Bedroom

Lighting a bedroom: three layers of light

A bedroom is for sleeping, but also for reading, dressing, tidying and sometimes working. A single ceiling light in the middle covers none of these uses: too bright in the evening, too dim in front of the wardrobe, badly placed for reading. Lighting designers think in three layers: soft general light, reading points at the bed and functional lighting for storage.

General light

It is for moving around and making the bed, not for daylight-level brightness. Aim for 100 to 150 lux, in warm white from 2,700 to 3,000 K. Recessed LED downlights go along the walls or towards the foot of the bed, never directly above the pillow: lying down, you look at the ceiling, and a downlight in your line of sight dazzles. Choose dimmable models with a compatible dimmer to lower the light in the evening. Under insulated loft ceilings, opt for BBC airtight downlights, which limit air leaks through the ceiling.

Reading in bed

This is the most used light and the one most often got wrong. You need 300 to 500 lux on the page without lighting the pillow next to you. An adjustable wall light on each side of the bed does the job and frees up the bedside table. Touch-sensitive, dimmable bedside lamps complete the set for ambient or night-time light. In every case, the switch should be within reach without getting up.

The walk-in wardrobe and cupboards

Here, colour rendering matters: with a CRI of 90, you can tell navy blue from black. Light the clothes from the front or from the top of the hanging space, not from the back. Cabinet lighting products, sensor battens and profiles, switch on when the door opens and off on their own. An LED strip in an aluminium profile, behind the headboard or under a shelf, adds very soft indirect light.

Children's bedrooms

A child's bedroom changes use with age: night feeds and nappy changes, play, then homework. Plan dimmable general lighting, a desk lamp giving 300 to 500 lux for homework and a very low-intensity night light in warm white or amber. Avoid cold, bright light in the evening: it makes falling asleep harder. Keep fittings out of reach of small hands.

Hotel and residence rooms

In hotels as in student or senior residences, the room should be understood at a glance: a master switch by the bed that turns everything off, an adjustable reading light for each bed, low-level guide lighting or a night light to reach the bathroom without switching on the main lights. Warm white dominates, with the same colour temperature in every room for a consistent look. On these repeat projects, dimmable CCT downlights let you set the shade at installation with a single product reference.

Fitting out several bedrooms

For a hotel, a residence or a housing development, send us your plans: our lighting study proposes the layout room by room, free of charge for professionals. We send quotes within 24 working hours, with packs for projects.