Bedside reading light: arm, beam, height and switch

A bedside reading light lights your page, and only your page: a directed beam, an adjustable head and a switch within reach. Swing arm, gooseneck, beam, height and control: this guide helps you choose a bedroom reading wall light that lets you read without waking anyone.

A classic bedside lamp lights everything around it: the bedside table, the wall, the ceiling and often the face of the person next to you. A reading light does the opposite: it focuses light on a precise area, where the book is.

This guide does not cover the bedside mood wall light, which has its own article, but reading light. The two often complement each other very well.

1. Reading light or bedside wall light: the difference

The bedside wall light creates mood lighting around the bed: it lights the wall, it is seen, it is part of the decor. The reading light is a tool: its light is directed, its head adjusts, and it has to light the book without lighting your eyes.

Some wall lights do both, with an adjustable head or two separate sources. If you read in bed regularly, look first at the quality of the beam and how easy it is to adjust, before the style.

2. Arm, gooseneck, adjustable head: the types of reading light

The swing arm is the most comfortable for keen readers. The adjustable head is the best compromise for a bedroom where you read a little every evening. Our article adjustable wall light: when it really makes a difference details the uses.

3. The beam: angle, lumens, kelvins

A good reading light does not have to be powerful: above all, it must be well directed. A narrow beam lights the page without spilling onto the next pillow.

To find out more about the beam, see our guide to the adjustable spotlight wall light, and on evening light, light and sleep.

4. How high to fit a bedside reading light

The head of the reading light should be above and slightly behind your shoulder, so the light falls on the page without you seeing the bulb. For a standard bed, that means a head about 45 to 60 cm above the mattress.

With a swing arm, fix it a little further out and higher: the arm will bring the head to the right spot. Bedside heights in general, width and intensity, are covered in lighting a headboard.

5. Reading without disturbing your partner

This is the whole point of a reading light in a double bed. Three rules are enough: a narrow beam, a head pointing towards the outside of the bed rather than the centre, and a source hidden in a cone or deep shade. Avoid bare bulbs and wide diffusers, which light up the whole headboard. Adjustable intensity also lets you read at the lowest level while the other person falls asleep.

6. The switch: where and which

The control must be within reach while lying down, without sitting up or fumbling around.

• Switch on the head: handy, but you touch the warm lamp and move it.
• Switch on the base or the cable: the most common, to be placed at hand height, about 70 to 90 cm from the floor.
• Touch or dimmer: comfortable for adjusting the light in the evening.
• Two-way switching: switch on from the doorway and off from the bed, to plan in when doing work.

The fitting rules are detailed in switch and socket near a wall light.

7. Power supply: hard-wired or plug-in

A reading light is connected either to a cable outlet in the wall, for a clean finish with no visible wire, or to a socket, with a cable and a built-in switch. The second option avoids building work, especially in a rented home. There are also cordless rechargeable models, handy when no power point is available.

8. On the wall or on the headboard

A reading light is most often fixed to the wall, above or beside the headboard. On a solid wood headboard, you can screw it on directly and run the cable behind. Avoid thin chipboard or upholstered headboards for a swing arm, which acts as a lever. Ideas and fixings in wooden headboard and wall lights.

9. Pairing a reading light with mood lighting

The reading light lights the book, not the bedroom. For a pleasant evening, it goes with a soft light: a mood wall light, a lamp or a bedside pendant. A wall light with two functions, mood and reading, saves space. We discuss this choice in a wall light instead of a bedside lamp. For the reading armchair, see also creating a reading corner.

10. Material and style

You see a reading light every day: it deserves to look good switched off. Black or white metal gives a workshop feel, wood a Nordic feel, stone paired with wood a natural, calming feel. Our travertine and wood reading wall light with adjustable head and our LED wooden reading wall light with swivel head are two examples.

11. In short

A good bedside reading light combines a narrow beam of 20 to 40 degrees, 150 to 300 lumens at 2700 to 3000 K, a head placed 45 to 60 cm above the mattress and a switch within reach. Swing arm for keen readers, adjustable head for mixed use. Add mood lighting, and for the full plan of the room, see our guide to bedroom lighting.

Frequently asked questions