15 Modern Bedroom Lighting Ideas 2023 with Images

Lightning Ideas to Transform Bedroom

When you are sleeping, you’d prefer a dark room. But what about those hours spent in your bedroom when you are awake? Reading, dressing up for work, relaxing — your bedroom is a busy place when you are awake. All these activities require a well-lit room — one that has various sources of light, right from the ceiling to the bedside. Lighting is a powerful tool to add luxury and boost your bedroom’s décor.

Modern Bedroom Lighting Ideas

Check out these lighting ideas for bedroom that are sure to fill in elegance and glam:

No more struggling for options

While planning your bedroom lighting ideas, you must keep one thing in mind — it’s much more than just adding bedside table lamps. Follow our 15-point guide and choose the right lighting for your bedroom. From bedroom lighting ideas for ceiling to fairy lights bedroom ideas, there is something for every taste and style.

The right kind of lighting can create the right mood

Personalise your bedroom with pendant lights

Pendant lights are those that hang from the ceiling on a chain or a rod. Though they are usually seen in the kitchen, you can include them in your bedroom décor to boost your style. Versatile and functional, these hanging lights help free up valuable space. If fitted at the right places, they can add to the fashion quotient of the room. You can also fit pendants to hang low at the bedsides. If you want bling written all over it, choose a shiny metallic finish. For an aesthetic look, opt for something made of porcelain for an artisan effect.

Hanging from the ceiling, pendant lights help free up valuable space

Explore rope or fairy lighting 

Rope or fairy lighting, if placed properly in the bedroom, can play a huge role in creating the right mood for relaxation. You can run these lights on the sides of your bed or fix them to the back of a headboard. Available in various cable sizes, you can also fix these lights to the ceiling to add a magical glow to the entire room. In your kids’ room, these lights help create a fantasy wonderland.

You can run rope lights anywhere in the bedroom, from the sides of the bed to behind the headboard

Stylish ceiling fans with lights 

Ceiling fans with built-in lights serve a dual purpose — they make the room airy and provide overhead lighting. For a soothing feel, choose a fan where the bulbs are covered by a shade.

Ceiling fans lights make a room airy and provide overhead lighting

Go bold with chandeliers

To inject luxury into a bedroom, look no beyond than chandeliers. They add glamour, drama, and elegance to a room. For a bedroom, choose a smaller fixture, something that is around 20 inches in diameter. If you want to go a bit bold and make your bedroom feel more spacious and inviting, opt for an oversized beaded chandelier, around 30 inches across. If your bedroom has a sitting area, use a chandelier to define that space.

Chandeliers inject luxury into a bedroom

Recessed lighting for that subtle illumination

Your bedroom gets a lot of natural light during the day, but what about the night? This is where recessed lights — also called can lights, downlights, or spotlights — become an important choice. They work well with other types of ceiling lights, and also provide the illusion of the ceiling being higher than it is. In an average-size bedroom, four to eight lights are sufficient, but they must be positioned around the perimeter. For walk-in or large closets, recessed lights are the best choice.

Recessed lights provide the illusion of a ceiling being higher than it is

Track lighting for that contemporary touch

If you wish to draw attention to that artwork or highlight some special features within a given space in your bedroom, affix track lights. These lights, fixed to a metal track on the ceiling or wall, act as a subdued version of ambient lighting and give off a pleasant glow. They work best in a minimalist bedroom with a high ceiling. Even these are a good choice for large walk-in closets.

Track lights draw attention to a specific feature within a given space in your bedroom

Bedside lamp for late-night bookworms

These lamps have existed for years and have been the choice of millions of homeowners. Every bedroom needs a bedside lamp, and it’s a key element of décor. Choose a design that is practical and make sure it complements your bedside table in terms of style and size. If it’s a large lamp, place it on a big bedside table so it looks well balanced. For comfortable bedtime reading, choose a lamp that is a few inches taller than the nightstand. This will keep the light out of your eyes.

Consider a floor lamp

A floor lamp is an important aspect of bedroom décor. Used alongside wall lights, floor lamps add height to the décor. As the name suggests, these lamps are floor-mounted and about 4-6 feet tall. There are endless choices in the market, and you can match any decorating theme. Few floor lamps also come with adjustable heads, making it easy for you to direct light wherever you want. Such lamps can be used to illuminate the reading nook or any seating area in the bedroom.

Floor lamps, used alongside wall lights, enhance the décor of a bedroom

Wall sconces for a personalised ambience

Add style to your bedroom with exquisite wall sconces. Originally made to hold candles, scones have evolved over time to hold lights. Sconces are usually fixed on either side of the bed. If you think bedside lamps may clutter your bedroom, use scones instead. Fix them close enough to your bed, so you can reach them easily. From sleek to rustic, you can take your pick from a range of styles. You can choose those with small shades or opt for bold frosted balloon sconces in black and white.

Exquisite wall sconces such as these add style to the bedroom

Ceiling lights to up the design potential

The ceiling light is another popular bedroom lighting choice. Choose from the thousands of variants available in the market — metallic brass, chrome, matte black, handmade glass, porcelain, acrylic, etc. Though you will find the widest range of designs in this lighting category, most of those are suited to other rooms of your house. So, be careful while choosing a design for the bedroom. For a large bedroom, pick a large design. If the bedroom is small, opt for a simple fixture.

Ceiling lights are a great choice if your bedroom’s height is over 10 feet

Dimmers to adjust the lighting of your bedroom

Dimmers play an important role in the overall set-up and ambience of a bedroom. If there is only one light source — bright or low — it is hard to either fall asleep or wake up. So, layering — low lighting to full brightness — becomes an important aspect of bedroom lighting. Dimmers can accommodate multiple lighting needs, allowing for various mood settings.

Dimmers allow for various mood settings

Go retro with industrial style lighting

Bring in some retro touch to your bedroom décor by hanging vintage pendant lights from the ceiling. With the right kind of effect, you can go to bed happy and relaxed, and wake up bright and refreshed. These lights can be suspended from the ceiling on a fabric cord or caged. Choose an oversized filament bulb for that vintage look and style.

Vintage pendant lights hanging from the ceiling

Nightlights to make sleeping easy 

To add an additional layer of lighting in your bedroom, including night lights. These can take many forms — LED near the door of the bathroom for visibility or under your bed for a floating effect. To add another dimension to your bedroom, fix LED lights in the front of your wardrobes. These will make the room appear larger as well. In terms of functionality, when you open the wardrobe door, these lights will help you see inside the cupboard. You can also use LED lights to evenly light up open shelves.

A night light provides the right amount of light to let you sleep comfortably

Lanterns for that rustic look

Yes, electric lanterns do exist and you can use those to light up your bedroom. They look amazing and provide just the right brightness. So, if you are looking for a rustic feel, the old-style lantern will be a great addition.

Electric lanterns can provide a rustic feel to your bedroom

Natural lighting is the best

Allow natural light into your bedroom as much as possible. It makes the bedroom lively during the day and also saves up on energy. Above all, it is a mood-booster. So, tie back your curtains to allow as much light as possible. If you think the sunlight is too harsh, pull in a simple net curtain. They let you enjoy natural lighting and work to provide privacy.

Natural lights make a bedroom lively and save up on energy

Summing Up Bedroom Lighting Ideas

Your bedroom is your haven. So, the lighting needs to be top-notch — bright in the morning and intimate at night. Just keep in mind the proportion and scale when selecting a source of light for your bedroom.