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These stylish bedroom lighting schemes will turn your sleep space into a true haven.
One of these easiest ways to elevate a bedroom space is by switching out the light fixtures. And yet, so often, one of the biggest missed opportunities interior designers witness are updated spaces—complete with bedroom wallpaper, beautiful decor, and gorgeous bedroom color schemes—in which lighting seems to be an afterthought. Those brushed nickel flush mount dome fixtures that look an awful lot like something else? It's time to swap them out in favor of a crystal chandelier, chic multi-globe chandelier, a retro statement flush mount, or honestly just about anything else.
In addition to instantly offering an eye-catching statement to your ceiling, updating your light fixtures can also completely transform the ambiance in your space, and while this is beneficial in any room, it's especially important in the modern bedroom. With that in mind, we took it upon ourselves to round up 28 of the most unique bedroom lighting ideas to consider in 2022. Whether you're on the hunt for bedside lamps, a central ceiling fixture, or an accent floor lamp, ahead you'll uncover plenty of ways to illuminate one of the most sacred spaces in your home.
Here, designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas proves that you don't have to have various light sources to adequately illuminate a room. Although this Arkansas farmhouse only has two sources of light—the nearly-out-of-sight brass chandelier and the glass bottle table lamp—the room looks fully lit thanks to two well-placed bull's eye mirrors hung above each twin bed.
While on the topic of twin-size beds, take a peek at this ornate blue and white guest bedroom designed by Hutton Wilkinson. Rather than topping off the room with a glimmering brass chandelier, Wilkinson opted for a weathered white antique chandelier, which is the perfect chic-yet-beachy element for this more-is-more Malibu home.
Prefer not to get out of bed to turn your lights on and off? A pair of bedside sconces, like those shown in this Montecito, California cottage bedroom designed by Suzanne Tucker, might be the perfect option for your bedroom lighting goals.
Designed after English designer Oliver Messel’s famed suite at London’s Dorchester hotel, this New Orleans bedroom showcases romantic decor accents that look straight out of Bridgerton and Belgravia. As much as we love the recessed wall for the bed, the matching tapestries behind and above the bed, as well as on the stools at the foot of it, and the Wisteria blooms on the dresser, we can't take our eyes off the whimsical antique chandelier that gives the space an almost ethereal storybook appeal.
New York-baed designer Markham Roberts tastefully marries old and new in this New England Colonial, transforming the bedroom into a historic retreat with modern luxuries. Here, a pair of lighting on each side of the bed allows for an intimate reading light and an extra dose of lamp light when more is needed. Pleated shades in matching styles but varying colors brings out the room's cool-colored details.
"One of the most common lighting mistakes in the bedroom (or any room!) is mixing bulbs of different color temperatures," says Caleb Anderson, co-founder of New York-based design firm, Drake/Anderson. "Flexibility is key when properly lighting a bedroom. We recommend dimmers for all fixtures—including lamps. After all, the lighting levels required for reading a book are different than those needed to create a restful or romantic ambiance."
Anderson also says that lamps play a particularly important role in your bedroom lighting scheme, and he often uses 4-5 lamps throughout a space. Besides bedside lamps, he enjoys utilizing floor, task, and sculptural lamps.
Where better to look for bedroom lighting inspiration than one of the most iconic fabric-covered rooms of all time? Here, Alex Papachristidis' Manhattan bedroom has two oversize sconces flanking his seating area in a complementary print to the Manuel Canovas fabric swathing the room, while a large table lamp with an opposing color scheme sets the mood for when burning the midnight oil is required.
This sun-drenched bedroom resides in a Naples, Florida vacation home masterfully decorated by Summer Thornton. The Chicago-based designer makes the most of dramatically high ceilings in this primary bedroom suite, using an understated yet elegant chandelier to create a sophisticated glow. Bedside lamps are the perfect choice when a softer glow is needed while relishing the last pages of the latest book club pick.
An 18th-century ferryman's cottage in Connecticut was mindfully reimagined by Cathy Kincaid to preserve its history while making it suitable for modern-day living. Here, in the home's primary bedroom, lighting is found in a ceiling fixtures, above-bed sconces, and bedside lamps to ensure that the perfect ambiance can be achieved. Ample lighting options and plenty of sumptuous fabrics throughout the room make it the ultimate haven for its owners.
Designer Alessandra Branca says bedroom lighting is so essential "because it saves marriages and relationships." She always employs dimmers when designing a bedroom lighting scheme because one of the biggest bedroom design mistakes she sees is over-lighting the space and opting for overhead lighting cans.
"I love handmade shades lined in a soft scrim linen, like a pale rosy dawn," Branca says. "I like to paint the inside of laminated shades in gold to give them a golden light."
Here, this Palm Beach bedroom she designed for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House gets plenty of romantic moonlight, thanks to all the outdoor access, but bedside lamps are essential for a softer, golden glow.
This secondary bedroom in architect Ken Pursley's Charlotte home gets sleek, brass sconces on either side of the bed for perfectly illuminating a favorite choice from the room's book collection. Leaving the windows bare allows all the glorious natural light to stream in each morning and linger through sunset.
What better light fixture to use in a Bahamian vacation home by Miles Redd than natural fiber sconces? Symmetry is key in this charming children's bedroom, and placing the light fixtures above the bed also frees up beside space to place a writing desk in between the beds. Charming window treatments add a hint of whimsy while allowing total control over how much of the room's ample natural light is allowed inside.
This inviting bedroom suite in a Bronxville, New York home designed by Carrier & Company is a perfect example of the house's balance of Old-World sophistication and a youthful spirit. A white, sculptural chandelier and two overside lamps residing on metallic bedside tables creates a variety of lighting options at night while Tudor-style iron windows let in just the right amount of light to keep this room feeling vibrant and welcoming.
"When developing a lighting plan for a bedroom with a canopy or tester bed, we always install sconces on the inside of the lining to provide light for late-night reading," says New York-based designer Ashley Whittaker. "Outside of the bed, we still use decorative bedside lamps which help give the room a soft glow."
Whittaker says a common bedroom lighting mistake she sees is when people have installed a single ceiling-mounted fixture, which she says doesn't provide enough ambient lighting on its own. She advises supplying a bedroom with multiple points of light to score just the glow you're jonesing for at any time of day.
This playful bedroom lighting scheme is a fun juxtaposition to a Rue de Rivoli home's 18th-century architecture and rich history. French designer Jean-Louis Deniot leans into unique, sculptural lighting throughout the home, and this main bedroom suite features some of the most bold lighting options. The lacquered “hip hop” pendant is by Hervé Van der Straeten and the oversize yet understated table lamp complements the varying shades of gray used throughout the bedroom.
Designer James Farmer designed this primary bedroom to get just the right amount of morning light for a gentle wake-up call while providing ample bedside lighting for late-night scribbles, conversations, and page-turning. An adjustable sconce next to the bed illuminates the pages of a favorite novel just right, while the addition of a table lamp creates a warmer, more vibrant glow when needed.
This charming son's bedroom in a 1918 Connecticut home designed by Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey hits all the right notes of Colonial American design: stripes, plaids, oil paintings, brown furniture, and primary colors. The two delicate sconces above the bed offers a chic take on a night-light while the stylish bedside lamp is perfect for late-night reading.
"Lighting design is essential in a bedroom because it’s a room where you transition from wake to sleep, sleep to wake, and everything in between," says Pittsburgh-based designer Betsy Wentz. "The room needs [to provide] no light, ambient light and task lighting."
Wentz advises layering your lighting offerings, utilizing a flush mount or chandelier over the bed for general light, bedside sconces or lamps (or both!) for working and reading in bed, and lamps around the room for extra accents. She says it's important to keep in mind that the overhead light and bedside lighting need to be proportional to the size of your bedroom.
This charming guest bedroom in Philip Mitchell's Nova Scotia cottage features a variety of lighting across the space that offers Old-World glamour and ambiance. Two overhead lighting offerings plus small table lamps throughout ensure that achieving the perfect nighttime glow is effortless.
Heavy patterned fabric fans, this one's for you. This delightful guest bedroom in a Manhattan apartment designed by Chiqui Woolworth utilizes an archival English fabric from Scalamandré to adorn the bed's uniquely shaped headboard, bed, and the adjacent sconces for a bold look that doesn't feel loud.
"The biggest mistake you see in a bedroom is not considering how the lights will look while you are lying in bed," says Heide Hendricks of Connecticut-based Hendricks Churchill. "I would avoid installing recessed lighting in the ceiling. Who wants to stare at all of those lights while trying to relax and unwind? The primary position in the bedroom is lying down or reclining to read, so I would advocate for layers of light rather than flooding the room with light from above."
Hendricks says striking up a nice balance of lighting may include opting for one central ceiling light that offers a soft glow, beside table lamps for creating a cozy ambiance, and wall-mounted, low-profile task lights for late-night reading.
This well-collected guest bedroom in fashion designer Karen Kane's Pacific Palisades manse features ultra-sleek, utilitarian sconces that act as a modern foil to the globally inspired patterns and textures throughout the room. An extra bedside lamp ensures a brighter glow can be achieved when desired.
"Generally, a combination of bedside lamps and sconces tend to work really well together," says Holly Waterfield of The Brooklyn Home Company. "Lamps look great with a fabric shade in a bedroom to create a warmer feel, while sconces can be more task-oriented. If you choose to install overhead lighting, I recommend a center mount fixture. You will want to opt for frosted glass, not clear, so that it gives off a softer glow, and put any lighting possible on a dimmer."
This blue bedroom in a colorful Manhattan apartment designed by Chiqui Woolworth gets plenty of natural light in the day time, but heavy-duty window treatments and an abundance of small lamps and sconces ensures a soft, idyllic glow can be created each and every night in this space.
"Bedrooms are used from the start of the day until you put your head on the pillow at night, and the lighting should be from different sources that accommodate the levels—and direction—of illumination needed," says Charlotte-based designed Gray Walker. "I like to have a center chandelier if possible. A custom, pleated shade fixture with a diffuser is a soft look that I love in a bedroom. The diffuser softens and spreads the light more evenly created a warm glow that is especially cozy when softened by the pleats of fabric."
This pretty pink bedroom in a Connecticut home by Miles Redd finds its inspiration in '80s design, and we couldn't love it more. This precious vignette is delicately lit with two pink, pleated sconces on either side to keep reading, writing, and conversing into the wee hours of the night.
"The main bedroom in this Aspen home provides an open and airy respite with a tall vaulted ceiling lined with rustic wood beams," says Melanie Millner of The Design Atelier in Atlanta. "We utilized the client's existing lantern chandelier and painted it black to help fill the expansive volume in the space and make the room feel warm and inviting. The headboard, nightstand and sconces were all custom designed. We had a local blacksmith build the sconce swivel arm and a local vendor made the white linen shade lined with chocolate lace trim. The sconce acts as a reading light at night and offers a soft glow in addition to the overhead lantern."
This fanciful Upper West Side bedroom designed by Sasha Bikoff offers a modern taste of the gardens of Versailles with 18th-century French antiques, a luxurious silk wallcovering, and a statement light fixture above the bed. Two smaller bedside lamps ensure a softer glow will fill the space when needed.