23 illuminating bedroom lighting ideas for every kind of house
Ask any designer about curating a bedroom, and they’ll agree that ambience is paramount. ‘Clients are increasingly looking to create havens of calm and tranquillity in their homes, to counterbalance their usually hectic and busy lives,’ explains interior designer Alex Dauley. And nowhere is this more important than in the bedroom: a space to unwind and sleep. A bedroom that does this well will feature an accumulation of things, from great storage (to hide away your clutter) to luxurious bedding and a comfortable mattress. But without excellent lighting, all of this amounts to nothing. What good is a pure cashmere throw in a dusty pink, or a wall painted in Farrow & Ball’s warm and dusty ‘Stirabout’ if it's cut across by a blue-toned ceiling light?
‘When it comes to lighting I often use simple alabaster plafonniers to diffuse the light, or something more unexpected and austere like a vintage lantern,’ explains Evelina Mamedovaite, who enjoys how they contrast with the ‘soft, abundant textiles’ in the room. She also advises (as many designers do) that dimmers are key to curating an atmosphere. Designers like Rita Konig, Philip Hooper and Angelica Squire also all extol the virtues of a 5 amp circuit, which will allow you to operate all your individual lamps together from one wall dimmer. This is particularly helpful in a bedroom as it avoids you having to get out of bed to turn off that lovely warm floor lamp in the far corner, or the reading light on the other side of the bed. So if you're rewiring, try to put a dimmer within reach of your bed.
If a ceiling light feels essential, then using a fabric lantern is a good way of softening its harshness and creating a dappled effect, like the frothy Pinch one used by Rachael Gowdrige in this elegant Clerkenwell townhouse (pictured top).
If you're sharing with a partner, then bedside table lamps are useful for bedtime autonomy. Some designers like to use matching bedside lamps to create symmetry, but it's not essential, particularly if your bedroom is otherwise uncluttered or cohesive. ‘With a bedside lamp, the height is super important,’ says Brandon Schubert in his nifty guide to lighting design. ‘You don't want to be distracted by the glare of a light bulb as you're trying to read your book at night.’ And how do we get it right? ‘You size the lamp according to the height of the bed, the height of the bedside table, and the position of the person who's going to be reading.’ So, before you start shopping it's worth getting out the tape measure, or testing out lamps you already have to see what works best for you.
Floor lamps or a small lamp on a side table can also be a useful way to zone your bedroom; if you have particularly high ceilings or a lot of open space then a cosy armchair with a tall Italian standard lamp will carve out a cosy reading nook and give you a sense of intimacy. If you're attempting quite the opposite effect, and rather want your bedroom to feel bigger, or to avoid using up floor space with floor lamps or bedside tables then sconces are your friend – opt for something in paper, fabric or patinated metal and you won't go wrong.
For more inspiration, here are some of our favourite examples of atmospheric bedroom lighting in a wide variety of bedrooms big and small.
Bedroom lighting ideas to spark creativity
Paul Massey1/21The spare room of a north London villa designed by Brandon Schubert has wall lights that provide the majority of the ambient lighting. ‘I hate having an overhead light that is in my eyeline when I am reading,’ says Brandon. ‘So, when I want to read in bed, but don't want the room completely blacked out, I turn on the wall lights as well.’
Boz Gagovski2/21Short of space but not style, Daniel Slowik and Benedict Foley's tiny Hackney apartment is full of subtle space-saving tactics. A pair of compact, wall-mounted lamps positioned neatly on the side walls of the shallow bed alcove suit both the tight space and the tailored approach. When angled down, they sit unobtrusively against the wall, but an adjustable knuckle allows them to be tilted outwards to provide directional light for reading. A Rose Uniacke design, they are made from hand-spun brass, left unlacquered, allowing the colour to age over time. They have tiny switches on them allowing for ease of use when you’re in bed.
Ellen Christina Hancock3/21If a ceiling light is the preferred option, choose one in a material that gently diffuses the light: a fabric shade that covers the underside of the bulb, especially one with gathered layers in a soft colour – seen in this London townhouse by Design & That’s Emma Shone-Sanders – works well, as would an alabaster dish light. For a similar look, the ‘Benitier’ silk ceiling lamp from Gong creates a large, soft source of light without any bulb glare, as well as acting as an elegant focal point.
You can also free up bedside tables by mounting a swing-arm wall light onto a headboard; dimmer switches for all the lights can be integrated into it, too.
Paul Massey4/21In this bedroom of a country house designed by Henriette von Stockhausen, large bedside lamps on either side of the four-poster provide most of the ambient light, diffused through colourful silk lampshades. A more directional light source has been fitted inside the bed area for reading – the best designs for this purpose, are adjustable. ‘We try to avoid too many – or indeed any - spotlights in older houses,’ says Henriette. Instead, wall lights act as the third, indirect lighting source – often in the form of picture lights – for a more atmospheric feel.
Paul Massey5/21The family of four lamps brings a charming symmetry to another bedroom in this country house by Henriette von Stockhausen. The wall lamps are tucked into the fabric of the four-poster bed itself, which adds a smartness. The ceramic bedside lamps are from Vaughan with Nushka shades.
MICHAEL SINCLAIR6/21This bedroom in a south London house by Alex Dauley is the visual manifestation of a clear mind, with beautiful, oversized furniture filling a bedroom layered with natural materials and earthy tones. The paper ceiling lantern is simple but effective piece, filling the space and softening any harshness from a ceiling light. The tall proportions call for tall lamps, like Soho Home's 'Joni Arc' floor lamp which curves through the space.
DAVIDE LOVATTI7/21The bedroom in a house in Umbria by Maria Speake of Retrouvious is full of rustic textiles, from the Indian kantha used as a bedcover to the cotton kilim on the curtains. This is extended up onto the ceiling, where a frayed fabric pendant lamp from Abode Living throws some gentle light across the lime-washed walls in the evening. The original stone-topped stove provides a useful bedside table and perch for two bedside lamps.
Christopher Horwood8/21The fabric ceiling light by Pinch in the main bedroom of this Clerkenwell house by Rachael Gowdridge continues the use of texture throughout the room, which all in one calming, neutral palette. The quality of light will also be dappled and softened by the layers of fabric. In the corner of the room, Rachael has carved out a little reading nook with a vintage floor lamp which arches over the cosy shearling armchair.
Michael Sinclair9/21In this small bedroom in Thea Speke's country house, curtains in a green check from Merchant & Mills screen an iron bed from The French House. Where a room is too small or awkwardly sized for a proper side table, an antique milking stool is a great place to rest a lamp, in this case a textured wicker lamp base with matching shade from Ferm Living.
Christopher Horwood10/21A candle sconce is the ultimate romantic touch in a bedroom lighting scheme, as seen here in the main spare bedroom of Radbourne Hall. Those pictured here are antique with mirrored back, meaning the light will flicker and reflect across the room. The symmetrical lamps and bedside tables is neat and neutral, cutting against the theatricality of the swooping canopy.
Paul Massey11/21A recessed bed creates a cosy atmosphere, in this Georgian house by Ben Pentreath. The wall-mounted lamps are tucked inside, which is a good use of space and adds to the cocooning feel of the panelled area, which is painted in deep ‘Asian Blue’.
Alexander James12/21This box bed for a child in a south London house by Studio Peake. was built out from the sloping ceiling of the attic space. The antique Italian standard lamp brings a pop of colour and is useful for throwing light to different corners of the room. It feels fun enough for a child's bedroom without compromising on style.
Paul Massey13/21In the bedroom of Ochre director Solenne de la Fouchardiere, the Ochre’s ‘Beach Pebble’ pendant casts a soft light. Hanging a pendant from the ceiling also makes a ceiling feel higher, and can feel almost like having a piece of art next to your bed.
Chris Horwood14/21In the spare bedroom of Francesca Gentili's farmhouse, a Penny Morrison lampshade sits atop a tamegroute lamp base, from a collaboration between Francesca and Laurie Lamps. Petite and pretty, the lamp is the perfect height for a low bed.
Milo Brown15/21Interior designer Lonika Chande transformed an owner's rather dark childhood home in Holland Park into a light-filled oasis perfect for family. In one of the bedrooms, the twin headboards were original to the house and had been pushed together to make a double bed. As Brandon Schubert recommends, she has used one lamp in the middle of two single beds. The added wall-lights are a nice pop of colour.
Ollie Tomlinson16/21The master bedroom of a Regency house in London designed by Anahita Rigby features a charming chandelier adorned with miniature lampshades from Pooky, in a red marble print. This is a clever way of introducing a lighting effect that feels like multiple lamps, all gathered in the heart of the room. The mounted wall lamp has a coordinating shade to echo the same style.
Paul Massey17/21Don't forget that bedroom lighting can bring visual interest as well as light. Whilst the bones of Nadine Finnegan's Oxfordshire house are plain and neutral, the accessories inject colour, like the headboard in Rapture & Wright’s ‘Moorish Maze’ in ‘Madder Pink,' the Tate & Darby rug and the bold yellow lamp base. The wall-mounted anglepoise in brass subtly emerges from the wooden beams, and can be angled and adjusted according to your lighting needs.
Dean Hearne18/21The entire design of this Victorian farmhouse by Bodil Blain was based around a ship. This can be seen in the antique pendant lamp that hangs from the ceiling of the eldest son's bedroom, which is an antique sourced in Italy. The wall-mounted bedside lamps look almost like Victorian candle sconces, with deep brown lampshades coordinating with the dark wood walls.
Michael Sinclair19/21This paper lantern by Pinch, as seen here in the main bedroom of our ‘Project of the Year’, a restored ice-cream factory by Russell and Oona Pinch, is a reliable go-to for a bedroom ceiling lamp. The shape is simple and clean without being clinical, and the sepia paper dampens any bright light.
20/21Rachel Chudley’s design for the velvet headboard in the bedroom of her warehouse flat was inspired by the leaves of the toleware lights. It makes for a unique focal point of the room.
Francois Halard21/21The use of symmetry and pairing in Rose Uniacke’s tranquil bedroom was intentionally introduced to reflect the pairing of Rose and her partner. Symmetrical bedside tables and lamps is a good way to introduce serenity into a room. The lamp bases and lampshades are confidently large, which works well in a room with such high ceilings. The central chandelier adds some glamour, as well as an enchanting twinkly light effect in the evening.
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