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Discussion Forum

Bedroom Lighting

RickGreg | Posted in General Discussion on May 17, 2005 04:11am

Okay… so we haven’t given much thought to lighting our new master bedroom (being constructed as part of an addition) until now.

The room is roughly rectangular, 13 x 20, with a king bed along one of the long walls. Ceilings are 8 ft. Lots of good daytime light with large windows on the two short walls.

We’re wrestling with what kind of lighting… the electician is here wiring, so we need to act fast. Archy did not do a lighting plan.

What are your thoughts on ceiling cans,wall-mounted (pivot arm) reading lights for bed, and other options?

We currently have a smaller bedroom with just two lamps on nightstands.

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  1. Frankie | May 17, 2005 04:22pm | #1

    With 8' ceilings, recessed lighting is nice. I prefer the 4" units rather than the 6". The cost/ unit is about the same, maybe a few bucks more for the 4".

    Wal-pivot arm lamps flanking the bed are great. I have never had any regrets regarding them. They are great for reading lights and for just a softer light at other times.

    I think that's all the lighting you need. If you don't like the look of recessed AND you have a sconce design you like/ love, then sconces are an alternative - maybe along the long wall opposite the bed.

    Another thing you need to consider now is switch locations. Each pivot light should have its own switch, low on the wall for ease of use while in bed. I also like the ceiling fixture(s) to have a switch (4-way) by each side of the bed. This way you never forget to turn it off before you get into bed.

    hope this helps.

    Frankie

  2. tea | May 17, 2005 04:22pm | #2

    I hate cans, but that's just me. I don't like the quality of the light they emit. I like light to be reflected onto the celing for a more even light. I really like the old fashioned surface light on the ceiling approach- I think it lights the room more evenly. Barring that, a ceiling fan with a light gives the same kind of light. Some people like the breeze others hate it. Whatever you have I think it's nice if it's dimmable especially whatever you are using for bedtime individual lights. I think small cans over each pillow or sconces on arms or table lamps are all perfectly acceptable solutions to the one person reads or gets up in the middle of the night and the other doesn't problem. It's really a matter of personal style and whether you want more surface on your night tables. Don't forget to put in 3-way switches so you can turn off the lights from your bed.

  3. User avater
    BillHartmann | May 17, 2005 05:32pm | #3

    I would opt for a fan rated ceiling box in the center of the room wired with 14/3 (12/3) so that you can install a fan/light combo or just a light if you don't want the fan.

    Then you can add reading light or other sumplimentry lighting.

  4. JAlden | May 17, 2005 05:40pm | #4

    In both of my daughter's rooms we have 3 cans over the beds. They are close to the wall, maybe 12" out, with a dimmer right above their headboards. This way they can read in bed and turn the lights off from there (or not sometimes).Works out well.

  5. User avater
    CapnMac | May 17, 2005 06:05pm | #5

    It's all going to depend on what you want, really.

    The idea of having a fan-rated box centered up is good, even if it not used--the tricky part is whether it should be center of the room or centered on the bed.

    Now, my preference in bedreooms is for a general, "sourceless" light.  In a perfect world, that would be a cove, but recessed cans work.  Placing the cans to "wash" the walls helps a lot, in my book.  That can be as simple as four cans in the corners, say at 1/4 the span distance out, both ways.  Lamp choice can be as critical as trim choice on a can light, though. 

    I'm also biased to have a very low light level off of the wall switch, and use "task" lighting (table & floor lamps) for when more light is needed.

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
  6. LisaWL | May 17, 2005 06:59pm | #6

    Put lighting in the closet - even if it's not a walk-in closet. That's necessary task lighting. If you use a flush mount ceiling light or fan light for amient lighting, use a dimmer switch.

    "A completed home is a listed home."

  7. User avater
    jazzdogg | May 19, 2005 06:00am | #7

    Rick,

    I like low-level (or dimmable) wall-mounted lighting near floor level - like you see installed in stairwells, with the little louvers that direct the light toward the floor.

    They're great for finding your way at night without waking DW, and they provide  unintrusive, background lighting for those times when just a little discrete light is just what the doctor ordered. Think night lights for grown-ups.

    Continue them anywhere you would like to go at night without having to turn on the main lighting - into closets, the bathroom, out into the hallway, down the stairs.

    3-way switches make them a lot more useful than a single switch.

    Good luck,

    -Jazzdogg-

    Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

  8. HeavyDuty | May 19, 2005 07:08am | #8

    Depending on your decor, 8' may be a bit too low for a chandelier but I love to have one not for lighting but give the room some glitz. And don't hang it over the bed, you'd probably have heard of that "would have had a broken neck" joke.

    A bedroom doesn't need a lot of light so light it softly. As somebody already suggested step lights towards the floor, sconces, table lamp on the dresser and uplight on floor lighting behind a plant will all work.

    The only task lighting you need is for reading before you go to bed, swing arm reading lamps or night table lamps with long adjustable arms e.g. Tizio would work. With the Tizio if you fully extend the arm pointing to the ceiling the source is only about 3' to the ceiling and that gives you enough reflective light to light the room or even for reading purpose without the glare.

     

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