Wall Lights for Bedroom

Wall lights for the bedroom: 95 bedside sconces, reading arms and ambient fixtures. A pair of wall lights beside the bed does two things a table lamp cannot. It frees up both nightstands, and it puts the light behind your book instead of in your eyes.

The right height for a bedside sconce

Mount at 150–160 cm from the floor, and 10–15 cm out from the edge of the mattress. That puts the switch in reach while you are sitting up against the headboard, and keeps the shade out of the way when you get in and out. If you read sitting upright, aim the light so the bottom of the shade is roughly level with your shoulder. Any higher and it shines on your face rather than the page.

Reading light or ambient light

A swing-arm or rotating sconce is what you want if you actually read in bed: you can pull it over the page and push it back out of the way, and a partner sleeping next to you stays in the dark. A fixed globe or cylinder gives soft ambient light for the whole room but is not bright enough to read by for long. Plenty of people fit one of each.

No wiring in the wall

Plug-in sconces hang on one screw and run a cord to the nearest socket. No electrician needed, which makes them the right answer in a rental. Rechargeable models need nothing at all: a magnetic plate on the wall, USB charging, and you lift the light off when it runs low. Both are well represented here.

Dimming matters more than brightness

A bedroom light you cannot dim is a bedroom light you will stop using. Several models here have a built-in dimmer or a stepped touch switch; for the rest, use a dimmable 2700K bulb on a dimmer switch. Avoid anything above 3000K beside a bed. Cool light suppresses melatonin and makes the room feel like an office.

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