Life
The 6 Best Bedside Lamps
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Good lighting may just be the most underrated but crucial factor in home decor. The best bedside lamps complement your room and emit soft, warm white light for a restful night. There’s a lamp for any bedroom — big or small — and the best lamps may also have convenient features like multiple brightness settings for resting or reading.
The first thing to consider is how much room you have for a bedside lamp. A sconce frees up your nightstand by attaching directly to the wall; just keep in mind you’ll need to install it. Table lamps come in a variety of sizes and shapes and, in addition to adding flair to your bedroom can be serious multitaskers with USB ports for charging your phone overnight. A floor lamp will have the largest footprint in a bedroom and can make a statement in your room’s decor.
The best bedside lamps may have convenient features like multiple brightness settings or dimmable bulbs, or a switch cable with an on-off button. One of my picks is also a white noise machine and a gentle alarm clock that can help you establish a better sleep routine.
As you get ready for sleep, the right light bulb can help you unwind and won’t interfere with your body’s production of melatonin. A soft, warm white that isn’t too bright is cozy for bedrooms; not all bedside lamps come with a bulb, but most are compatible with up to a 60-watt (E26) bulb, or 800 lumens (aka brightness). I’ve listed light bulb compatibility information for the lamps below.
No bedroom is complete without one of the best bedside lamps, and below are six styles to choose from. Each lamp is highly rated on Amazon, and several picks have thousands of reviews.
1. A Compact Lamp That Changes Color
This dimmable bedside lamp, with over 9,000 Amazon reviews, is a clear favorite for its function and aesthetics. It's a minimalist table lamp with touch-activated sensors for three brightness settings; an LED bulb illuminates up to 450 lumens. This pick gives off a rich, warm light, but you can also have fun with it by changing the light to any color, including red, orange, or blue.
A helpful review: “Turned out to be a great solution while staying in a room with poor lighting. I actually took this with me while staying at an AirBNB I'd stayed at previously which lacked bedside lighting. The brightness was great for reading and easily dimmed when trying to go to sleep. Just touch the base and that's it! A great value and solution and I highly recommend this product.”
2. A Sleek Reading Lamp With A Cult Following
A bedside reading lamp will give you the more focused lighting you need for comfortably reading your latest book in bed. This table lamp has an impressive 4.8 rating with over 17,000 reviews, and shoppers commented they especially love its adjustable brightness with seven settings (and five color options) and slim design. Plus, this lamp has a USB port to keep your smartphone charged.
Part of what makes this a great reading lamp is that it moves where you need it to be: the head tilts up 135 degrees and can be swiveled 90 degrees, and the base tilts downward 150 degrees and swivels 45 degrees.
The lamp comes with an LED lightbulb emitting up to 410 lumens, and you can choose from a black or white base to match your decor.
A helpful review: “I bought this lamp a few months ago to go on my bed stand. I was tired of trying to read books using the overhead light and I wanted a strong, more direct light. This lamp definitely fits the bill. Both the connection to the base of the lamp and the hinge between the bulbs and the stand are freely movable which makes directing the light at a comfortable angle really easy. [...] There are five colors ranging from clinical blue-white to an almost yellow color reminiscent of old incandescent bulbs. The redder colors are great late at night because they don't make you prone to insomnia the way blue-shifted lamps will. The dimmability is very helpful for that as well-- this lamp can get so dim it's almost a nightlight. [...]"
3. A Modern Bedside Sconce
A couple of these modern bedside sconces would look super chic on the sides of a stylish bed. The industrial-inspired lamp shape feels contemporary in black matte and brass finishes. The swingarm on the sconce rotates to adjust the light output, and it has a 60-inch cord with a switch cable for easily turning the light on and off.
All mounting accessories are included with the lamp, so you won't need additional hardware. No bulb is included with this lamp; it's compatible with an E26 base bulb.
A helpful review: “We recently refreshed our guest room and have a little bit of a farmhouse style in there. I got a very small nightstand and felt a table lamp would take up the entire surface. This lamp fit the bill and is actually more convenient as a reading lamp anyway since it swings out from the wall. Super easy to attach to the wall.”
4. This Affordable Set Of Classic Table Lamps
For a set of classic bedside lamps that fit in with pretty much any decor style, look no further than these affordable lamps — you get two for under $40. Each lamp has a black metal base that wouldn't take up too much room on a nightstand. Reviewers commented these lamps give a warm, cozy glow to bedrooms, which is in part thanks to the linen lampshades that also bring a natural and textural element to your bedroom.
Each lamp has a 67-inch cord, a switch cable, and an E26 screw base for a light bulb (that's not included).
A helpful review: “These are very cute, they aren’t large lamps but perfect for my space, and let off plenty of light. I put them in my nursery and love that the on/off switch is on the cord for easy access. Great price for 2 lamps!"
5. A Floor Lamp With Storage
Here's a bedside floor lamp and nightstand in one. The base cleverly offers storage with three open shelves, two USB ports, and an electrical outlet to keep your devices charged. The lamp has an E26 screw base and comes with an LED bulb illuminating up to 800 lumens. With this pick, you're all set for under $100.
This highly rated lamp with over 2,000 reviews is also easy to assemble, according to reviewers' comments. The lamp is available in black, brown, or white.
A helpful review: “This is a handsome, versatile bedside table for a tight space. I had despaired of finding a table for this space that was both useful and good looking — but this ticked all the boxes! It provides lots of storage, keeps your electronics handy and charged, and provides soft, diffuse lighting. The tower was super easy to assemble using only my hands and a pair of scissors. Very happy and impressed”
6. This Smart Lamp For A Better Sleep Routine
Anyone trying to improve their sleep routine should try the Hatch Restore lamp. This small table lamp is a bedside reading light, a sound machine, and an alarm clock all rolled into one neatly designed lamp. The WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled lamp, with a matching smartphone app, helps you create a custom sleep and morning routine.
Before bed, you can follow its guided meditation to unwind; play white noise while you sleep to help you stay asleep; wake up gently with a light program that mimics dawn (it starts red and eventually brightens to white) before it plays your preferred alarm sounds. According to the manufacturer, this gradual increase in light helps your brain release cortisol to wake you up. If you'd rather keep your phone in another room at night as part of your bedtime routine, the settings can be adjusted with buttons on the lamp itself.
The lamp's LED bulb offers a range of warm and soft shade of lights, though the specific lumens is unclear.
A helpful review: “Was so excited to receive my Hatch Restore. I love the nudge that it gives me towards a consistent sleep routine each night before bed, and I've felt well rested every morning since I've had it. The guided meditation is relaxing, and there are so many lighting color options so you can pick the perfect option for you. I especially enjoy the mellow alarm sounds and morning light that also helps guide a wake up routine, starting the day off on the right foot. Was an easy setup and user friendly app with a stylish and minimal design that complimented my bedside. [...]”
Nice To Have: These Smart Bulbs For Customizing Your Lighting
This lightbulb from Philips is the best light bulb for bedrooms since it fits any of the lamps on my list with its standard medium E26 base. It's an LED smart bulb with adjustable brightness up to 800 lumens for a soft, warm white light. This bulb is highly rated with more than 10,000 reviews, and shoppers commented they love being able to adjust their lighting needs throughout the day.
This dimmable light bulb can be controlled via Bluetooth and smartphone apps. You can also get this light bulb in a 2-pack or 4-pack.
A helpful review: “As of now, we only have these bulbs in our bedroom in the wall sconces by our bed. I am very picky about light, as is my husband. During the day, I like a brighter, cooler temperature light. In the evenings, I prefer dimmer warm lighting. These bulbs solved all of my problems. Installation was a breeze. Downloaded the app and it located the bulbs immediately. This process literally took two minutes. Once in the app, you can change the color temperature of the bulbs and the brightness! Even better, you can have the lights connected so they both change to the same settings, or you can change them individually. [...]
