What to Consider When Planning Bedroom Lighting Design

April 10, 2018

There are so many nuances to keep track of when designing a custom home, it’s tough to keep up! One of the little things that slip through the cracks is the bedroom lighting design. Homeowners are often left with last-minute lamps that don’t turn out the way they wanted. Instead of risking buyer’s remorse over a bad lighting fixture, here a few things to consider when planning your bedroom lighting design:

1. Bedroom Size

The size of your bedroom has a big effect on the type of lighting required. The bigger the room, the more lighting is required to fully illuminate it. If you have a relatively cozy-sized room with just enough space for your bed, dresser, and nightstand, simple lighting should be enough.

For example, wall-mounted 60-watt fixtures or even a table-side lamp would be adequate lighting for a smaller bedroom. For a larger room, it would be safer to go with more lighting options. Using a chandelier or recessed lighting with floor lamps may be a better option for larger rooms.

2. The Right Kind of Light

Having harsh overhead fluorescent light isn’t ideal for where you sleep. On the other hand, a tiny 40-watt bulb table lamp will strain your eyes during bedtime reading. In addition, it’s not something we think about too often, but the type of bulbs you use can affect a myriad of things. For example, your mood can be altered depending on the type of bulbs you use.

Natural light has the most beneficial effects on the body, so the right positioning of your custom home and also skylights are extremely useful. However, once the sun sets they’re rendered useless. The good news is, there are daylight bulbs on the market that mimic sunlight the best way they can. Using a broader spectrum of colors, they provide the body with more enriched illumination and reduce eye strain.

Consider what you want to provide light for in your bedroom. Will there be artwork on the walls you want to illuminate? Will you have a small area you’ll be working? Do you want to have a space for reading? All of these considerations may change the type and location of lighting you use to achieve the effects you want and can also help you evaluate track lighting and recessed lighting.

You may find recessed lights alone will give you the atmosphere you want. Or, if you don’t need a lot of overhead lighting, you may find a combination of table and floor lamps will be sufficient. Matching wall lighting is one of the modern bedroom design ideas that could be a good fit for your bedroom lighting design.

3. Controlling Switches

When considering bedroom lighting design, always factor in the distance between your bed and the light switch. There’s nothing more irritating than finally laying down, getting comfortable, and then realizing you need to get out of bed to go turn off the light.

No matter what fixtures you choose for your bedroom, make sure there is a switch is near your bed. On top of that, you can integrate some smart home technology for your bedroom that will allow you to manage the lighting from your smartphone.

The lighting options you make can change, make, or break the atmosphere of a room. At Custom Home Group, we’ll make sure your home turns out exactly how you envision it. Contact us at 717-284-4090 to start planning your perfect custom home!