On the hunt for new bedroom light fixtures? I’m sharing tips for choosing the right lighting along with my favorite lighting picks in today’s complete bedroom lighting guide! From bedroom ceiling lights, flush mounts, and fans to bedside lamps and floor lamps, you’ll find all the stylish bedroom lighting you need! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
Ideal bedroom lighting involves layering multiple sources of light with a combination of overhead ambient lighting, bedside lamps, and task lighting. Let’s kick things off with an option for overhead ambient lighting: flush mount light fixtures…
Bedroom Ceiling Light Fixtures: Flush Mounts
Semi-flush or flush mount ceiling lights are the perfect overhead lighting in bedrooms with standard 8′ high ceilings. They provide ambient lighting while allowing ample clearance space to walk underneath them. These flush mounts are my favorite stylish picks in a range of price points:
Sources: 1. Simple brass flush mount | 2. Floral capiz flush mount | 3. Glass star flush mount | 4. Scalloped fabric flush mount | 5. Gold semi flush mount | 6. Scalloped brass flush mount | 7. Fabric shade drum flush mount | 8. Beaded flush mount | 9. Capiz flush mount | 10. Linen & brass semi flush mount | 11. Drum shade flush mount
We had fixture #4 in the primary bedroom of our previous home and I absolutely loved it:
Sources: Upholstered bed (similar) | Gray nightstands | Camp stools (similar) | White lamps (similar) | Duvet – no longer available | Gray & white dragon/floral pillows | Quilt (color is Flagstone) | Drapes (blackout lined) | Diamond jute rug
We also have flush mounts #1, #3, and #5 in other rooms of our home. You can see photos of those fixtures in my detailed post on flush mount ceiling lights.
Bedroom Ceiling Light Fixtures: Pendants & Chandeliers
If your bedrooms have taller ceilings or your bedroom light fixture is going to be over a piece of furniture like the bed where you won’t be walking under it, a chandelier or pendant lighting can be a great choice. These are nine of my favorites:
Sources: 1. Draped wood bead chandelier | 2. Two-tier chandelier with shades | 3. Quatrefoil pendant | 4. Capiz honeycomb pendant | 5. Swoop arm chandelier | 6. Rattan pendant | 7. Beaded chandelier | 8. Wood bead chandelier | 9. Multi-tiered beaded chandelier
We had pendant #3 ({this gold quatrefoil pendant}) as the bedroom light fixture in both of my girls’ rooms in our previous home:
Room Sources: Grasscloth wallpaper (powder blue) | Leather weave bench | Acrylic lamp
We also had light #4 (found {here}) in the 22.5″ size over our kitchen table but I think it would look amazing in a bedroom too!
Sources: Geometric gray rug | Dining table | Large blush abstract framed art | Blue floral framed art | Pink floral framed art | Slipcovered dining chairs (similar) | Table runner no longer available
And we have {this two-tier chandelier (light #2)} in the bedroom of our current home. I LOVE it:
Sources: Upholstered bed (Zuma white fabric) | Nightstands | Blush table lamps | Gray dragon pillow covers | Other bedding – no longer available | White drapes
Bedroom Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans with a light kit are another option for overhead bedroom lighting, especially if you live in the south! Choose a ceiling fan with blades that are at least 7 feet above the floor. If you have standard 8-9′ ceilings, a hugger/low-profile fan is typically the best choice. With higher ceilings, a ceiling fan on a downrod is usually best. If your bedroom ceiling is angled or vaulted, you may need to purchase an angled ceiling light adapter if it’s not included with your fan.
Not sure what size fan to buy? Fans are sized by the number of inches that their blades span. To determine the fan size that’s most appropriate for your space, first determine the square feet of your room by multiplying the room’s length by its width in feet. Then use these suggested guidelines:
- For rooms up to 75 sq ft, choose a 29″ – 36″ fan
- For room 76 to 144 sq ft, choose a 36″ – 42″ fan
- For rooms 145 to 225 sq ft, choose a 44″- 48″ fan
- For rooms 225 to 400 sq ft, choose a 48″- 54″ fan
- For rooms over 400 sq ft, choose a fan that is 54″ or larger.
Finding a stylish ceiling fan with lights used to be an impossible task but some great ones have hit the market more recently. These are eight of my favorites:
Source Links: 1. Globe light ceiling fan | 2. Simple white ceiling fan | 3. Modern slim blade ceiling fan | 4. White & gold ceiling fan | 5. Simple modern ceiling fan | 6. Drum shaped ceiling fan | 7. Acrylic blade ceiling fan | 8. Hugger ceiling fan
I have {this globe light ceiling fan (fan #1)} in one of our bedrooms and love it!:
Room Sources: Framed art print | Gray damask peel & stick wallpaper | Curved wood beds | White chest | White quilts | Tassel duvet covers
This fan has reversible blades which is a pretty cool feature! I have the blades with the white side showing but you can also flip them over for a natural wood look.
In another bedroom we have {this acrylic blade ceiling fan} that’s absolutely gorgeous:
Bedroom Sources: Beadboard bed (weathered white) | Round mirror | Pinch pleat curtains (snow white) | Embroidered stripe pillow shams | Embroidered stripe duvet cover | Blue and white block print pillows (similar) | White tassel pillow | Cane bench | Nightstands | White Lamps (similar)
You can get more details on these ceiling fans and other favorites (both with and without lights) in my post on ceiling fans for bedrooms.
Bedside Light Fixtures: Table Lamps & Wall Mounted Lights
Assuming there’s space in your bedroom, it’s best to have a bedside light fixture on both sides of the bed. But just one lamp is fine in rooms such as kids rooms where there’s only one person per bed. One tricky thing about shopping for bedside lamps is that there is a lot of variability in lamp heights. Ideally the bottom of the shade of your lamp should be just below eye level when sitting next to it. These are my ten stylish favorites:
Sources: 1. Crackled white ceramic lamp | 2. Blue triple gourd lamp | 3. Blue/white chinoiserie lamps | 4. White & brass lamp | 5. Blush round glass lamp | 6. Ceramic tassel lamp | 7. Blush gourd lamp | 8. White ceramic lamp | 9. Acrylic urn lamp | 10. Ceramic trellis lamp
In our current bedroom, we have {these bedside lamps} which are a big splurge but I’m obsessed with them – they’re so gorgeous!
Another option for bedside lighting is wall mounted swing arm lamps. You could also hang small pendants on either side of the bed if you’re tight on space. The primary bedroom in our previous home was quite small so I used {these} wall-mounted lights as our bedside lamps. They’re super versatile because they swing left and right for reading and are adjustable in height:
If you’re using wall mounted lighting like this in a bedroom, the ideal height to mount them depends upon the position you’re usually in when using them (i.e. do you read laying down or sitting up). A good trick is to get in your normal reading position, and measure from the floor to just above shoulder height – this measurement is a good mounting height for your lights.
Want to see other bedside lamp options? Check out my post on bedroom lamps for more table and floor lamp picks.
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Bedroom Light Fixtures: Floor Lamps
Floor lamps are a nice addition to bedrooms, especially if you have a reading or conversation area with 1-2 chairs. In really small bedrooms, you could even forego your nightstand and use a floor lamp next to your bed. These ten floor lamps are all beautiful options:
Sources: 1. Open circle floor lamp | 2. Simple modern floor lamp | 3. Stacked bead floor lamp | 4. Brass hinged floor lamp | 5. Brass + white floor lamp | 6. Brass tripod lamp | 7. Telescoping floor lamp | 8. Floor lamp with table | 9. Wood tripod floor lamp | 10. Modern ash base floor lamp
I have {this brass/white floor lamp (lamp #5)} in the corner of our bedroom by a chair for a little reading nook. I love that it’s a style that would work with almost any bedroom colors and furniture pieces:
A Few Last Lighting Tips!
That wraps up my favorite bedroom light fixtures! I’ll leave you with two last lighting tips:
- All of your bedroom lighting doesn’t have to be exactly the same finish and style. It’s ok to mix metals in a room (for example, brass in some spots and nickel in others). Some good basic rules if you struggle with mixing metals is to have each metal in more than one spot (like a brass light fixture plus brass knobs on a cabinet) and stick with just 1-2 different metal finishes in a room (some rooms look great with more but it’s a little harder to pull off well).
- When choosing lighting, don’t worry too much about the maximum wattage of the light fixture. While it used to be important with incandescent bulbs, it’s different now that LED bulbs are the standard. Even LED bulbs with high light output are low in watts, so you can usually make even low wattage fixtures work in your space.
I hope you all found this bedroom lighting guide to be helpful!
