How to Light Your Bedroom: 5 Expert Tips From Pooky

Pooky make seriously stylish yet affordable designer lighting – lamps that look as though they cost a fortune, but don’t. We invited Pooky to give some expert advice on how to use lamps and shades to make your bedroom a more calming and beautiful space...

1) Layer your lighting

The secret to interior design is layering – putting together different colours, patterns and textures to build up a beautiful and unique room. Layering with light is no different. We recommend combining different kinds of light to create the atmosphere you want in your bedroom.
The three main types of light are:   

1. Ambient light - the general light in a room
2. Task lighting – the light needed for a specific purpose such as like reading
3. Accent lighting - used to highlight particular features

In a bedroom your ambient light might come from a mix of a main overhead pendant, some wall lights and a table lamp on a dresser. A bedside lamp or reading light will provide your task lighting for reading in bed and you might accent an artwork with a picture light.

Having lots of light sources means you can mix and match for different moods and times: from nice and bright for getting dressed in the daytime, to a soft and cosy glow at night - and anything in between.

Read more about layering light in Pooky’s guide

Stanley Pendant Light from Pooky & Bedfolk Classic Cotton in Rose 

2)  Style your room with lampshades

Just like your bedlinen and curtains, lampshades are an easy and affordable way to style and change up your room without having to pick up a paintbrush.  

Matching pendant shades and bedside lampshades in a single strong colour can immediately transform a room. Or mix and mismatch your colours and patterns if you’re feeling creative! 

3) Go for relaxing textures

In interior design, ‘texture’ is that curious sense of how something ‘feels’ when you look at it. In a bedroom, certain natural fabrics can create a really relaxing texture, even though you don’t actually touch them.

At Pooky we’ve found our raffia and jute materials are perfect for bedroom lampshades, especially ceiling lights. They just ooze relaxation.

Rafferty Shade from Pooky and Bedfolk Linen in Ink & Rose

4) Choose bedside lamps to suit your style

Bedside lamps aren’t just a practical necessity, they’re a chance to really stamp your style on a room, so go for one – or a pair – that makes you happy. You don’t have to be restricted to lamps that call themselves ‘bedside’ either: anything from a big glass beauty like the Wisteria to a modernist desk light can do the trick. It all depends on your taste.

Angled wall lights, positioned low next to the bed, are another good option, while real bookworms might prefer a specialist LED reading light.

Wisteria Table Lamp from Pooky - styled by Lauren Gilberthorpe

5) Get the right bulbs

If you’re investing in beautiful lamps, don’t forget to pay attention to your lightbulbs. Of course, you’ll need enough light for your purposes. Light is measured in lumens (not watts), and you want at least 450 lumens for reading. (See more about that in our guide How much light do you need in a room?)

But today’s designer LED lightbulbs are as stylish and beautiful as they are practically and eco-friendly, so make sure you invest in the best (they’re actually surprisingly inexpensive.)

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