The Top 101 Bedroom Lighting Ideas – Interior Home and Design
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
The right lighting can completely change the look and feel of a room. Lighting your bedroom is less about bringing in natural light and more about focusing on using lighting fixtures tactfully and creatively.
When choosing the light fixtures for your bedroom, try to create layers. There should be three different types of light. The first is ambient lighting; this is a room-filling generalized light. The second type is task lighting, or focused light designed to illuminate the space you’re working in. The third is accent lighting; indirect light that highlights interesting architectural or decor features in the room.
Choose the best lighting fixtures for your bedroom with these lighting ideas.
1. Chandelier Bedroom Lighting Ideas
Having a chandelier in your bedroom can give you plenty of ambient light while also elevating the room’s feel. Try to pick one that will become a focal point in the room. Typically, chandeliers are large and centrally located, making them the perfect statement pieces.
If you have a traditional, baroque, or French country style bedroom, stick with a more ornate design with glass or crystal. These chandeliers are ornate with fine detailing throughout.
If you have a modern or Scandinavian bedroom, then look for an industrial or modern chandelier—simple in design with very few details. A Sputnik chandelier will look ultra-modern and cast light in all directions. These chandeliers feature several bars formed into a starburst shape with a bulb at the end of each bar.
2. Cool Lighting Bedroom Lighting Ideas
Your bedroom is the one place in the house where you can express your personality without fear of judgment. If you love that outlandish light fixture, why not place it in your bedroom? Get creative with bedside wall sconces that are dripping in crystals. Or how about table lamps that have several smaller lights that you can angle in several directions. You could use LED strips to create mood or indirect lighting on your accent wall to create just enough light to move about the room, but not so much that it will keep you awake.
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A popular modern bedroom lighting trend is to embrace chandeliers and pendant lights in new ways. Instead of tableside lamps on your bedside table, you could bring your bedside light down from the ceiling. You could have long pendants flanking the bed or two skinny but long chandeliers on either side.
3. Cove and Ambient Bedroom Lighting Ideas
You can install an accent light to highlight particular architectural or design elements in your room. A common approach is to use LED strips to create indirect light. You don’t see the light fixture or bulb, but you do see a soft glow coming from behind an edge.
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You could install this lighting under shelves, in a cut-out, alcove, or molding along the ceiling. For a modern feel, install it under the edge of your bed so that it looks like your bed is glowing. Another modern design includes installing raised panels on the wall and with lights mounted behind the panels to an illuminated 3D effect.
Another method could be installing LED strips behind crown molding or in a tray ceiling. This use of cove lighting creates a classy but modern touch in a more formal space.
4. Floor Lamp Bedroom Lighting Ideas
There are two main styles of floor lamp to consider, and which style you choose will depend on the type of lighting you’re trying to create. A floor lamp with a single adjustable light bulb is perfect for creating task lighting. Larger lamps that emanate a lot of light are better for creating general lighting that illuminates the entire room.
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When placing your floor lamp, think about the footprint and height. You can create depth in your room by choosing a lamp with a larger footprint and lofty stature. This lamp will create vertical visual space in the room and helps the room feel taller.
5. Bedroom Lighting Ideas
There are several ways you can achieve the proper lighting in your bedroom. Start with the ambient light by installing ceiling lights. These could be a chandelier, a ceiling fan light, or recessed lights.
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Then install your task lighting. These would be your bedside lights, table lamp, floor lamp, wall lamp, reading nook light, or vanity table light. These are light fixtures that have brighter and more focused light.
Your final step is to add accent lighting. This could be a small light on a piece of artwork, lights hidden under shelving, or just decorative string lights. Your accent lighting should be soft and could even be an unusual color.
6. Minimalist Bedroom Lighting Ideas
Minimalist bedroom decor calls for the right bedroom lighting ideas. Look for light fixtures that have minimal details and bulk. They should almost blend into the overall room—barely noticeable. They could be a single pendant cable or pole that extends downward. Or they could be a wall light that has a simple curved to bring the light out and away from the wall.
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You will find that minimalist lighting is about the fixture and not about the amount of light it can produce. This means you’ll find minimalist fixtures for all three types of light. A minimalist ceiling light could be recessed bulbs or a single track with several lamps.
7. Orb Lighting Bedroom Lighting Ideas
An orb light can give your bedroom a modern feel while also providing plenty of light. They’re typically a pendant style, but you’ll also see them done as a chandelier or wall sconce. The most basic type of orb is the classic white frosted glass that covers the bulb. These are great for giving you diffused ambient light. The orb’s circular shape gives it a clean design that will blend in well with a wide variety of decor themes.
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If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, you can find orbs made of intricate metal design work. These are perfect for adding a bit of glamour to your bedroom. They may have a metal cage surrounding the light bulb or have the lights mounted right on the orb.
When choosing your orb, you want it to be proportionate in size to the room. Otherwise, it will feel cramped if it’s too large and awkwardly ungrounded and floating if it’s too small.
8. Bedroom Pendant Lighting Ideas
Most people are used to seeing pendant lights hanging in the kitchen over the counter. They’re perfect for illuminating the workspace under them. But did you know they can look right at home in your bedroom too? Hanging a pair of pendant lights from your ceiling can help tie the room together. It also adds the illusion of height by making your ceiling seem higher than it really is.
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Look for a pendant lamp that matches your bedroom’s decor. It could be a bright metal with sparkling accents for a glam look. Or perhaps you choose one with a geometric frame for a modern minimalist look. One that uses rope and a caged light would be perfect for an industrial feel. There are also lights with hand-blown glass for a bohemian vibe.
If you don’t want pendants as bedside lights, try hanging one over your desk. Or, consider hanging one above your reading nook.
9. Bedroom Lighting Reading Lamp Ideas
If you love to read in bed or have a reading chair in your bedroom, you need task lighting specifically for reading. If you try to read in a poorly lit environment, you’ll suffer from eye strain. You want a light that’s bright enough to illuminate the pages of your book or the screen of your device.
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Most bedroom lamps meant for your bedside table are perfect for this. You could also use an adjustable floor lamp to shine exactly where you need it. There are even some bedroom lights that you can mount directly to your headboard.
10. Rustic and Industrial Bedroom Lighting Ideas
If you have a farmhouse-inspired bedroom, then you’ll want to choose a rustic lighting fixture. Look for one that uses reclaimed or worn wood. It could then have wrought iron holding it together. Another option is to find vintage candle lanterns and turn them into ceiling lamps. You could have them wired for electricity and then string several from the ceiling for an eclectic look that blends perfectly with your farmhouse decor.
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If you have an industrial light fixture, you have a statement piece. These ceiling fixtures use wood, metal pipe, mesh, and Edison bulbs to create some truly stunning art pieces. If you find one that uses copper, you can add some warmth to your bedroom with this richly colored metal.
11. Sconces and Wall Light Bedroom Lighting Ideas
Wall sconces are a perfect way to eliminate the bedside lamp while still having a convenient light while in bed. They typically get mounted to the wall in pairs to give your bed visual balance. They’re also smaller than other lamps and only provide you with a small amount of light while lying in bed.
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You can match your sconces with the room’s design. They come in everything from streamlined and ultra-modern to rustic and handmade, and everything in between. You can even find nautical-inspired sconces for your beach house.
When choosing your wall sconce, think about its size and placement on the wall in relation to your bed. It needs to be easy to reach and work while also not being too large or bright.
12. Table Lamp Bedroom Lighting Ideas
If you aren’t ready to commit to mounting lights on the wall, then stick with table lamps for your bedside lighting. These lamps range in size from a small desk lamp to a large table lamp. The size you choose will depend on the scale of your furniture and the room. You want the lamp to look balanced when on the table.
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There are two things to consider when choosing your table lamps; the base and the shade. The base is the lamp’s body, and the shade is the cloth cover that goes over the bulb. Most shades are a plain color, but you can get creative and find ones with a pattern or decoration.
The base should blend with the rest of your decor. It could look industrial with a mesh body or be a single pipe. A more rustic touch could include something made from reclaimed wood or a piece with a custom carving. If you’re looking to add glamour, you could choose something with gold or crystal accents.
Bedroom Lighting FAQs
What lighting is best for bedrooms?
If you’re looking for an all-around well lit room, you want to focus on ambient light—something best achieved with a ceiling fixture. If you have an area that requires task lighting, use a table lamp, floor lamp, or wall sconce. If you have design elements that you want to highlight or specific features you want to draw attention to, accent lighting is best.
Is LED light good for the bedroom?
LED lights are a smart choice for any room in your house. LED bulbs are the longest-lasting, most durable, and energy-efficient. They also come in a broad range of brightness levels and light temperatures, allowing you to choose the perfect light for your bedroom.
How big should a bedroom light be?
There’s a rule of thumb equation for this question. Start by measuring your room’s length and width. Add those two values together, then convert the sum to inches. That value represents the size of the lighting fixture you should choose.
For example, a 10 by 12-foot room would have a sum of 22 feet. To match a lighting fixture to this room, choose one 22 inches in diameter.
