Would you like to get lost?
If you would like to get lost then this could be the most exciting article you’ll read on the subject.
Losing yourself in a great book before sleep is one of life’s simple pleasures.
But the equilibrium of simple pleasures is easily broken.
Are you with us?
Too dark and you strain your eyes.
Too bright and you’re awake until dawn, unable to read the following night.
This is how you strike the balance and start to read 100 pages every single night…
It’s a very simple concept but, nonetheless, important.
Task lighting is focused artificial light in an area you’re performing a task in.
Engaging in an activity again and again, in the same place?
You may need task lighting for best results.
If you’re a man or woman with good reading habits, you do this every night when you open your book at the bookmark.
But, what do we mean mean when we say focused light?
You’d be forgiven for misunderstanding as many others do, but we’re going to explain it now.
Listen up.
You can concentrate light with table lamps, floor lamps and wall sconces.
Turning two or three of these on at once improves the aesthetics of the room by layering lights.
Light layering is more pleasing to the eye and is what helps lovers all over the world get in the mood.
Professional interior designers and architects plead with clients to listen to them about including task lighting.
Unfortunately, their advice often falls on deaf ears despite people in-the-know considering this a known fact hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years.
Their customers don’t realize that lighting (and especially task lighting in the bedroom) is the most important component in creating cohesive and beautiful rooms.
If you choose to take our advice on board, you’ll be fast-tracked to having a bedroom that’ll plunge you into the depths of your latest novel for hours and still be well-rested for the next day.
If you answered yes to any of these then task lighting is likely to improve the look and feel of your bedroom.
The most common form of task light are table lamps on side tables positioned next to the bed.
It’s these table lamps that allow you to begin the process of shutting your body down for 8 hours of deep sleep while also transferring you to another world when you read your book.
Wall sconces work in a similar way to floor lamps.
They’re lights fitted into the wall, usually hovering above both pillows.
Sconces are also inserted near mirrors to help with making you look and feel at your best, every single day.
They’re small, just the head of the light fixture, with models that hold fast or can be positioned for
Next up, the floor lamp.
Place a floor lamp beside your bedroom accent chair and angle the direction of the light towards the center of the chair.
Do you have a desk in your bedroom?
If you do have a desk then a work lamp should be considered to help you write, draw or make whatever it is you’re dong.
These are highly maneuverable lights, not only can you can twist the head of the lamp but also adjust angle and height of the body to suit your requirements.
Once the task lighting is in place, how do you make the most of it?
It’s like this…
You see, some people install bedroom task lights and then never use them.
Hopefully, that’s not you.
There are others who add the correct lights and use them inefficiently by placing mountains of books in the way of a table lamp and hanging underwear on an LED sconce.
If you find yourself hanging underwear on a sconce, we can recommend you a very good set of drawers…
If you’re going to style your bedroom with any task lighting source, make it table lamps.
You can place them on your nightstands.
You do have nightstands, don’t you?
And, are you sure you have the right number of nightstands for your bedroom?
Table lamps come in the largest variety of materials.
Here they are:
You have a lot to play with.
If you choose the best table lamp for your bedroom, not only will you be able to sleep deeper than the Mariana Trench and get so lost in a book that Jumanji seems like a morning stroll…
You’ll also be able to take pride in knowing you designed a bedroom that wouldn’t look out of place having its own Instagram account.
What do you think the brain loves more than anything in the world?
No, it’s not cookie dough flavored ice cream with sprinkles, whipped cream and a flake.
What the brain loves more than anything is symmetry.
That’s what you feed it to succeed with your bedroom lighting decor.
Table lampshades come in several core styles, but the easiest way to pick one that’s going to work best for your bedroom is to copy what other’s have chosen for your style of bedroom.
What interior design style have you settled on?
Lampshade styles come in the following:
Drum lampshades have circular tops and bottoms of equal sizes, and straight sides. They’re classic cylinders.
Empire lampshades are the cousin of drums, they have circular tops and bottoms. However, the sides of the lampshade taper out to a wider bottom circle.
Oval lampshades are the same as drum lampshades, they’re equally sized at the top and bottom. They differ in their shape which is an oval instead of a circle.
Cylindrical lampshades have the same shape as the drum lampshade, both the top and bottom openings are the same size. The sides are elongated to provide a vertical aesthetic.
Square lampshades are cubes with the top and bottom removed and are considered to feel the most modern.
Bell lampshades look like a bell with an S-curve-like tapering towards a wider bottom than the top.
Rectangular lampshades are similar to square ones, however, their proportions differ in their elongated sides
Coolie lampshades are specialized Empire lampshades with an even wider taper at the bottom to provide very soft light.
Although there are thousands of different cloth and textiles that could frame your light bulbs, they fall into one of two categories.
Listen up: those categories are softback or hardback.
These fabrics are soft to the touch and bend when pressure is applied.
They’re usually sewn onto a frame but can also be glued and are common in traditional interior design.
Porous properties of these fabrics mean light will seep through, both a lovely feature of task light lighting (remember you want multiple, smaller sources of light for a layering effect) and making reading a less glaring experience.
Hardback lampshades are lined with laminate plastic which doesn’t let much light pass through.
Often found in more contemporary bedroom designs, they restrict the from permeating out of the sides and focus it through the top and bottom.
Do you want to make a statement?
Floor lamps are very good at making a statement in the bedroom, people don’t expect it.
And, what they don’t expect, they love.
Floor lamps are large, it’s much easier to accommodate them if you have a sizable bedroom.
There are two ways you’d typically see floor lamps added.
You can’t just place a floor lamp in the middle of your bedroom and hope for the best.
Would you like to know how to really style with a floor lamp and still use it functional as a task light?
It’s nothing magical, in fact, it’s very simple.
The first is to place your floor lamp next to an accent chair.
Accent chairs are decorative armchairs that stand out against the backdrop of the rest of your bedroom.
Although decorative, you may still choose to read in it and escape from real life.
The second way you can include a floor lamp in your design is by substituting it for a table lamp and positioning it on the outside of your nightstand.
Take note: if this is your preferred way to use task lighting, you need to make sure the floor lamp you go with emits enough light for you read, write, watch – whatever it is you do.
By the way, if you’ve settled on a Mid-Century Modern theme for your bedroom, you must take a look our favorite Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps and Arc Lamps.
Back to business…
A floor lamp’s size dictates its need to be designed in a sturdy way as well as use materials that can withstand some abuse.
You don’t want a 6ft lamp to fall and its hot light bulb smash near flammable fabrics, do you?
Of course not, and, because of this, floor lamps are made from the following:
Would you like to read about some floor lamp designs now?
A club floor lamp is what you envision a traditional floor lamp to look like.
Straight up, straight down.
No nonsense, no frills or ornamentation.
It’s a thin cylindrical shaft with the bulb at the top and a lampshade surrounding it to force light towards the ceiling and floor.
Some models of club lamps do have different designs for the head, you may require a light that fits your room and bedroom habits.
Would you prefer a floor lamp that looks like it’s in motion?
Arc floor lamps are thin and loop over in an arc motion.
Their arc means they can be positioned over a chair or nightstand and still concentrate light in a very specific area.
If you’re looking for elegance alongside functional flexibility, these are the lamps you should be buying.
An arc floor lamp’s shade is often made from a metallic material in the shape of a bulb that directs the light in the direction you want it. Some models of arc floor lamps, made specifically with reading in mind, have heads that disperse the light evenly.
There’s another consideration to make…
The weight distribution of an arc lamp means it needs a heavy, sometimes intrusive base.
Wherever you place your lamp, keep the base away from unsuspecting toes.
Or it’s going to hurt.
How about a more adaptable floor lamp?
Listen: Swing arm floor lamps have an arm that can be moved in 360° as well as rotation of the lamp head itself.
Have you got more than one place in your bedroom that needs directed light?
The swing arm floor lamp is designed for you to adjust it into position and they’re loved by people who move around their bedroom in different positions.
What about something a little more brawn?
Not all bad things come in threes.
Tripod lamps with their three legs can vouch for that.
Each one splays out from the center and the taller the tripod, the wider the base. Although, you’re less likely to bang your toe on a tripod base than an arc floor lamp base.
Triangular bases distribute weight well, they’re sturdy.
The last thing you need is to knock your lamp over every time you get up in the morning.
Light from tripod lamps is focused vertically through the top and bottom in the same way it is with a traditional table lamp.
Boom arm floor lamps are very stylish and they’re unbeatable at helping you read 100 pages every single night.
They’ll help you with writing, coding, drawing because you can move the head of the lamp to within an inch of the paper or computer you’re working on.
The ‘boom arm’ part of the name refers to the long swinging arm that allows you to center the light source in an exact area.
Boom arm floor lamps are right-angled versions of arc floor lamps and, because of this, poorly constructed models may be unstable.
Same rules apply…
Buy one with a heavy base and position it somewhere your feet won’t end up kicking it.
The arm of boom arm floor lamps is long, this means it needs a wide turning circle compared to other floor lamps.
You’ll need a large bedroom fit one in comfortably and it’ll probably need to be set away from the bed so the arm doesn’t hit against the wall.
But, once you find the spot that works best for it, you’re going to read more than you ever have before.
Do you need a contorting light for your tasks?
Some floor lamps can be bent, twisted and warped and the gooseneck floor lamp is one of them.
They are the lights that typically have flat heads that aim light in a downward direction.
Some people love their bendy necks.
A wall sconce is a light fitting that’s drilled into the wall, independent from any bases.
The angle of light usually projects outwards in a general direction, however, there are many options available if you’d prefer adjustable lamps.
Do you know where to install your wall sconces?
Above the bed or dressing table mirror.
Here’s what to do: create symmetry by having two above the bed, one either side of the pillow.
Still want something that fits on your bedroom desk?
Desk lamps are smaller than floor lamps and even table lamps, they still have a base, but they’re more adjustable than their larger counterparts.
They’re best used for novel writers, PhD thesis crammers and hackers who want the next thrill.
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