5 bright ideas to enhance your bedroom

Idea 1: a backlit headboard

An LED strip hidden behind the headboard, in a recess or above a panel, draws a soft halo on the wall. It is the ideal light for going to bed: indirect, with no light source shining in your eyes.

Choose a 2700 K strip in a profile with a diffuser, with a dimmable power supply that is compatible with your dimmer, or a low-voltage dimmer placed between the power supply and the strip. The strip should never be visible from the bed: only its reflection on the wall matters.

Idea 2: a reading light on each side

An adjustable reading wall light lights your book without waking the other person, unlike a bedside lamp, which spreads light across the whole room. Fix it about 50–60 cm above the mattress, set slightly back, and choose a model with a built-in switch so you can turn it off without getting up.

Idea 3: pendants instead of bedside lamps

Pendants hung on either side of the bed free up the bedside table and instantly give the room the feel of a hotel. Let them drop to about 50–70 cm above the bedside table, with a shade or glass that hides the bulb when you are lying down.

Amber glass warms the light, smoked glass softens it, and wood gives it a hushed, muted quality.

As for size, a pendant 15–25 cm in diameter is enough above a standard bedside table. Plan the cable outlet in the ceiling before the works, or use a pendant with a swag cable and a hook so you can shift it over the bedside table.

Idea 4: a feature wall

A brick wall, a plaster finish, a wallpaper or a painting above the bed deserves its own light. A few adjustable spotlights, track-mounted or recessed and placed close to the wall, create grazing light that reveals the texture. The rest of the room can then stay softly lit.

Idea 5: lighting scenes and controls from the bed

The best bedroom lighting can be controlled without getting up. Install two-way switching: you switch on as you come in and switch off from the bed. Add a dimmer to the main lighting (choose one that works with two-way switching, or a push-button dimmer) and, if you wish, “reading”, “relaxing” and “night” scenes with smart lighting.

And the walk-in wardrobe?

In a walk-in wardrobe, the light must show the true colours of your clothes: a 3000–4000 K LED strip with a CRI (Ra) of 90 or higher, placed at the front of the shelves or on the uprights, and controlled by a door-opening or presence sensor.

• No light source visible from the bed.
• Warm light (2700 K) for the evening.
• One switch at the entrance and one near the bed.
• A dimmer on the main light.
• True white light in the walk-in wardrobe.