Best Bedroom Lighting Ideas

Imagine, for a moment, your dream bedroom design at the apartments for rent in Manhattan. It probably looks sleek, has a lot of slick contemporary furniture, and if our guesses are correct, has a way better lighting setup than what you’re working with now! That last bit is what we want to focus on today, as, believe it or not, plays a pretty big role in both the functionality of your bedroom and its aesthetic appeal:

“Once you start thinking about it, though, you realize the lighting needs of a bedroom— from general lighting for putting the laundry away to task lighting for doing your makeup and accent lighting for chilling out of an evening.”

So, how can you achieve the lofty heights of perfect lighting? By learning a bit about what’s out there and how to put it to good use, of course. Today, we’ll be going over the perfect types of lights to set in your bedroom, along with some additional ideas for making sure everything works well together and gels together in your final plan.

It All Starts With the Right Mindset

Strategy counts when it comes to lighting a room correctly, and when you’re tackling any lighting project (including the bedroom) it pays to remember that your lighting will look most impressive if you do it bit by bit. Sure you could just rely on one big, powerful light to illuminate the whole room (and central lighting is something we will cover in this quick guide), but that shouldn’t be your only focus. In all, there should be three main layers of lighting that you want to keep in mind:

• Ambient or Total Room Lighting — As the name suggests, these sorts of lights perform the same function that a big ray of natural light would, illuminating the entire room and providing a kind of general lighting you can fall back on at any time. Now, a skylight or window could perform this function, true, but when the sun isn’t out, you’ll have to turn to a man-made solution, which means getting a suitably powerful (but not too harsh) light to place on the ceiling or another spot in the room that can ensure every bit is bathed in light.
• Task Lighting — If you guessed that task lights were designed to help you perform a specific function while in your room of choice (like reading, writing, searching for clothes in the dresser, etc.) you’d be dead on.
• Highlighting or Accent Lights — Accent lighting is all about style and setting a mood for your room. You should use these to call attention to certain visual features you want to showcase (like a cool piece of art) or to add a cozy little glow that will help set the tone for a relaxing evening without much to do.

How can you incorporate these three styles into your bedroom for an awesome look? Read on, as we discuss some cool lighting ideas you might want to try on for size.

Lighting Ideas You’ve Got to Try

Now onto specifics. When it comes to your primary, ambient lighting, your best bet is to go with a cool ceiling fixture. While you may be of the mind that overhead lighting is usually harsh and ugly, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Try using a softer bulb for your ceiling light so that it doesn’t overwhelm the room (while still providing ample lighting for you to get stuff done). As for the style to use, you’ll have to make a determination between your flush and semi-flush options.

Remember that flush ceiling lights are the ones with fixtures that sit in direct contact with the ceiling — like a bulb covered by a protective glass or plastic tub. That covering often helps to dampen the intensity of light (making it a good choice if you like a softer glow) and their relatively simple designs are good when you want to keep things low-key.

Semi-flush fixtures, on the other hand, drop down from the ceiling a few inches and are often held in place by a short rod. These types of fixtures are usually a bit fancier, but you want to make sure you have a high enough ceiling to accommodate them (wouldn’t want that bright light too close, right?) and try to get the kind with frosted bottoms to help reduce the intensity of the overhead lighting (unless you like harsh lighting, in which case, keep it clear or use fully transparent glass).

Your task lighting will depend a great deal upon the specific task you want to use it for, but one kind of light that works great for just about every bedroom is a good bedside dresser lamp. When you’re reading, playing a game, or searching for socks, a little extra illumination can come in handy, and reaching for your ambient lighting isn’t always a convenient option. Hence, the dresser lamp comes into play, providing a quick and efficient task lighting option when you need it most.

As for your accent lighting, you’ll have to make a determination about what you’re trying to call attention to, of course, but it’s hard to go wrong with some sturdy floor lamps. The number of styles you can find these lights in is seemingly limitless, and in bedrooms too small for proper ambient lighting, a floor lamp can serve as a suitable substitute.

Time to Light Up the Apartments for Rent in Manhattan

At least the ones at Renoir House, that is. Well-designed spaces like these are the prime place to experiment with some inspired and innovative lighting schemes, and once you’ve executed your master lighting plan, your residence will be looking even better than ever! First things first, though, you’ll need to make sure you’re part of the Renoir House family, so be sure to drop us a line to learn more about our availability and what lies in wait at these stellar NYC apartments.