|
Effective bedroom lighting is necessary for night-time reading and around dressing tables, and the general light needs to adapt to every requirement of the changing seasons: |
| BUY Lighting | Contact Us | Light Sources | Lighting Home | Office Lighting | Lighting Checklist |
When the general and feature bedroom lighting is decided, the bedroom task lighting must be considered. For a dressing table, you will achieve the most flattering facial light by placing lights either side of the mirror. An ideal solution is to use two separate lamps. It is important that the shades are not coloured so that natural lighting will be thrown onto your face.
If you want to create a pool of light purely for reading, and your ceiling is not too high, an effective solution is to use a low-voltage spotlight with a narrow-beam lamp on a dimmer. Again, before installation you will need to be certain of your reading position in bed so that the spotlight is placed in the correct area on the ceiling. Task lighting is also necessary for a wardrobe. Low-voltage downlights, with frosted lenses, can be used to provide a soft wash over the front of cabinets. A concealed linear strip could be used above a wardrobe, or door-operated lighting could be installed for automatic light. In most bedrooms you will need at least two switch-lines to control your different light sources: one for bedside lamps and one for other lamps. If you are using either uplights or downlights, these will need a third switch. With a double bed, it may be easier to control each bedside light individually, which will add another switchline. Two-way switching to the bedside works well, as all lights can be turned on and off from the bed. A dimmer, either by the door or at the side of the bed, will give easy control. |
An
efficient reading light is essential in a bedroom. The ultimate
in bedroom lighting, used in conjunction with bedside table lamps,
is the fibre-optic flexi-light. This is fixed to the wall at shoulder
height and provides a completely flexibly positioned bright reading
light. The fibre-optic light box would be located under the bed.
A more traditional source of reading light are table lamps on either
side of the bed, but they must be placed in the correct position
if eyestrain and awkward body positioning are to be avoided. If
lamps are located on a bedside table, the light is often in the
wrong place, almost forcing you to lean out of bed to read. You
need to achieve the right balance between the size of the lamp and
the height of the table. If the table is too high, the glare of
the lamp will shine into your eyes and the spread of light will
be too wide. The ideal height for the base of the shade is at shoulder
level when you are sitting up in bed. An alternative to table lamps
is an adjustable wall light on an extendible bracket with arm extensions.
As this is wall-mounted, you can control the precise height and
position of the lamp, but you will need to know the height and size
of the bed before installation.