Bedside Lighting: Wall Lights or Table Lamps?

Choose wall lights for bedside lighting if the bedside tables are narrower than 45 cm, if you are renovating and can run a cable inside the wall, or if you want the table free for books and a glass of water. Choose table lamps if you rent, if the bedsides are generous, or if you want to move the light when the furniture moves. Both work in alabaster. The differences are height, switching, and what the stone does at close range.

In brief

• Wall lights: centre 100 to 120 cm from the floor, about 60 to 75 cm above the mattress top. They free the table and need a cable in the wall.
• Table lamps: 45 to 60 cm tall on a 55 to 60 cm table, so the lit stone sits at shoulder height when you sit up. No wiring, easy to move.
• Pendants: a third option that frees the table completely; underside 100 to 125 cm from the floor.
• Colour temperature: 2000 to 2300K for sleep and mood, 2700K if you read in bed.
• Switch each side separately, with a dimmer, reachable from the pillow.
• Alabaster is diffused, ambient light. Add a small directional reading light if one of you reads while the other sleeps.

Wall lights or table lamps: how to decide

The honest answer is that the furniture and the wiring decide, not taste. Run through the list below before looking at a single product.

• Choose wall lights if the bedside tables are under 45 cm wide, if the room is being renovated and conduit can be run, if the bed is fixed against one wall for good, or if you like a clear surface.
• Choose table lamps if you rent or expect to move the bed, if the bedsides are 50 cm or wider, if you want the light to double as an object in the room, or if there is no wall point and you would rather not chase one.
• Choose a pendant on each side if the bedsides are narrow and the wall is busy with a headboard, panelling or a window, and the ceiling can take two points.

How high should bedside wall lights be?

Centre a bedside wall light 100 to 120 cm (39 to 47 in) from the floor, which puts it about 60 to 75 cm above the top of a typical mattress. The aim is a source at roughly shoulder height when you sit up against the headboard: high enough to light a book, low enough that the stone is seen as a glowing object rather than a ceiling fitting.

Measure from the mattress, not the bed frame. A storage bed with a thick mattress can put the sleeping surface at 65 cm or more; in that case work from the mattress top and let the sconce rise to 125 or 130 cm. Set each light's inner edge 15 to 25 cm outside the mattress edge, over the table and clear of the pillow.

Bedside light	Where to measure	Height from floor	Rule of thumb
Wall light	centre of the fixture	100 to 120 cm (39 to 47 in)	60 to 75 cm above the mattress top
Pendant	underside of the stone	100 to 125 cm (39 to 49 in)	about 50 to 60 cm above the bedside table
Table lamp	overall height, lamp only	45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 in)	lit body at shoulder height when sitting up

What colour temperature is best for a bedroom?

For a bedroom, 2000 to 2300K is the range to aim for: it is candle-like, flatters skin and stone, and does not fight the body's wind-down the way cooler light does. If you read in bed every night, 2700K is a touch cleaner for print while still reading as warm evening light. Above 3000K at the bedside, alabaster starts to look pale rather than warm.

Dimming matters more here than in any other room. A bedside light runs at three levels: full for getting dressed, half for reading, a glimmer for the middle of the night. Alabaster at the lowest setting looks like a lit candle inside stone. Teeshaa pieces are 2700K as standard; the Totem Table Lamp offers 2000K, 2300K or 3000K, and dimming is available on request across the range.

Can a pendant be used as a bedside light?

Yes, and in a small bedroom with narrow bedsides it is often the best answer. A pendant hung with its underside 100 to 125 cm from the floor, over the outer half of the bedside table, frees the whole surface and reads as a lit column or sphere beside the headboard. A slim form such as the Alabaster Linea Pendant, a 30 cm column only 6 cm wide, takes almost no visual space.

The trade-offs are two ceiling points and a fixed position. Decide the bed's exact location before the false ceiling is closed, and give the workshop the drop; Teeshaa pendants hang on stainless rods cut to size. Keep the pendant 20 cm or more from the headboard so it is never knocked while sitting up.

Switching and symmetry for bedside lighting

Each side should switch and dim independently, with the control within reach from the pillow. A two-way circuit from the door is worth the extra cable: lights on when you walk in, off from bed. Bring the wall points to sconce height before plastering.

Symmetry is the default for a pair, and in alabaster it is a gentle symmetry. Each piece is cut from its own block and reviewed unlit and lit, so the two sit together as a pair while the veining differs. If one partner reads late and the other sleeps, remember that alabaster washes the wall rather than aiming a beam; add a small directional reading light on the reader's side and keep the stone for the room. There is more on why that layering matters in why great lighting feels invisible.

Teeshaa pieces for the bedside

For a hardwired pair, the Essenzo Dome Wall Sconce is the natural bedside light: 27 cm high, 12 cm wide, projecting 20 cm from the wall, in satin brass with a single E27 lamp of 25 W maximum at 2700K. The Aura Wall Mount is a disc of alabaster that sits flatter to the wall and washes the headboard evenly; its fittings come in Brushed Brass, Antique Brass, Champagne Gold, Polished Nickel or Brushed Nickel.

For a lamp, the Totem Table Lamp stands 49 cm tall on a 22 cm footprint with an 8 W LED at 2000K, 2300K or 3000K, which makes it the piece to choose if you want the warmest setting. For a pendant, the Alabaster Linea Pendant at 2700K on a rod cut to size is the slim option for narrow bedsides. The wall lights and table lamps pages show the rest of each family.

Mistakes to avoid

• Mounting sconces at the standard corridor height of 150 to 170 cm. At the bedside that puts the light above a seated head, glaring down. Use 100 to 120 cm.
• Fixing the wall points before the bed is chosen. A 180 cm bed and a 150 cm bed move each bedside, and each wall point, by 15 cm. Confirm the bed and table widths, then mark the points.
• One switch for both sides. The reader keeps the sleeper awake. Wire each side separately with a dimmer.
• Expecting diffused stone to be a reading light. Alabaster fills the room softly; it does not aim. Add a small directional light for the reader and keep the stone for the mood.

Questions people ask

How far above a bedside table should a wall light be?

About 40 to 60 cm above the table top, which for a 55 to 60 cm high table lands the fixture's centre at 100 to 120 cm from the floor. Check it against the mattress as well: the centre should sit 60 to 75 cm above the mattress top.

Should bedside lamps match?

A matched pair is the calmest answer and suits most bedrooms. In alabaster, a matched pair means the same design and finish; the stone still differs from piece to piece, which is part of the appeal.

Are alabaster lamps bright enough to read by?

For a few pages, yes. For an hour of reading, add a small directional reading light and dim the alabaster to a glow; diffused stone is for the room, not the page, and the two together are what a bedside needs.

See both families together on our bedroom lighting page. Bedside stone is touched more than any other light in the house, so read the Care guide: a soft dry or lightly damp cloth, nothing harsh.