Bedroom lighting design is an important part of creating a comfortable and functional space. Whether you want to create a cosy atmosphere or an entertaining ambience, the right lighting can make a big difference to the overall look of a room. In this blog post, we'll outline aspects of bedroom lighting design and offer tips and ideas for achieving the perfect lighting.
Light is one of the main drivers of our circadian rhythm and has a significant impact on our overall health and well-being. Bedroom lighting is often overlooked when designing lighting for your home - it is, after all, a room where darkness is usually the goal - but it's important to manage light properly in the bedroom to make it easier for you to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night.
Bedroom lighting according to use
First of all, it is important to think about the primary functions of the bedroom and how lighting can support them. For example, do you need effective task lighting for reading, craft work or getting ready in front of a mirror in the morning? Or are you looking for a softer, more atmospheric light for relaxation?
By taking into account the main functions of the room and using a combination of different light sources, you can create lighting that meets your needs and enhances the overall atmosphere of the room. Remember to also take into account the colour temperature of the lamps and the role of natural light in the room. With the right lighting design, you can create a relaxing and inviting escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Bedroom lighting design - types of lighting
Ceiling lighting, such as a suspended ceiling light or chandelier, can provide general illumination throughout a room and has often been the primary source of light in bedrooms. Choose a light that is appropriate for the size of the room and consider adding a dimmer switch to better control the light level. A popular solution is the plafond for the bedroom.
Wall lights can be great for evening activities such as reading. They also add a decorative touch to the room. They can be fixed directly to the wall or to the bed headboard. A popular solution is reading lights on the wall. The lights can either have a plug-in cable ready, or in a new building the wiring can be brought to the desired point in the wall, in which case the installation is fixed.
Table lamps, which can be placed on a bedside table or other surface, are a versatile lighting option that can provide both reading and general lighting. Choose a lamp with a dimmer for flexibility. Also use a light-coloured shade to avoid shadows that interfere with reading.
In addition to these light sources, you should also consider accent lighting to add visual interest and highlight certain areas of the room. This means using LED strip lighting in indirect structures such as downlights or plinths. You can also use an LED strip attached to shelves to give light to your cabinetry.
Coloured lights for the bedroom
Children's bedrooms especially need something cool: RGB light in the bedroom! It is very popular to use coloured lights in children's rooms to create a cosy atmosphere. This use of coloured lights in bedrooms was inspired by videos of popular tuba players. From computer colour lights, the idea then spread to the whole room. In children's rooms, RGB LED strips are always placed for indirect lighting, with light coming through the surfaces. Fortunately, good quality RGB led strips also provide good white light.
Bedroom indirect lighting
As in other rooms in the home, layering works in the bedroom. Separating general lighting, accent lighting and task lighting into their own groups will help you get the most out of your bedroom lighting. Layering is the key to effective bedroom lighting design.
The most popular way of lighting a bedroom is indirect lighting combined with reading lights. Indirect lighting in the bedroom gives the room an atmospheric look and with the right placement of the lights, you can make your space truly enjoyable and add luxury to your home. Downlights either from the edges of the room or from the centre of the room are an easy way to implement indirect lighting in the bedroom.
Indirect lighting in the bedroom can also be retrofitted. Read about this item in our other blog article, where the indirect lighting was installed after everything else was ready.
Quiet bedroom
A peaceful bedroom can be achieved with indirect or spot lighting. Indirect light in front of curtains or on the ceiling brings light into a space where the light source is hidden, helping to create a sensory-friendly atmosphere. One of the easiest ways to use lighting to create ambience is to use dimmers and get temperature-controlled lights.
The narrow angle lighting in the alcove can help you relax, as the space is dim outside the spotlight. When designing accent lighting, it is a good idea to know the room's furnishings fairly precisely, unless there is a directional light source in the target light.
Bedroom lighting in different areas
If your bedroom functions as more than just a bedroom, you'll want to add even more flexibility to your lighting design by creating zones. The amount of light can easily be adjusted to give different amounts of light to different areas.
Task lighting for bedroom
Experts do not usually recommend combining work and sleep in the bedroom, but sometimes it is unavoidable and nowadays, with the rise of teleworking, it is popular. If your bedroom also serves as a workspace, you need to design in more light that can be focused and directed.
For task lighting, the best light would be cooler, at least 4 000 Kelvin. The placement of these lights should take into account in advance where you will place your desk, and creating a separate work area with lighting can help keep your workspace separate from your sleeping area.
Tips for working light support in the bedroom:
- A light on your desk or hanging on your desk helps you concentrate on your work
- Position the light so that it does not reflect off the computer screen
The best solution is a combination of downlights and indirect light, which can be freely temperature controlled and dimmed as needed. In other words, the same lighting can provide warm or cool depending on your needs!
Wardrobe lighting
The same applies to wardrobes and closets. Well-placed lights help to create good lighting without creating shadows. Point the lamps downwards so that the light is directed at your wardrobe and not your eyes.
Only use lights with a high CRI or colour rendering index - this will help you wear what you're supposed to, so you don't accidentally walk out the door in the wrong colour suit. :) So good quality light helps you see better.
LED strip lights in profile are adaptable and easy to mount on the ceiling or in a cabinet. The ceiling provides a modern beam of light that illuminates the space. In wardrobes, it is usually mounted above the bar or in front of the top shelf to illuminate clothes.
Tips for wardrobe lighting:
- Use motion detectors for plinth lights to create access to space, but not too much light
- Door sensors allow you to create an easy-to-use light in your cupboard by opening the door
Bed lighting
Floodlighting is often used for reading, so it works in the same way as task lighting. However, unlike task lighting in the bedroom, bed lighting should avoid blue light in the evening because it has a stimulating effect. Preferably, choose warm whites with a low colour temperature of no more than 3000 K.
Tips for bed lighting:
- Soft lighting from the sides prevents the light from shining in your eyes. So use wall lights over the bedside table, or an easily directed reading light.
- If you have a smaller bedroom, consider installing narrow downlights on top of your bedside table. That way your lamps don't take up valuable desk space.
The brightness and colour temperature of a lamp can both have a positive or negative effect on your activity and your ability to wake up in the morning or fall asleep at night. When choosing the right lights for your bedroom lighting, you need to consider both the lumens and the colour temperature of the light.
Lumen in the bedroom
When LEDs are very energy efficient, looking at watts in the traditional way doesn't help. Lumens are used.
For example, the total number of lumens in a 12m2 bedroom (between all the lamps in your space) will vary between about 2 000 and 4 000, depending on the size of the space, the way it is used and your personal preferences. Different light intensities are recommended for different uses and lighting zones:
- Night lights 50-100 Lumens
- Cabinet lighting 300-400 Lumens
- Dressing room lighting 1000 Lumens
- Task area lighting +1000 Lumens
Colour temperature in the bedroom
Colour temperature is one of the most important aspects of bedroom lighting, as it can have a significant impact on our wakefulness and productivity.
2500-3500K Warm light helps you fall asleep and relax, and creates a cosy atmosphere.
4000K-6500K Cooler white and blue light have been shown to promote alertness by inhibiting melatonin production, making them ideal for task lighting in the workspace.
The right solution for multi-purpose spaces is always to use CCT LED lights. This ensures that the amount of light and the temperature of the light is right for each task.
What does it cost to light a bedroom?
Are you ready to design your bedroom lighting? Then you're probably wondering how much will bedroom lighting cost? The cost of bedroom lighting is affected by the use of the space. Is it just a bedroom with a pendant light slot and floor lamps? Will there be indirect light, etc... Here is an example where lighting was added to a bedroom as a retrofit! Read about the project and costs here.
Different types of bedroom lights and their use in bedroom lighting design
Finally, here is a summary of the types of lighting used in the bedroom. By choosing the right lamps for your bedroom lighting, you can create a functional and atmospheric ensemble.
Indirect light: indirect light creates limitless solutions to create mood. Wall lighting through the ceiling or ceiling lighting through the walls. Indirect light is usually always built with downlights and an LED strip in profile. Indirect light can also be retrofitted with a profile. LED PROFILE
Spotlights: spotlights are lights used to highlight specific features or areas. They are mounted on the ceiling like general lighting spots, but have a narrow beam. LINJA SPOTIT.
General lights: general lights are spotlights or ceiling lights with a wider beam for the bedroom. As their name suggests, they bring general light into a space. SUBMERSIBLE SPOTS.
Step lights: step lights are small, low-level lights used to illuminate a corridor or pathway. They can be embedded in walls so that people can navigate safely in the dark. INWALL
Wall lights: wall lights are lights mounted on the walls of a room. They can be used for general lighting or to create atmosphere. FUNK WALL
Pendant lights: pendant lights are decorative lights that are often used to add atmosphere to outdoor spaces. They can be hung from the roof of a porch or covered terrace. SUMMARY
See also these articles on lighting design:
10 tips for bedroom lighting design
How to choose the right lighting for your children's room?
How does home lighting design affect you?
Led lighting expert
LedStore has been an expert in LED lighting and lighting design since 2010. We have our own product design, so our products are technologically state-of-the-art. We are also very familiar with bedroom lighting design.
We focus on temperature-controlled and high colour rendering luminaires, so they work brilliantly in the modern bedroom, which is often also a multi-functional space. We do around 500 lighting designs for our clients' sites. Read more here or order a lighting design
We offer a service of custom-made LED strips, i.e. custom-made LED strips in aluminium profile. Also installed. Did you know? LedStore offers lighting design from 169 euros for the whole house!
Remember that we are always ready to offer our help to you along the way, by email (myynti@ledstore.fi) and by phone (045 251 4510). As always, feel free to share pictures of your own projects on social media using #ledstorefi on IG and ledstorefinland on FB. We love to see the cool things done by our LEDs, and it also helps to provide inspiration for those who are not sure about the power and awesomeness of LEDs. Did you know that we already have over 3 500 pictures of our LED installations in our Gallery!
A photo gallery of LED lights to help you plan your bedroom lighting:
Product gallery: Pictures of PRODUCTS in different installation locations
Indirect light: Indirect light in different spaces
Room-specific: Light in different rooms
References: Complete houses that have been photographed
1. Mikä on tärkein asia, joka kannattaa huomioida makuuhuoneen valaistuksessa?
The most important thing is the versatility and adjustability of the lighting. A bedroom needs both soft mood lighting for relaxation and sufficient light for dressing or cleaning. A single ceiling light is usually not enough - you should combine general lighting, reading lights and indirect lighting.
2. Millainen valon väri sopii parhaiten makuuhuoneeseen?
Warm white light (around 2500-3000 K) is the best choice for the bedroom because it calms and supports the body's natural circadian rhythm. If you want to adjust the shade of light according to the situation, choose CCT adjustable LED lights.
3. Voiko makuuhuoneen valaistusta ohjata älykkäästi?
Yes you can - and it pays off. For example, smart lighting allows you to dim the lights towards the evening, or time them to wake you up. You can control the lights with your phone, voice commands or automatically with a motion sensor. LedStore offers smart lighting solutions for both new and existing homes.
4. Millaiset lukuvalot sopivat makuuhuoneeseen ja miten ne kannattaa sijoittaa?
A good reading light should be directional, glare-free and bright enough to read without disturbing another sleeper. Wall-mounted LED reading lights are an excellent choice, saving space on the bedside table and providing focused light. The light can have a flexible arm or fixed orientation, and many models also have a dedicated circuit breaker. Reading lights should be positioned just above the shoulder, about 60-80 cm above the mattress, so that the light hits the reading material directly.
5. Miten epäsuora valaistus toimii makuuhuoneessa ja miksi se kannattaa?
Indirect lighting brings soft, glare-free light into the bedroom and creates a peaceful atmosphere. It works particularly well behind the headboard, at the ceiling or above a wardrobe. Indirect lighting with LED strips can be adjusted to provide a dimmed night light or a brighter general light. The light is reflected through the wall or ceiling, making it pleasant and even. Indirect lighting does not strain the eyes and is ideal for evening use or as a wake-up aid. The lights can be connected to a control system, allowing the lighting to be adjusted by remote control or app. Indirect lighting can also be timed to come on in the morning on waking, and dim towards the evening to create a warmer atmosphere, supporting rest and recovery. Indirect lighting gives your bedroom a hotel-like feel and a polished look.
