A bedroom needs less light than a kitchen or a living room, but it needs it in more places: from the ceiling for dressing and tidying, beside the pillow for reading, and low around the room for the last hour of the evening. The bedroom lighting ideas below are built that way, one layer at a time. Every lamp we mention is one we actually sell, and every size is taken from its product page, so you can check what will really fit on your nightstand or your wall.
Start with three layers
- Ceiling light: one pendant or ceiling light for general light when you dress, clean or make the bed.
- Bedside light: a table lamp, a wall light or a low pendant on each side of the bed, for reading and for switching off without getting up.
- Accent light: a floor lamp, a small sconce or a glowing glass lamp that makes the room feel warm once the ceiling light is off.
You do not need all three on the first day, but planning them together avoids the classic bedroom with a single bright light in the middle of the ceiling.
8 bedroom lighting ideas
1. A soft fabric or silk pendant in the centre
Bedrooms with pendant lighting look calmer when the shade diffuses the light instead of showing the bulb. The White Silk Saucer Pendant comes in Ø 40, 50 and 60 cm and glows evenly through the silk; the Cream Scalloped Fabric Pendant (Ø 40 to 60 cm) does the same in cream fabric. For a more graphic line, the Fabric Drum Pendant with Iron Arcs (Ø 55 or 65 × H 45 cm) is described on its page for the centre of a bedroom. More shapes in our fabric and silk pendant lights.
2. A pendant beside the bed instead of a table lamp
Hanging a small pendant on each side of the bed keeps the nightstand clear. The Flower Glass Pendant is about Ø 30 × H 13 cm, in purple, green, amber or clear glass, with a knob switch on the fitting. If you are unsure how pendants hang, our guide what is a pendant light explains cords, canopies and cable length.
3. A pair of wall lights to free the nightstands
Wall lights take no surface at all. The Knitted Shade Wood Wall Sconce (H 38 cm, touch switch) is sold precisely for this: a pair replaces two bedside lamps. The Ribbed Tulip Glass Wall Sconce (H 42 cm, 12 cm glass shade) adds colour, and the Mid Century Fabric Drum Wall Sconce brings a small fabric drum in four colours. For mounting height, see bedroom wall lights and bedside sconce height.
4. An adjustable reading light
If one of you reads late, aim the light at the page rather than the room. The Adjustable Polished Metal Spotlight Sconce has a Ø 12.5 cm cone on an adjustable arm (H 28 cm) that can be angled toward the pillow.
5. A cordless lamp you can move
No socket by the bed? The Cordless Marble Table Lamp (H 23 cm) runs 8 to 12 hours per charge with three brightness levels, and the Cordless Gable Shade Table Lamp (H 22 cm) is dimmable. More in our guide to cordless and rechargeable table lamps.
6. A stained glass lamp for the evening glow
Coloured glass gives a low, warm light that is pleasant to fall asleep to. The Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp (shade 20 cm, H 38 cm) is sized for a nightstand. See all our Tiffany-style and stained glass lamps.
7. A stone or wood sconce for a calm wall
The Travertine Wood Cap Wall Sconce (stone shade Ø 11 × H 15 cm) sends a small pool of warm light down the wall, enough for about 1–3 m². It suits a wabi-sabi bedroom; our Japandi lighting guide has more ideas in that style.
8. A floor lamp in the corner
A floor lamp fills the dark corner that ceiling lights miss. The Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp (H 158 cm) glows caramel and lights up and down; the Cowhide Tube Floor Lamp (H 130 cm) can even stand beside the bed as a tall bedside light. Browse our floor lamps.
Real sizes: how much nightstand each bedside light takes
The question we hear most is whether a lamp will fit next to a phone, a glass of water and a book. The table below uses the widest part of each light, from its product page, and an example nightstand 45 cm wide. For your own nightstand, subtract the same figure from its width.
| Bedside light | Type | Real size (product page) | Widest part on the top | Left free on a 45 cm nightstand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauhaus Silver Dome Table Lamp | Table lamp | H 39 cm, dome Ø 30 cm, base Ø 16 cm | 30 cm | 15 cm |
| Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp | Table lamp | H 38 cm, shade 20 cm | 20 cm | 25 cm |
| Cordless Marble Table Lamp | Table lamp, cordless | H 23 cm, shade Ø 17 cm, base Ø 7 cm | 17 cm | 28 cm |
| Cordless Gable Shade Table Lamp | Table lamp, cordless | H 22 × W 15 × D 10 cm | 15 cm | 30 cm |
| Knitted Shade Wood Wall Sconce | Wall light | H 38 cm, 15 cm wide at base | 0 cm | 45 cm |
| Classic Fabric Wall Sconce | Wall light | H 23 cm, shade Ø 17 cm, projection 25 cm | 0 cm | 45 cm |
| Travertine Wood Cap Wall Sconce | Wall light | Ø 11 × H 15 cm, plate 2.5 cm thick | 0 cm | 45 cm |
| Flower Glass Pendant | Pendant | about Ø 30 × H 13 cm | 0 cm | 45 cm |
So what: on a narrow nightstand, a wide dome lamp leaves very little room, while a wall light or a pendant leaves the whole top free. A wall light still takes space in the air: the Classic Fabric Wall Sconce stands 25 cm out from the wall, so check it against the headboard.
Light colour and switches
Most of our bedroom lights ship in warm white, and several offer neutral or cool white on request. For a bedroom, warm white is the usual choice in the evening; our guide warm white vs cool white explains the difference. Check the switch too: a touch switch on the Knitted Shade sconce, a knob switch on the Flower Glass Pendant, touch control with three brightness levels on the Cordless Marble lamp.
How tall should the bedside lamp be? Our guide to bedside lamp height and reading lights works it out lamp by lamp. Torn between two calm styles for the bedroom? See Japandi vs Scandinavian lighting.
For the floor lamp in idea 8, our guide to the types of floor lamps compares heights and light direction. Lighting a child's bedroom instead? See kids' room and nursery lighting.
The knitted shade sconce and the cowhide floor lamp also feature in our boho lighting guide, and the brass arm of the Classic Fabric Wall Sconce in our guide to brass lamps and lights.
For more wood and natural textures beside the bed, see our guide to rustic and wood lamps; for a light, petal-shaped ceiling light, our guide to acrylic lamps and chandeliers gives the Acrylic Flower Chandelier's sizes, from Ø 40 cm.
For a cool metal beside the bed, the Bauhaus dome and the spotlight sconce feature in our guide to chrome and silver lamps; for a storybook bedroom with the Gypsophila lamp and the Flower Glass Pendant, see cottagecore lighting.
Choosing the main light for a specific room? See our guides to bedroom ceiling lights and living room ceiling lights, with a sizing rule and the headroom each fitting takes.
Still deciding on the type of fitting? Compare the types of table lamps that suit a nightstand, from 23 to 39 cm high, and the types of chandeliers that suit a bedroom ceiling, from Ø 40 cm.
Choosing the lamp itself? Our guide to bedside lamps compares sizes, switches and matching pairs for 35, 45 and 55 cm nightstands, and our guide to Tiffany table lamp sizes shows which stained glass shade, from 16 to 30 cm, fits beside the bed.
FAQ
What is the best lighting for a bedroom?
A combination of three layers: one ceiling light for general light, a bedside light on each side of the bed for reading, and one accent light such as a floor lamp or small sconce for the evening.
Can you put a pendant light in a bedroom?
Yes. Use one in the centre of the ceiling as the main light, like the Fabric Drum Pendant with Iron Arcs, or hang a small one beside the bed instead of a table lamp, like the Flower Glass Pendant (about Ø 30 cm).
Wall lights or table lamps beside the bed?
Wall lights leave the whole nightstand free; table lamps need no installation. Our wall lights in this guide are wall mounted, while the cordless table lamps need no socket at all.
See all our wall lights, table lamps and pendant lights.
