Lighting is one of the most important home decor selections you can make. Each piece should be both beautiful and functional - but first you have to decide how you want it to function! For example, do you read in bed? Or do you just need a light to guide you to the bed? Understanding how you will use the room will always help you make the right selections. Here are the top 3 lighting selections that are perfect for your bedside!

1. Accent Lighting

This is the most common type of lighting in a room, period, and it usually involves a lovely lamp. It’s also a very versatile type of light because it can provide illumination, offer a nice reading light, or give you a softer glow when you’re starting to wind down for the evening. The key here, though, is to get the height right. There’s nothing worse than sitting in bed and having a glaring bare bulb right in your eyes. So be sure the lamp’s height and the table’s height will give you that perfect fit.

2. Ambient Lighting

Ambient light gives you an overall and uniform glow in the room. It’s definitely going to be softer than having the overhead light on, and it should also make a statement. I love to use hanging pendants over the bedside tables. They look fantastic and they offer that soft and pretty light you need in the evening or when you first wake up.

3. Reading Light

I love to read in bed, and a lot of my clients do, too. In that case, it’s great to have a light on an extendable arm that can be moved and adjusted to put the light right on the page you’re reading. I love the swing arm lights above that I used in a mountain retreat in Telluride. They will allow guests to position the light where it’s most needed. And it can be pulled over the desk if someone wants to write a letter or work on their computer.

One more thing to consider when it comes to your bedside and lighting is to install switches next to the bed that will allow you to control all the lighting without having to leave the bed. You can see those switches in the principal bedroom of my Double U Ranch project above!

Use these tips to make the most out of your bedroom lighting!

Warmly,

Beth