Your bedroom should be the nicest room in the house and your safe haven from all the daily stress. To this end, while a comfy bed and soft pillows are required, the right lighting contributes significantly to the overall effects. It’s like the ambience of a restaurant; turning on dim lights can make the couple feel nervous and sensual; in the same way, good lighting in the bedroom creates a good mood for sleep.
Here, you will find some of the best bedroom lighting ideas for relaxation, with clear instructions – even if you’re new to the topic. We will look at various types of lighting, including bedside lamps and ambient lighting, and demonstrate how dimmers can enhance your space. Let’s dive in!
Why is Lighting So Important?
Before delving deeper into the details, let us briefly examine why we need to be so concerned with the kind of lights to use.
Did you know our bodies have a natural clock called the circadian rhythm? This clock informs us when to be active when to be passive, when to be alive, and when to be dead. Light is believed to have a big role in controlling this clock.
To be more specific, bright and cool sources of artificial light, similar to sunlight, tell our brain that it is currently daytime. This light increases our alertness and productivity, which is good during the day but not so friendly when one wants to sleep at night.
On the other end of the spectrum, warm, dim light tells our brains it is night. This assists our bodies to secrete melatonin, a hormone that makes the body sleepy. Therefore, using the proper kind of light in your bedroom will aid your body to relax and prepare for sleep.
Layering Your Lighting: The Key to Relaxation
In the same way, you don’t wear your winter coat during the summer, and you do not stay in your bedroom with only one light source. Lighting fabric is also utilised effectively through discrete layering of various light sources. Think of it like this:
Ambient Lighting
This is your ambient lighting, your general or the overall lighting of your room. It makes the room light up in a gentle haze as if from a source like the sun on an overcast day.
Task Lighting
This is focused on particular activities, such as reading while in bed.
Accent Lighting
This draws attention to things in our room, such as paintings or plants.
When implemented together, the various layers will give one a coherent living space with an aesthetic appeal that can easily be categorised as suitable for resting.
Ambient Lighting: Setting the Mood
There is no bedroom without ambient lighting, which forms the first level of the room’s lighting. Most rooms are lit by ambience lighting, which is the floor level of the room’s lighting. Ideally, it should be lower and scattered, giving sufficient illumination to avoid disturbing while moving in the space and being comfortable. Here are a few ideas:
Flush Mount Ceiling Lights
These fixtures are mounted directly to a ceiling or installed in a ceiling system. Please select ones with frosted glass or fabric shade because the light emitted would be softer.
Semi-Flush Mount Lights
These sag a little under the ceiling and work well, especially if your ceilings are low.
Chandeliers: Although these lights are popular in dining areas, especially dining rooms, appropriate placements of chandeliers can put both decor and calmness in a bedroom. If you can’t afford a large chandelier, you should go for one with a warm-colored light bulb.
Pendant Lights:
These are fitted on the ceiling and can be made to provide a center of attraction in the room. Two works will look and feel well-balanced if one is hung on the side of the bed.
Pro Tip: Do not use cool basins such as the ones that give a clear, brilliant light as the ambient lighting source. The lamp color should be warm (you should buy bulbs with a yellow or orange light) to give a warm and comfortable feeling.
Task Lighting: Bedside Lamps and Beyond
Another type of lighting is task lighting, used for reading, writing, or getting to sleep. Bedside lamps are the most common choice, but there are other options to consider:
Bedside Lamps
Switch off ambient light to avoid choosing lamps that shed light on the surrounding environment by buying lamps with opaque shades that direct light downwards. Swivelling lamps can be adjusted to the position of the light.
Wall-Mounted Sconces
These help clear the nightstand space and shed a good light for reading.
Floor Lamps
A standard issue is a floor lamp placed beside a reading chair or a corner to make it a reading nook.
Pro Tip: Opting for bulbs with the highest CRI for task-related lighting would be advisable. CRI measures how well a light source can replicate the appearance of objects or objects’ colour. At the same time, using bulbs with a high CR makes it easy to seed the bulbs and prevent eye problems.
Best Bedroom Lighting Ideas for Relaxation
Accent Lighting: Adding Personality and Depth
Accent lighting in the bedroom also creates an interesting and provides depth to the bedroom design. It can capture architectural details, paintings, murals, or even the view from your computer overlooking your beautiful greenhouse plant. Here are some ideas:
Recessed Lighting:
These are small built-in sources of light in the ceiling, which one may use to point out items or areas of the room.
Track Lighting:
This track has many lights; you can customise where the light falls.
String Lights:
Although fairy lights or string lights are typically children’s ornaments, they make the setting magical and calm.
Candles:
It’s not exactly ‘lighting,’ but candles produce a friendly, warm light and an ambient aroma suitable for relaxation.
Pro Tip: Experience the effect of using different types of accent lighting that will help set the mood of the ambience. If you don’t like one style or don’t want to be too formal, don’t be afraid to use other styles as well!
Dimmers: The Hidden Gem to Take the Stress Off
The most valuable tool for planning and regulating the bedroom’s atmosphere is dimmers.
They enable you to put your light on and off astutely, which creates an apt atmosphere according to the mood. Imagine this:
Bright Light in the Morning
When you wake up, they can minimise the dim lights to assist you when you need an alert feeling.
Dimmed Light in the Evening
This can be achieved by switching off the body’s natural rhythm with the light as a natural indicator of when it is time to go to sleep.
Low Light for Reading
Sit comfortably so that you don’t have to adjust to reading with the required light.
Minimal Light for Sleep
Reduce the brightness of the lamps to the lowest level or even switch the lamps fully if you want to sleep well.
Pro Tip: Some producers nowadays integrate their dimmers with the home assistant software so you can control them via voice or an application installed on your smart device.
Choosing the Right Bulbs: Color Temperature Matters
We have discussed the warm-toned lighting, but let us go into more detail about colour temperature. Shunt refers to the ratio of a measure to its total possible range and is expressed in per cent. Here’s a simple guide:
Warm White (2700K – 3000K): This is the least stressful colour temperature, giving a yellow or orange light. They are more appropriate for use in bedrooms and living rooms.
Cool White (3500K – 4100K): This light has little energy and is suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
Daylight (5000K – 6500K): This is best suited for working areas or places where you must complete tasks requiring concentration.
Pro Tip: Buy bulbs labelled “relaxing” or “sleep” marked on their pack. These bulbs may also be intended to produce a relaxing red light.
Beyond the Basics: Additional Features for the Best Massage
Here are a few more ideas to take your bedroom lighting to the next level:
Smart Bulbs:
These bulbs can be operated using your smartphone or voice, so you can always change their colour and brightness to suit your needs. That is why you can have programs to lower brightness at night automatically.
Himalayan Salt Lamps:
These lamps produce a dim red-orange light and are said to clean the air.
Blackout Curtains:
Although technically not a light, blackout curtains are extremely helpful for eliminating external light and getting a good night’s rest.
Conclusion
Lighting is a perfect tool when it comes to the formation of a comfortable atmosphere in the bedroom.
Incorporating ambient lighting, task lighting, accent lighting, dimmers, and warm natural light can create the perfect bedroom environment.
We recommend trying out different options and establishing the best policy. Still, your bedroom must be where you want to go and feel a real desire to rest.