Bedroom Lighting Ideas
Lighting your bedroom is important for making the room comfortable and inviting. If you spend a lot of time in your bedroom, you are going to want to make it as comfortable as possible. Therefore, you should put some seriously consideration into how you will light the space. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time in your room now, you will once you love the lighting and feel at home there.
So what types of lighting should you use in your bedroom? How can you get the ultimate comfort and ambiance? It is all about the balance. You want to balance artificial light with natural light. Take note of where natural light is prevalent in your room and where you may need ambient light, task lighting and even accent lighting. Make sure you can control how much the sun shines by decorating your windows with curtains or shades.
Just like the sunshine, you want to make sure the lights inside your room can be soft and subtle as well as strong and bright. If you want an extra soft, ambient touch, use two lamps on either side of the bed. If these are the only two lights you use in the room, you will create a calm, soft atmosphere. If all you have is an overhead light, use a dimmer switch to set the mood or install a shade.
Task lighting is also helpful when figuring out what to wear or when applying make-up. Use task lights at the dressing table. Your dressing table’s lights should be evenly spaced on the sides of the mirror or on top. Incandescent lights work best since they won’t trick you when putting on your make-up. Make-up that looks right under halogen bulbs will look heavy under fluorescent and vice-versa. Also, if your room functions as a study or library, a table lamp at the desk or floor lamp at your chair function as task lamps.
Accent lighting is where you may find yourself getting the most creative. If you are the type to pay attention to detail, you may want to line windows with dim lights. Or if you have a painting that you want to show off, you can mount wall sconces on either side. A ceiling fan provides accent and also helps you stay cool during hot summer days.
One other thing you may want to think about is who you’re designing the bedroom for. If it is a child's room, then the child may need light by his or her desk for doing homework. If it is an elderly person, the more light the better since he or she may have weaker vision. Always think about the needs of the person sleeping in the bedroom.
