light bulbs, silicone cable. The joints are the critical point – every transition from cable to lamp holder and cable to connector must be closed with the supplied seals and the union nut. Festoon lights for the garden are built from the same system: one long cable, through lamp holders every 60 to 100 cm, connectors or plugs at both ends.
The outdoor socket
Outdoors, only use plug-in lights on outdoor sockets with a cover (IP44) and via an RCD (30 mA) – standard in new builds; in older houses, a plug-in adapter with RCD costs 20 euros. Don't squeeze cables through closed windows; the insulation suffers and the window won't seal properly.
All outdoor parts are grouped in the Outdoor lights collection; for outdoor builds the configurator shows only IP44/IP65 components.