A bedroom is more than just a place where you sleeps. A bedroom is where your nervous system wind down each night and reboots each morning. If the lighting in your bedroom is incorrect, you might find yourself staring at the ceiling for many hour.
The incorrect lighting might also work against you and make you wake up before your alarm clock. If you get the lighting right, your bedroom will begin to work for you. However, if you do not get the lighting right, your bedroom will work against you.
Many people think that bedroom lighting is only about brightness. However, there are many other element to consider. The overhead light in a bedroom cannot perform all of the task that a bedroom requires.
There are many lighting option for different times of the day and for different activities in the bedroom. The ideas presented in this article will give you multiple lighting options for your bedroom. Each idea will solve a specific lighting problem in your bedroom and add additional beauty and calm to the space.
A bedroom should include three different type of lighting. Each type of lighting perform a different function. Ambient lighting fill the entire bedroom.
Task lighting is only used for specific activities. Finally, accent lighting highlight different features of the bedroom. When you add each type of lighting to a bedroom, the space will feel bigger and more inviting and will feel softer and more calming.
When any of these lighting options is left out, the bedroom will feel flat. Dimmer switches are an essential component of bedroom lighting. Many people do not consider using dimmer switches when setting up their bedroom.
Top Lighting Ideas For Your Bedroom
1. Dimmer Switches
Ceiling lights change when you install a dimmer switch and turn the light to the lowest level. Installing dimmer switches into every overhead light in the bedroom will provide you with control over the mood that your bedroom creates. A quality dimmer switch will cost less than one takeout dinner.
When choosing a dimmer switch, make sure it is rated for the type of bulb that will be installed. Using the incorrect dimmer switch for LED bulb will make the LED bulbs flicker and buzz.
2. Wall Sconces
Installing wall sconces on both side of the bed will solve the problem of needing light to read without disturbing a sleeping partner.
Wall sconces are different from table lamps because they do not take up space on your nightstand. Additionally, the light from these sconces can shine exactly where your reading material are. Look for sconces that direct the light beam downward.
Use bulbs for the sconces that are around 2700 Kelvin, or the warm white bulb. If you rent your apartment and cannot hardwire the sconces into the wall, use a plug-in version of sconces that use fabric cord to hang from the wall.
3. String Lights
Using string lights in the bedroom has become a trend in many bedrooms.
Using string lights behind the headboard or along the picture rail will provide the bedroom with a soft ambient glow. Use bulbs with visible filament in the string lights and use warm-toned bulb. Use low wattage bulb for your bedroom string lights.
Additionally, hide the cord for the string lights as much as you can. Using string lights in the bedroom is perfect for bedrooms with tall ceiling. Many people find that traditional overhead lights can look heavy in these bedrooms.
4. Bedside Reading Lamps
Using a bedside reading lamp will prevent the squinting and headache that can come from reading under an overhead light. Using a reading lamp will prevent headaches from reading under an overhead light. Look for lamps with adjustable arm or goosenecks so that the light will shine on the page of the book that you are reading.
Choose a bedside lamp with a matte black or brass finish so that it will disappear in the bedroom throughout the night. Position the reading lamp behind your shoulder instead of beside it. Using this positioning will eliminate glare on glossy page in your book.
Additionally, it will prevent the light from shining into the eyes of your sleeping partner.
5. Ceiling Fans with LED Lights
Some ceiling fans come with light that are considered cheap. However, there are many moddern models available today that use LED lights that come in many color.
The advantage to these lights is that they can be used in the summer when the outside light are the brightest. By lowering the light on the ceiling fan, you can have the fan spinning and still be able to see to find your water glass on the nightstand. Avoid ceiling fans with exposed bulb unless you want to look at the exposed bulbs while you are lying on your bed.
6. Smart Bulbs
Using smart bulb that come in many colors can be of great use in the nighttime hour. One tap on your smart phone will change the lights from bright lights used to complete task in the bedroom to a color that will signal to your brain that it is time to sleep. Many of these bulb allow you to schedule the lights to change color at a specific time of the night.
The technology for these bulb is reliable. Additionally, the price of these bulb has dropped so consumers can afford them in at least one bedroom in the house. Using smart bulbs is a great idea with the downside of having to remember to update the app on your smart phone for daylight savings time.
However, this is a small drawback to having these bulb in your bedroom.
7. Mirrors
Using mirror in a bedroom will allow you to transform a corner of the bedroom that does not have any lighting. A tall mirror on the floor opposite one of the window in the bedroom will reflect the sunlight into the bedroom during the daytime.
Additionally, during the nighttime hour, a tall mirror on the floor will reflect the lamplight into the bedroom. Using mirror will transform a small bedroom into a larger space. Look for mirror with thin frame so that they do not take up attention of the space in the bedroom.
Additionally, do not place the mirror in the bedroom in such a way that it will reflect the sunlight into your eye in the morning.
8. Scented Candles
Using candle in the bedroom is a time-tested solution for those who would like to create a feeling of romance in their bedroom. Place candle on a tray on the dresser in the bedroom or on the mantel so that they cannot be knocked over while sleeping.
Choose scented candle that contain notes of lavender or cedar to help your nervous system to fall asleep. Place a candle snuffer on the nightstand so that you will not have to search for a lighter while half asleep. Using and extinguishing the candle is a ritual that can become a mindful habit for sleeping.
9. Uplighting
Using uplighting in your bedroom can be achieved by placing uplighting behind a piece of furniture or into a built-in bookcase. Using uplighting will make the bedroom feel like it have higher ceilings. Additionally, it will provide depth to the bedroom without shining any light into the eyes of the bedroom’s sleepers.
Using battery-operated LED strip light will allow you to easily add uplighting in your bedroom. This type of uplighting is beneficial for those that rent their home. LED strip lights will create a soft glow in your bedroom during the night.
Additionally, it can be used in the morning at 7 a.m. To assist in getting dressed.
10. Blackout Curtains and Nightlights
Finally, blackout curtains in the bedroom and a low nightlight in the hallway will create the perfect environment in which you can fall asleep. Blackout curtains will block outside light pollution from the remainder of the bedroom.
Additionally, the nightlight can be used to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night to use the restroom. The nightlight should be of red or amber bulb color because these types of light will interfere the least with your body’s ability to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone. This combination of blackout curtains and a nightlight is the ultimate luxury in bedroom lighting.
Each of these lighting idea will cost you nothing too much and does not require the assistance of an interior designer. All you have to do is to consider how you use your bedroom throughout the day. Start with a few of these idea and then add more as you have the time and money.
When you go under the cover in your bedroom with these lighting idea in mind, you will feel the difference. Your bedroom will stop working against you and will work for you instead.
