The opportunity to design the bedroom ceiling are an element that people often ignore when decorating the remainder of the house. People tend to focus on the duvet covers and lamps for the nightstand. However, the ceiling presents people with an opportunity to define the atmosphere of the bedroom with the proper lighting choices.
The correct lighting can turn a bedroom into a restorative space for the person which sleeps in the bed. However, the wrong lighting choices can ruin the bedroom atmosphere for even the most expensive mattress. There are three specific job for bedroom ceiling lighting.
First, the lighting should define the brightness of the bedroom. Second, the lighting should be able to create the atmosphere within the room for those lying in the bed under the covers. Third, the lighting should define the sense of safety and spaciousness of the bedroom for those who move through the bedroom.
Most people choose a single flush mount ceiling fixture that was installed when the home was built. However, this choice leads to a loss of comfort for those who use the bedroom each night. People dont need to hire an electrician and do not need to spend money on redecorating the bedroom to fix the lighting.
All that is required is an understanding of the different lighting choices that works in bedroom settings. There are several lighting ideas for bedrooms, ranging from those that can be swapped out during the weekend to more ambitious lighting installation ideas that will bring years of pleasure to the bedroom. Each lighting idea has a specific benefit, trade-offs, and reasons for being featured on this list.
Best Bedroom Ceiling Lighting Ideas To Try
1. Pendant Light
One of the best lighting ideas for a bedroom is to choose a pendant light that hangs into the room from the ceiling and comes close to the sleeper on the bed. If the pendant is hung so that it is approximately sixty inches from the floor, it will change the bedroom. Pendants come in a variety of materials and colors.
People can choose a fabric shade or rattan shade to provide soft lighting for the bedroom or opt for a glass globe shade. The size of the pendant is the most important. A small pendant will not command the attention of the bedroom, but a large pendant, such as one that is fourteen to eighteen inches in diameter, will create a sense of presence within the bedroom.
Because a pendant hangs closer to the sleeper than a flush-mount ceiling light, it is possible to use a lower-wattage bulb to illuminate the bedroom. This approach will prevent the bedroom from looking like an interrogation room for those who sleep in the bed. Another idea is to use a flush-mount ceiling fixture and several wall sconce on the bedroom walls.
2. Flush Mount Fixture and Wall Sconces
This lighting idea is best for those who do not like shadows in their bedroom. The flush-mount fixture will be used for lighting the bedroom during the daytime. After the lights are turned off, the person can use the wall sconces that are installed on the sides of the bed.
To provide the best lighting for those who read in their bedroom, the sconces can be aimed toward the ceiling. This lighting idea is helpful for those whose eyes weaken throughout the day because it helps to eliminate harsh down-light fixtures from the bedroom. The downside to this lighting idea is the loss of floor space in the bedroom to the wiring for these sconces or the cords that connect them.
However, the comfort provided by these sconces is well worth the loss of floor space in the bedroom. Many people who use this type of lighting arrangement feel that the bedroom appears to be larger in size. This is the goal of this lighting idea.
3. Recessed Lighting
Using recessed lighting within the ceiling is another lighting idea that can bring benefits to bedrooms. Recessed lights allow people to create the sensation within the bedroom of the ceiling having disappeared. Four to six small LED recessed cans can be installed within the bedroom to provide light without the need for visible fixtures.
Ensure that the lights that are selected has dimmable warm-white lamps, and ensure that the recessed lights have baffles to avoid creating starburst lights on the ceiling. The benefits of using recessed lights include the ability to use full brightness while performing tasks like folding laundry for the bedroom or using a minimal amount of brightness to allow people to fall asleep. Using the recessed lights allows people to use only one recessed light as a night-light for young children.
The major downside to using recessed lighting is the mess that is created during the installation. Once the holes are cut into the bedroom ceiling, there is no turning back from installing recessed lighting. However, recessed lighting is the cleanest lighting solution for minimmalist bedrooms.
4. Chandelier
Another unusual lighting idea is using a chandelier in the bedroom. People may be surprised to know that this fixture can be used within the bedroom while sleeping under the chandelier. Instead of using a crystal chandelier in the bedroom like those used in dining rooms, use a sculptural chandelier that uses woven wood or paper shades or linen drums.
When sleeping in the bed in the bedroom, the chandelier is the “night sky” in the bedroom. The chandelier can be hung slightly off-center in relation to the sleeper in the bed if the bed is against one of the bedroom walls. Otherwise, the chandelier can be hung in the center of the ceiling in the bedroom.
It is important to ensure that the chandelier looks good in the bedroom when unlit and when lit. During the daytime, it will act as a piece of sculpture in the bedroom. At night, the chandelier will be the feature of the bedroom.
This lighting idea is best for bedrooms with tall ceilings. However, a shallow drum chandelier will work well in a bedroom with standard ceilings eight feet in height. Track lighting is another lighting idea that is changing in function for bedroom lighting.
5. Track Lighting
Although once considered an outdated lighting idea from the 1970s, track lighting is now a popular idea among bedroom designers. Track lights allow people to install a single straight or U-shaped track that allows for the aiming of spot lights into specific areas within the bedroom. For example, one spot light can be aimed at the headboard while another shines a light upon an art piece on the wall.
A third spot light can shine on a person’s bedside reading without shining the light into their sleeping partner’s eyes. Track lighting is adjustable to accommodate changes in the bedroom. For instance, if a person obtains a new art piece, the spot light can be aimed at the new art.
Track lighting has an industrial appearance when lit; however, the lights can be finished in matte black or brushed brass finishes to soften the look of the track lighting. Also, ensure that the track is kept narrow in size and hung on the ceiling in a location that will not hit the sleeper’s head when they are sitting up in the bed. For renters or for people who are afraid of the electrical wiring required for the installation of many lighting ideas, plug-in canopy lights are available for bedrooms.
6. Plug In Canopy Lights
These lights look like miniature chandeliers and can be hung from a cord that plugs into an electrical outlet. The cord can be run up the wall and across the ceiling. Once the plug-in canopy lights are hung from the ceiling, they will appear to be a permanent fixture in the bedroom.
Many plug-in canopy lights come with multiple shades of fabric that will diffuse the light from the plug-in canopy lights evenly throughout the bedroom. Because the plug-in canopy lights are low voltage, they run cooler than other lighting options, allowing them to be hung closer to the sleeper on the bed. This lighting idea is the fastest way of adding a designer lighting product to a bedroom without making electrical changes to the bedroom.
7. Color Changing LED Panels
Color-changing LED panels that are installed into the ceiling in a shallow tray or cove can add benefits to bedrooms. The LED panel that is installed into the ceiling will change colors in the bedroom. These colors can go from warm white to daylight for those getting ready to leave for school or work into the deep amber color of a candlelit bedroom.
Some LED panels also cycle through colors that simulate sunrise views to help those who live in the bedroom naturaly wake up each morning. Because the LED panel spreads the light evenly, there are no light hot spots in the bedroom. Also, the panels do not have visible bulbs, which adds to the comfort of those who sleep in the bedroom.
The only downside of color-changing LED panels is the upfront cost for the purchase of the panel. However, the benefits of being able to select the color temperature of the bedroom lights just before bedtime makes the cost of these lights worth it for most homeowners. Another lighting idea is to use a fabric-wrapped ceiling fixture.
8. Fabric Wrapped Ceiling Fixture
These types of fixtures use a large square or rectangular shade that is covered in fabric like linen or velvet to create an even spread of light into the bedroom. These types of fixtures will make the sleeper feel as if the entire ceiling is glowing. The benefit of fabric-wrapped fixtures is that they will create an even spread of light, throwing almost no shadows into the bedroom.
These types of fixtures also make even a low ceiling in a bedroom feel taller. A fabric-wrapped ceiling light can come with a dimmer switch that remembers the sleeper’s favorite lighting settings for activities in the bedroom. For instance, it can create a preset for reading, a preset for relaxing, and a preset for watching movies on the television in the bedroom.
Using this preset lighting will make it impossible for the sleeper to use the harsh overhead light in the bedroom. The only downside to fabric-wrapped lights is that the fabric must be dusted every few months to remove the dust that accumulates in the fabric. However, this small effort is the price people must pay for the even illumination that these lights provide.
None of the lighting ideas are the best for every person in every bedroom. People with different heights of bedrooms can use the ideas mentioned here. People of different ages may have different wiring in their bedroom.
Some may own their home and some may renters. People of different bedrooms may use their bedrooms in a variety of ways each night. However, every bedroom that successfully utilizes lighting ideas mentioned here has one thing in common.
They have chosen to treat the lighting in their bedroom as a layered element that can be controlled rather than a single element like a bright overhead bulb. Once people experience the benefits of a bedroom that uses layered lighting that works with the sleeper in the bed, they will find it impossible to use a standard flush-mount ceiling light fixture. Choose one idea from the list and try it out in your bedroom.
By following the suggestions provided in this article, people can change their harsh overhead lights to a bedroom light that is softer in quality, lower in wattage, and more adjustable as their needs change each night. Using these types of changes in the bedroom will shift the sleep cycle, the sleeper’s mood, and the atmosphere in the bedroom in ways that the sleeper did not expect. The bedroom ceiling is waiting to be decorated with something worth looking up to.
