Why good bedroom lighting is important
Ceiling lights are fitted as standard for every room in the house but lighting is a powerful tool to add luxury and tap into your own decorating style.
Beautiful bedroom lighting goes beyond the simple addition of bedside table lamps to read by at night. Consideration of your daily needs is important for where to position lighting all around the bedroom for grooming, dressing and creating a relaxing, restful mood.
Here are 15 bedroom lighting ideas that explore the job of bedroom lighting a little more broadly and show how to get your bedroom lighting design just right.
1. Bedside table lamp
Traditionally, bedroom lamps have been the go to for task lighting to read by in bed and these are a key decorating feature in any bedroom. Choose your lamp to compliment your bedside table in terms of style and proportion. A large lamp should be placed on a substantial bedside table to look well balanced.
2. Wall lights
A clever and beautiful solution to saving space on the beside table. Due to the wiring required inside the wall cavity, sconces attached to the wall behind the bedhead or anywhere in the room require the consideration of your bedroom light fittings early in the building or renovation process. Power is then supplied directly to the lights and switching can be on the wall nearby or via a cord suspended from the light itself.
4. Ceiling lights
Go beyond the standard issue and replace ceiling lights with a custom fitting to reflect your style. Choose from hundreds of statement-making options in myriad finishes from metallic brass, chrome and matte black to handmade glass, porcelain and acrylic.
5. Pendant lights
Versatile and functional, pendant lights are a simple way to use existing conventional ceiling wiring to include a feature light in the bedroom.
Here's where you can really have fun with style and scale - oversized woven fittings in natural materials bring in an element of nature, whereas glass inside a metal framework can lend a touch of luxury to a Hamptons style bedroom.
6. Bedside pendant lighting
Plan ahead or retro fit with the help of an electrician to include custom wiring for pendants to hang low at the bedsides. Choose a smaller scale light in a shiny metallic finish for a bit of bling, or handmade porcelain for an artisan effect.
6. Floor lamp
Used in combination with wall or other task lighting, a floor lamp is a stylish way to add height in your décor and a striking and practical solution to include lighting over a reading chair.
7. Downlights
The ultimate choice for modern, minimal style bedrooms, recessed down lights maintain a sleek profile whilst giving plenty of flexibility as to where your lighting can be placed. Perhaps start by using a grid pattern to light the whole room, then apply dimmer switches to different areas to control the mood. A combination of down lights and other task lighting - whether pendants or lamps also works well to add a decorative touch.
8. Bedhead lighting
For a modern take on bedroom lighting, the inclusion of fixed lighting as part of the bedhead construction is a clever, contemporary solution.
9. Chandelier
Chandeliers are a beautiful way to inject a little luxury into a bedroom with a feature light fitting, be it a master suite or to add a little bling to a kids’ bedroom. The perfect example of a decorating solution where form follows function, allow your style to shine bright with a show-stopper!
10. Industrial style lighting
Adding an industrial touch to bedroom décor is as easy as hanging vintage-style pendant lights over the bedside. Choose a simple oversized bulb unencumbered or with a metal, enamel or wire frame, suspended from the ceiling on a fabric cord.
11. Picture lights
In a master suite, traditional picture lights fixed above artworks are one of the best ideas to showcase a treasured art collection and to provide mood lighting above a bed or on adjacent walls.
13. LED lighting
Energy efficient LED lighting has taken bedroom lighting next level with both bulbs and strip lighting providing endless applications to create mood. LED strip lighting works beautifully to detail architectural features or underneath cabinetry to create a subtle, sophisticated glow. LED bulbs combined with a dimmer allow for more control of lighting levels.
14. Light and fan combination
Ceiling fans with a light built in presents the best of both worlds in terms of cooling a space. As long as there is structural support in the ceiling to provide a safe base to secure the fan unit to, incorporating a fan with light to use central power is straight forward but will need to be installed by a licensed electrician.
15. Fairy lights
Full of whimsy, fairy lights do double duty to create fun decoration with functional lighting, particularly in a kids’ bedroom. String along walls or above and below bunk beds to create a fantasy wonderland at the touch of a button.
For a more sophisticated approach, keep it simple with a single colour and minimal strands in one position in the room.
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