blog.castlegatelights.co.uk

Category: Bedroom Lighting

How to make your bedroom a relaxing environment with lighting
When you come home after a long day, you should attempt to switch off by relaxing and unwinding to get a good night’s sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system will find it harder to fight infections, you may find it harder to function at work, and a lack of sleep can affect your mental health. One way you can help improve your sleep quality is by creating a relaxing environment in your bedroom: lighting can help you achieve this!

Creating a soothing environment in your bedroom will help you fall asleep more easily, help you get enough sleep, and refresh you for the next day.

Lighting plays a significant part in setting the mood in a room. It can help you unwind, relax, and create a soothing environment before you fall asleep. At Castlegate Lights, we can help you create a relaxing bedroom environment using lighting if you have trouble getting to sleep or switching off. In this guide, we offer tips on the ideal lighting brightness, colour, and fixtures to help curate the ultimate sleep space in your bedroom.

Table of contents:
Understanding lighting in setting the mood

It’s commonly known that lighting can significantly impact a room’s mood. Using brightness and colour temperature, you can alter the mood and ambience of a room. With the correct lighting, you can make a room feel light, airy, refreshing and invigorating, or you can use lighting to make a room feel cosy, inviting and warm.

The key is to know which lighting to put where to create the perfect lighting scheme for each room in your home.

When planning your bedroom lighting, it’s also important to know you may need different lighting moods depending on the time of day. In the morning, you may want bright, invigorating light that mimics natural daylight to help you wake up. Then, in the evening, you will need a more mellow brightness and softer colour temperatures to help let your body know it’s time for sleep to help keep a healthy circadian rhythm and sleep cycle.

Here, we will primarily focus on creating a relaxing environment in your bedroom for winding down in the evening using light.

Choose the right light fixtures.

First, decide which light fixtures will help you perfect your wind-down routine. Here are some of our top recommended types of lighting.

Overhead lights

Overhead lights usually don’t contribute to a cosy atmosphere in a bedroom because of the stark downwards light beam. To amend this, ensure the bulb has an encompassing shade to diminish the starkness of the naked bulb. Use soft fabric shades on a pendant light or glass opal shades to diffuse the light and create a relaxing atmosphere.

Dar Lighting Dar Evander Single Light Ceiling Pendant In Matt Black Finish With Ribbed Glass

Dar Lighting Dar Ronda Easy Fit 60cm Pendant Shade In Ecru Finish

Dar Lighting Dar Saturn Glass Ceiling Pendant Light In Polished Chrome Finish

Dar Lighting Dar Vignette 6 Arm Ceiling Pendant Light In Matt Black Finish with Opal Glass

Lucide Silas 24w Integrated 3-Step Dimmable LED Flush Ceiling Fitting in Matt Gold Finish

The Italian Collection Ovalino 8 Light Flush Ceiling Fitting In Chrome Finish With White Glass

Floor lamps

Floor lamps are a great alternative to overhead lights when you need ambient light to illuminate the whole room but don’t want stark light shining from above. The shade of the floor lamp will diffuse the light across the room but create a more mellow atmosphere.

BHS Lighting BHS Plume Single Light Tripod Floor Lamp In Brass Finish With White Feather Shade

BHS Lighting BHS Tristan Single Light Large Tripod Floor Lamp in Polished Brass Finish with White Shade

Dar Lighting Dar Spool Floor Lamp Base Only In Gloss Green Finish

Dar Lighting Dar Spool Floor Lamp Base Only In Gloss Red Finish

Bedside lamps

Bedside lamps are also a fantastic way to create a soothing bedroom atmosphere. Lampshades can mellow the bulb light and channel the light beams up and down, creating shadows across the room. The shaded light helps to let your body know it’s time for sleep.

Dar Lighting Dar Dolce Single Light Ceramic Table Lamp In White Finish With Shade

Dar Lighting Dar Francesca Single Light Table Lamp In Pink Finish With Opal Glass

Lucide Sueno Single Light Glass Table Lamp in Pink and Brass Finish

The Italian Collection Kali-2 Single Light Table Lamp In Beige Finish

String lights

Hanging warm white string lights around your bedroom can create a cosy atmosphere that will make you feel warm and sleepy, mimicking the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Edit Lighting Festive 9.95M Battery Operated Warm White LED Silver Micro Wire Fairy Lights with 200 Lights

Edit Lighting Festive 79.92M Warm White LED Multi-Function String Lights with 1000 Lights

Reading lights

If you like reading before bed, choose a concentrated light that will illuminate your page without illuminating the room, so you will eventually feel sleepy. We recommend specific reading lights for reading in bed. You can get clip-on reading lamps or wall lights with attached reading lamps.

Searchlight Lighting 4122WH Single Light White Clip On Desk Spot Light

The Italian Collection Dynamo LED Reading Light in Antique Brass Finish

The Italian Collection Holiday 2 Light Wall Fitting with Reading Light in a Matt White and Chrome Finish

How to create relaxing lighting for the bedroom

Although your bedroom is primarily for sleeping, you might also use it for other tasks, like working or gaming. Therefore, you might need a layered lighting scheme to help you wind down. A layered lighting scheme is a set of lights that creates different moods depending on what ambience you need.

You might have bright ceiling lights when you want to feel awake in the morning, but these don’t work when you’re trying to get to sleep. So, to create a relaxing lighting scheme, install multiple lights to alter the ambience or install dimmable lights or touch-operated lamps to get varied light levels, including soft ambient light when you want to relax and wind down.

Creating a bedtime ritual with lighting

If you’re struggling with sleep or feel awake when it’s time for bed, incorporating light into your sleep routine can help! Here’s how
1. Set achievable time goals for when you want to be in bed and asleep.
2. Put your phone away or on do not disturb mode one hour before your set bedtime. The blue light from your phone will prevent your brain from producing the sleep hormone melatonin and stop you from feeling sleepy.
3. At the same time, turn your bedroom lights to relaxation mode. Turn off any big bright lights and switch on your bedside lamps or reading lights.
4. If you’re not feeling sleepy, read a good book instead of scrolling on your phone, and you’ll be sure to fall asleep in no time.
5. Use a sleep tracker to monitor the time you fall asleep and track your sleep progress.
What colour light is most soothing for sleep?

You can also help create a relaxing environment in your bedroom with the correct bulb colour temperature. The Kelvin scale (K) measures light colour temperature and ranges from red to white to blue light.

If you’re wondering what colour light is soothing to create a cosy atmosphere in your room, use bulbs with a 2000-4000K rating for a warm white light effect. A warm white light range will allow the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and make you feel sleepy, whereas 5000K upwards will have the opposite effect. Exposure to blue light or bright white artificial bulbs can prevent melatonin production and disrupt your sleep and natural circadian rhythm.

However, some deep blue coloured lights can also have the same sleepy effect, often used in baby nightlights. So long as they are dim and have a deep, dark blue, the light can create a soothing atmosphere in a bedroom, mimicking the deep blue sea or night sky.

With developments in LED lights, you can get bulbs that produce an extensive range of light colours. So, if you’re trying to soothe yourself before sleep, turn on your dim, warm light lights for the best light colour for sleep.

Practical tips for creating soothing bedroom lighting

Here are some of our top tips on how to create soothing bedroom lighting
- Place lights low down. Using nightlights plugged into outlets near the floor offers a mellowed ambience that isn’t bright or dazzling to help you feel sleepy.
- Use shades. Shading any naked bulbs will help defuse any stark light and help create a soothing atmosphere in your bedroom.
- Use warm white bulbs. An easy way to create a more soothing ambience in your bedroom before bed is to swap your bulbs for ones that emit a warm white light.
- Get the right lamp size. If you have a bedside lamp, the last thing you want is the light blinding you as you sit in bed. Ensure your bedside lamp sits on your nightstand at the right height and doesn’t shine into your eyes.
Soothing bedroom lighting at Castlegate Lights

We hope you now understand the importance of light when creating a relaxing and soothing environment in your bedroom. Whether you’re having trouble sleeping or want to illuminate your bedroom to create a calming atmosphere, lighting can help with the optimal shade, brightness and light colour temperature.

If you’re looking for relaxing light for your bedroom, browse our bedroom lighting collection for an extensive range of lights perfect for bedrooms. You can also replace your bulbs with warm white light bulbs from our bulb collection to transform your bedroom into a calming oasis without breaking the bank.

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April 2, 2024
How to choose the ideal bedside lamp
If you’re wondering how to choose the right lamp for your bedside table, we’re here to help! It can be overwhelming searching for the best bedside lamp for you with so many choices available.

In this guide, we go through crucial considerations you must make when attempting to find a lamp for your bedside table, including lumens, shade size, base height, style, light direction, material and switches. So, let’s dive right in and help you find the perfect light source for your bedside.

Table of contents
Iluzzia Gondia Single Light Table Lamp In Natural Rattan Finish

How many lumens for a bedside lamp

First, you need to think about your bulb type. When choosing a bulb for your bedside lamp, consider the brightness. For your bedside, you’ll want a soft, more ambient light rather than a harsh, bright light to help you wind down before sleep.

You can determine your bulb brightness by the number of lumens. Aim for a bedside lamp with 200 to 400 lumens to provide adequate illumination for reading or navigating the bedroom without being overly bright.

Why not browse our range of bulbs at Castlegate Lights to find the best light bulb for your bedside lamp? With so many shapes and colour temperatures to browse, you can create the perfect bedside lighting.

What size lamp shade for the bedside table

Then, you need to think about your shade size. When choosing a lamp shade for your bedside table lamp, it should complement the size and style of your bedside table. It will overpower the bedside table if it’s too wide, and you may even knock your head on it while getting in and out of bed.

As a rule of thumb, the bottom of the shade (or diameter) should be about two-thirds the height of the lamp base to stop it from looking bulky or overpowering. You also don’t want it to be too small compared to the base, as this will look uneven.

To get the perfect size, ensure your lamp shade slightly extends beyond the base width to provide a balanced illumination and aesthetic appeal.

The Italian Collection Mapa Single Light Small Table Lamp in White Finish

How tall should a bedside lamp be

The height of your bedside lamp should be proportional to the height of your bedside table, bed and surrounding furniture. A typical bedside lamp ranges between 16 to 24 inches (41-61cm).

Use this as a guide if you need clarification and want to avoid accidentally buying a massive or tiny lamp for your bedside table. If it’s too tall, the light might dazzle you as you switch it on. If it’s too short, it may not provide enough light for reading. The best height for a bedside lamp is at eye level to get enough light for reading in bed without getting dazzled by a bright wakeup.

When deciding the height of your bedside lamp, consider its function. For example, if you intend to use it primarily for reading, opt for a taller lamp that directs light downwards onto your reading material.

How to choose a bedside lamp

When choosing the perfect bedside lamp, there are multiple factors to consider.

Purpose

First, what will you use it for? Consider your needs and determine the primary purpose of your bedside lamp. Is it for reading, ambient light, accentuating decor or multiple uses? The purpose will determine the style of lamp you need.

Style

Then, think about style and aesthetics. Bedside table lamps aren’t just functional; they can also add design interest to your room. Choose a lamp that complements the style and decor of your bedroom. Options can include traditional, industrial, vintage and much more.

Dar Lighting Dar Louise Single Light Table Lamp Base Only In Caramel Finish

Edit Lighting Edit Shelley Single Light Table Lamp In Pink and Gold Finish

Elstead Lighting Elstead Quoizel Larissa 2 Light Table Lamp In Vintage Bronze Finish And Tiffany Glass Shade

Also, consider your colour scheme and textures. Lamps provide excellent decor accent pieces, adding a pop of colour or contrasting texture to a room.

Lighting direction

Decide where you want your light directed based on your style preferences and the purpose of your lamp. If you need to use your lamp for reading, select a lamp that directs light downwards. Select a lamp that directs light upwards if you want to use your lamp light to highlight the wall texture or an architectural feature. And, if you are looking for a lamp to provide general ambient light, choose one that does both.

Note that adjustable lamp heads offer versatility between all these factors.

Material and finish

Your choice and material finish depends on your bedroom decor, with some being more modern or traditional. Typical bedroom lamp finishes sometimes have chrome, wood, ceramic or glass finishes. But there are so many more to choose from besides these.

Dar Lighting Dar Oporto Single Light Table Lamp in Polished Chrome with a Cream Shade

Edit Lighting Edit Kidonge Single Light Desk Lamp in White Finish with Wood Detail

Dar Lighting Weylin Single Light Ceramic Table Lamp in Navy and White Finish Complete with Shade

Edit Lighting Edit Windsor Single Light Table Lamp In Gold Finish With Clear Glass

Switch type

You can also consider the type of switch you want to make your life easier. You can go for a traditional switch on the neck or a more modern switch on the cable. Choose whichever you’ll find more convenient if you’re trying to turn the lamp on in the dark.

You can also opt for touch-sensitive lamps for maximum convenience, some of which usually have three brightness settings, or choose a dimmable lamp to get full adjustable brightness.

The Italian Collection Mapa Single Light Medium Flush Wall Fitting in White Finish

Space constraints

If you have limited bedside table space, consider wall-mounted lamps or smaller designs that will be manageable for your surface area.

Budget

Determine your budget and explore your options. Remember that a high-quality bedside lamp can enhance the ambience of your bedroom and is worth investing in. But, if you have budget constraints, we have a range of bedside table lamps to suit every budget at Castlegate Lights.

Bedside lamps at Castlegate Lights

Now you know how to choose a lamp for your bedside, it’s time to explore your options. Why not browse our bedroom table lamps at Castlegate Lights to find the perfect bedside lamp for your bedroom?

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March 5, 2024
How to brighten a dark room with no natural light
Dark rooms with no widows can feel cold and unwelcoming. If you have a room with limited light or no natural light, it could affect your sleep pattern and mental health.

Humans need a regular cycle of daylight and night darkness to keep a steady circadian rhythm. It can also make achieving daily tasks like cooking, reading or washing more difficult if your body isn’t in tune with this rhythm.

Ideally, you want enough natural light in your bedroom when you need to wake up and in areas of your home where you conduct tasks, like the kitchen, bathroom and home office. However, if any of those rooms don’t have access to natural daylight, you need to recreate it to mimic the effects of daylight and reap the benefits.

Here, we’ll explain how to lighten a dark room with no natural light to help create a better living space.

Table of contents
Understanding natural light bulbs

First, you should understand the Kelvin scale if you’re trying to brighten a dark room.

What is the Kelvin scale?

The Kelvin number indicates the colour temperature a light bulb emits. All bulbs will sit on the Kelvin scale and emit LED light from cool to warm white light. You can see the warmth of light emitted on the graphic above for a clearer visual of the Kelvin scale.

LED bulbs emit different coloured light because different materials used in the bulbs produce different photons at varying wavelengths, which appear as colours on a scale.

Bulbs that produce a natural light will be in the middle of the kelvin scale, somewhere between 4000 and 6500k.

Remember that natural sunlight changes colour temperature depending on the time of day, latitude and season. So, mimicking natural light falls on a spectrum, but anything between this range will help artificially bring natural light into your windowless room.

How to choose the best natural light fitting

Choosing the best natural light fitting will depend on the room. If your bathroom or kitchen has no windows, you’ll want to select light fixtures closer to 6500K on the Kelvin scale. Natural daylight bulbs are the best option for cooking in the kitchen or doing your makeup in the bathroom.

Natural light will show colours how they are, which is perfect for completing tasks. Choose light fittings like spotlights and downlights for the kitchen and bathroom to bring the effects of natural light into your room.

Similarly, for a windowless home office or study, you may want a desk lamp to emit natural light to help you see your work, concentrate and feel awake.

However, if your dark room is a bedroom or living room, you may want to lean towards the warmer side of the natural light spectrum. Because you tend to use these rooms to wind down and relax, you don’t want to add daylight bulbs that mimic the colour temperature of broad daylight, and your brain won’t be able to de-stress at night. So, use artificial light that mimics a softer, warmer natural light like 4000K.

Lean towards living room and bedside natural light table lamps to brighten your bedroom and lounge. You can also use floor lamps to alter a room’s feel.

The best way to recreate daylight in your windowless room is to add different types of light that provide both stark daylight colours and warm sunrise and sunset colour temperatures to mimic the different times of the day and maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. For example, you may choose ceiling lights to provide natural daylight and a natural light lamp to mimic warmer natural light for the morning and evening.

How to brighten a dark room with no windows

Colour temperature is essential when choosing lights for a windowless room, but brightness is also crucial.

Traditionally, watts did indicate bulb brightness, but with the evolution of LED bulbs, lumens are a better indication of brightness.

You will want brighter bulbs in rooms where you perform tasks, like the kitchen and bathroom. But there is no need to install bright daylight bulbs in your living room and bedroom. Choose bulbs with a lower lumen count for these rooms.

You must also consider your room size to determine how many light sources and lumens you need to achieve tasks and multiply it by the room’s square footage and height. Whether you have natural light lamps or overhead lights, place them strategically to provide an even amount of light throughout the room.

Additional tips on how to brighten a dark room
- Besides the right lighting, there are other things you can do to brighten a dark room instead of natural light. For example, interior designers use mirrors and reflective surfaces in dark rooms to reflect light back into the room.
- You can also use light colours in your decor and light paint colours to make a windowless room seem brighter.
- Lastly, try to keep the room clear of clutter to help open the room up.
Natural light bulbs at Castlegate Lights

If you have a windowless room devoid of daylight, fear not! Now you know how to brighten a dark room with natural light bulbs. Always think about Kelvins to get the right colour temperature and lumens to get the ideal brightness depending on the room’s purpose and size.

Discover daylight and natural light bulbs at Castlegate Lights and transform your dull, windowless room into a haven.

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March 5, 2024
Fall in love with your bedroom thanks to these 9 romantic lighting tips
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you might want to modify your bedroom lighting to create the ultimate romantic ambience. But where to start? At Castlegate Lights, we have you covered!

Follow our 9 top tips to create the perfect romantic bedroom lighting this Valentine’s Day and fall in love with mood lighting.

Table of contents
1. Creating an ambience with romantic lights

Lighting can have a powerful effect on the mood of a room. For example, lighting can make a room feel cosy, productive, open, airy and more. But, for Valentine’s Day, you’ll want to use lights that create a cosy, romantic or sensual atmosphere.

You will need low-level ambient and accent lights to create a romantic atmosphere. Ambient light typically fills the room with general lighting, but you don’t want the light to be too harsh! To achieve this, assemble low-level lights with light shades or warm-coloured light bulbs.

You might also layer your lighting scheme by adding accent lights. Use accent lights or lamps to frame the bed in light. Layered lighting is crucial when planning a lighting scheme for a well-balanced and customisable romantic setting.

2. Use romantic lighting fixtures

Here are our top lighting fixtures to consider buying when planning a romantic ambience in your bedroom.

Chandeliers

The Italian Collection Justine 6 Light Chandelier in a White Finish

There’s nothing more romantic than an elegant chandelier above your bed. Straight out of a fairy tale romance novel, the classic designs evoke romantic and whimsical feelings. A chandelier can offer ambient light, but hanging it above your bed can highlight the room’s main furniture piece.

Pendant lights

Dar Lighting Dar Alvaro 6 Light Ceiling Pendant Light In Brushed Brass with Blue Shade

If you prefer pendant lights in your bedroom, it is possible to have one and still keep the atmosphere cosy. Ensure that your pendant light is properly shaded or diffused to stop the light from being too harsh and creating unwanted shadows.

Flush ceiling lights

The Italian Collection Nodino 9 Light Semi-Flush Ceiling Fitting in White Finish

The Italian Collection Ovalino 8 Light Flush Ceiling Fitting In Chrome Finish With White Glass

You might consider choosing a flush ceiling light that distributes the light evenly throughout the room if you think pendant lights are too concentrated.

Wall lights

Iluzzia Moonlight Hanging Single Light Wall Fitting In Gold Finish With Opal Glass

The Italian Collection Chalet Twin Light Wall Fitting in Beige Finish

You can also use wall lights in your bedroom to create a romantic ambient light. As they’re not in the centre of the room, they draw less attention and distribute the light more softly, like wall sconces.

You can use wall lights to produce general ambient romantic light or accent lighting to frame your bed. Why not opt for glass orb wall lights that diffuse the light to create a soft, romantic glow?

Bedside table and floor lamps

Iluzzia Gondia Single Light Table Lamp In Natural Rattan Finish

Iluzzia Kithnos Single Light Floor Lamp Black Finish With White Rattan Shade

Romantic bedroom lamps are fantastic for creating mood lighting in a bedroom because of their shades. The shaded light diffuses and softens the light to create a romantic and cosy atmosphere. Whether you use a floor lamp to produce a low-level ambient light in the room or bedside lamps to accent your bed, lamps are essential for romantic bedroom lighting.

3. Use romantic bulb types and colours

Consider bulb types and colours when planning a cosy, romantic bedroom setting. Changing the bulbs is an easy way to update your lighting scheme for Valentine’s Day without changing your light fittings.

Swap your bulbs for warm white LED bulbs or bulbs with amber glass to create a warm, cosy atmosphere.

You could also choose a candle bulb to mimic the effect of candlelight to help enhance the romantic setting.

4. Consider dimmers

If you want to create a more flexible lighting scheme that can create a romantic atmosphere one moment and practical lighting the next, we recommend installing dimmable lights. Instantly transform your bedroom into a romantic haven by lowering the light intensity with the dimmer switch.

5. Think about placement and arrangement

Placement is king when creating a romantic lighting scheme. First, create a balanced light distribution using ambient lights to avoid harsh shadows. However, you can also use accent lights to create focal points. For example, use lamps to highlight the bed.

6. Use candlelight and decorative lighting

You can also incorporate decorative lighting like LED candles and fairy lights to enhance the romantic ambience. Make sure you choose fairy lights with warm white bulbs, or your bedroom will look too cold.

7. Don’t forget personalisation and style

Your personal choice will also help you choose the perfect romantic bedroom lighting. Consider what you think is cosy and romantic and tie it in with the rest of your bedroom’s style.

Your romantic bedroom lighting will depend on your bedroom style. For example, the lights should reflect the style if you have a classic, elegant, modern or cosy room.

8. Utilise romantic colour and texture

Colour and texture can play a significant part in enhancing the romantic atmosphere of your room. You can choose lights and bulb colours that reflect the season, for example, deep reds, purples, pinks, ambers and black lights.

One way to create a cosy, romantic atmosphere without a dimmer switch is to soften the light intensity. You can do this using textures, for example, mottled or smoked glass shades or cosy fabric shades in dark, sensual colours like red, black, purple and amber.

BHS Lighting BHS Plume Single Light Tripod Table Lamp In Brass Finish With White Feather Shade

You might also consider luxurious fabrics like silk shades or fluffy feather textures to add to the romantic atmosphere.

9. Add temporary additions for special occasions

As Valentine’s only happens once a year, you might only want to create a temporary solution for your mood lighting in your bedroom. Adding string light, LED candles, or different lamp shades are easy, temporary ways to create the perfect romantic bedroom lighting for special occasions.

Romantic bedroom lighting at Castlegate Lights

We hope we’ve helped inspire you to experiment with mood lighting for your bedroom this Valentine’s Day. Whether you want to enhance the romantic ambience in your bedroom or keep the love strong all year round, discover our selection of romantic bedroom lighting at Castlegate Lights today.

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February 5, 2024
The best lights for your little ones: A guide to children’s bedroom lighting by age
If you’re decorating your child’s bedroom, lighting is an essential part of the decor. Whether it’s making sure they have enough light to illuminate their room, task light to do their homework or fun lights to make their bedroom cosy, we have everything you need to know when lighting your child’s bedroom, including lighting recommendations and top tips.

Children of different ages require different lighting types and have different style tastes, so here is our guide to children’s bedroom lighting by age.

Table of contents
Understanding the Basics

Ambient, accent and task lighting

When planning lighting for a kid’s bedroom, you must begin with the practical and essential lights, for example, the big room lights for ambient lighting so they can see adequately. These would be fixtures like ceiling lights or wall lights.

Lighting also helps your child with their sleep cycle. Always include accent lighting like lamps and night lights to help your child’s body relax before bed. Ensuring they get the right kind of sleep while they’re young improves their overall development.

Your child will also spend much time in their room doing other activities while not sleeping. For example, they may read, do arts and crafts, or later, do their homework and study. Therefore, they need adequate task lighting to complete these activities with sufficient light to achieve the tasks.

Style

It’s crucial for a child’s development and mental health to feel like their space is their own. Listen to them if they want a particular lighting fixture. Many children’s lights have novelty features like bright colours and caricatures, making their room feel comfortable and welcoming. Ensure the lights are age-appropriate so your child feels comfortable in their room.

Safety

Always consider safety before you purchase a kid’s bedroom light. Ensure there are no sharp edges and that they aren’t made of material that could break and cause injury, like glass.

Also, avoid lights with inadequate safety features that might get too hot to touch. Choosing lights with LED bulbs will help keep your children safe from burns, as LED bulbs aren’t hot to touch.

Newborns to infants (0-2 years)

When preparing for a newborn and planning the lighting for the nursery, you want to choose soft ambient lighting that will create a calming and gentle atmosphere.

For example, you may choose a shaded ceiling light with no exposed light bulb or soft lamps with warm colour temperature bulbs. Alternatively, you could select lights with dimmable switches to achieve varying light levels. However, it’s essential to balance enough light for caregiving tasks and maintaining a sleep-friendly environment for the baby.

Opt for this soft, calming ambient light to promote relaxation for yourself and your baby, especially during nighttime activities. Dimly lit and warm colour temperatures will also preserve the sleep environment, minimise disruption to the baby’s sleep and support circadian rhythms.

Harsh, bright light can be jarring and make it more difficult for the baby to go back to sleep after feeding times. Keeping the room dark or dimly lit will help them associate darkness with sleep time. Furthermore, exposure to blue or bright light can suppress the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. So gentle lighting can minimise this effect and allow the baby’s body to continue to produce melatonin.

Soft lighting also reduces stress for the baby and caregiver and facilitates bonding by providing an intimate setting for nurturing. For practicality, soft lighting can also allow you to navigate the room without disturbing the baby and avoiding accidents during the night.

Toddlers to preschoolers (2-5 years)

When your children get to preschool age, you may want to add an element of interactive lighting to stimulate their minds and provide enjoyment in their bedrooms, as well as practical and restful lighting.

Maintain a warm colour temperature lighting to create a calming environment before bed. Achieve this with warm LED bulbs and shaded lights and lamps. Warm colour temperatures will signal to your child’s body that it’s time for sleep so they can drift off to sleep more easily.

You also might consider purchasing lights with dimmer switches to control the light intensity and create the ambience your children require for sleeping and waking up.

As your child grows, you may want to update their lighting to something more age-appropriate. For example, lighting they can engage with. Fun characters and novelty lighting will delight your child and make them feel safe and comforted in their room.

Many children at this age may develop a fear of the dark. Therefore, a night light for kids is the perfect way to comfort them at night, reduce their fear of the dark and allow them to fall asleep peacefully.

School-age children (6-12 years)

When your children reach school age, they may want more say in decorating their own room. Allowing them to choose their light fittings and lamps fosters a sense of ownership and personal style. They may want to choose coloured lighting, put up a string of fairy lights or have a novelty kid’s bedside lamp.

They might also enjoy doing arts and crafts at their bedroom desk or get to the stage of doing light homework. Therefore, they will need adequate task lighting like desk lamps. If they are interested in reading books, add a spotlight or reading lamp beside their bed for nighttime reading.

Teenagers (13+ years)

In their teenage years, you may want to consider versatile and adjustable lighting to cater to your teenager’s needs and as their style evolves.

They will still require ceiling or wall lights for ambient lighting and task lights to complete their studies. But their other accent lighting should be unique to their style.

General tips for all ages
1. Top Tip 1: As well as artificial lighting, you must consider letting enough natural light into your children’s bedrooms. Natural light in the morning will allow your child to develop a healthy circadian rhythm.
2. Top Tip 2: Ensure your child’s bedroom light switches are easily accessible for children of all ages. If your child is young and developing their motor skills, allowing them to turn lights on and off is a fantastic way for them to interact with their environment in safely.
3. Top Tip 3: We always recommend installing lights with LED bulbs. Not only are they more energy efficient, but they’re safer for children as they do not get hot.
Children’s Lighting at Castlegate Lights

Age is one of the most crucial facts to consider when choosing lights for your children’s bedrooms. Every age is different and requires lights for different needs, from comforting lighting to help them fall asleep to creating a sense of ownership.

Find the perfect lighting for your child’s bedroom, whatever their age, at Castelgate Lights in our children’s lighting collection.

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December 19, 2023
Bedroom Inspo: Bedroom Lighting Ideas

When it comes to decorating a bedroom, choosing the right bedroom lights can play a huge part in helping you make the most of your space and create the perfect ambience. In need of some bedroom inspo? Whether you’re looking for bold lights that make an impact or subtle designs that transform your room into a zen haven, here at Castlegate Lights, we’ve picked out some bedroom lighting ideas for every room.

Bedside Table Lamps

Convenient, cosy and versatile, table lamps are one of the best bedroom lighting ideas to easily incorporate into your room. Placed on your nightstand or chest of drawers, the warm glow of a table lamp provides a cosier atmosphere than your main ceiling light and helps your bedroom feel like the inviting and relaxing space it should be. Bonus – you don’t need to leave the luxury of your bed to turn it off! From on-trend Scandi styles to vintage or modern designs, you can find a huge range of table lamps ideal for your bedroom here at Castlegate Lights.

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A post shared by Bedroom Goals! 🙌🏼 (@mybedroomgoals) on Jul 21, 2018 at 2:02am PDT

Pendant Lights or Chandeliers

Looking for bedroom lighting ideas that add some character, drama and style to your room? Opting for some pretty pendant lights or a chandelier could be a perfect choice. Doubling as both a great source of light and a striking room feature, pendant lights and chandeliers hang low from the ceiling and can make a stunning alternative to traditional flush or semi-flush ceiling lights, providing you have space. Explore a huge range of both pendant lights and chandeliers here at Castlegate Lights to find beautiful bedroom lights that make a statement.

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A post shared by LNC HOME (@lnc_home) on Apr 1, 2019 at 11:46pm PDT

Wall Lights

Love settling down with a good book before you go to sleep? One or two wall lights placed above your bed could be the perfect bedroom lights for your room. Wall lights are a great option for letting you control your lighting from the comfort of your bed and utilise your unused wall space, rather than taking up room on your dresser or floor. Wall lights can also be used above mirrors, dressers and vanity tables to give you that extra bit of lighting you need when you’re getting ready in the morning. Explore all our wall spotlights here at Castlegate Lights to find the perfect styles for your bedroom.

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A post shared by Bedroom Goals! 🙌🏼 (@mybedroomgoals) on Oct 1, 2018 at 12:51am PDT

Floor Lamps

Want to create cosy corners or illuminate areas that don’t get much light? A well-placed floor lamp can be the perfect solution. Whether placed by your bed or next to a comfy reading chair, floor lamps can provide a convenient source of light that emits a cosy glow. Another benefit of floor lamps is that you can easily reposition them: whether you change your room layout or buy a new piece of furniture, your floor lamp can be easily moved to wherever best suits your room. Discover the perfect floor lamps for your room with our huge range of styles here at Castlegate Lights.

Whatever your room’s size and style, you can find a huge range of bedroom lighting ideas to suit every interior aesthetic here at Castlegate Lights. Explore our full collection of bedroom lighting designs for more bedroom inspo!

May 3, 2019
The Importance Of Lighting In The Bedroom

The average person sleeps for about 8 hours per night. If you live to 75 years old, you’ll spend about 25 of those years asleep. Now clearly living a third of your life in the darkness might lead you to think that the bedroom lighting isn’t so important, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Whether your bedroom is used for sleeping, reading, getting ready for a big night out or even setting the mood for a big night in, creating the right atmosphere in any bedroom is vital. Lighting is a huge part of that and we have everything you need to create the bedroom of your dreams.

Any bedroom can be a real statement of intent. When it comes to illustrating your personality, your style and your unique taste, the lighting you choose can complement all aspects of what makes a bedroom the place you simply want to be, rather than just a place to lay your head.

For all the shared rooms in the house, the bedroom is often the only place we can genuinely be ourselves. Our incredible range of lighting allows you to do just that, even if you share it with someone special. Whether you want to go traditional lighting and create a cosy corner of the home for relaxing, reading or ‘special cuddles’ then we have the range to suit. If you want to go minimalist and functional, then we can do that too.

If you’re looking for lighting that blends subtly with your furniture to really catch the eye, but stimulate your other senses, then our range from Elstead Lighting excels. From traditional gold, silver and bronze finishes to the classic Tiffany style lamps or their wall and floor lights. They will all bring a warmth to your master bedroom that few other fittings will.

Of course, the main bedroom, where apparently ‘all the magic happens’, probably won’t be the only bedroom in the house. Whether you’ve got a houseful of kids or some rooms ready for friends and family coming over to stay, the sheer range of looks that a bedroom can adopt, means Castlegate Lights needs a whole selection of styles for you to choose from. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered and it’s no trick of the light.

You may well have noticed the change in the calendar and are looking to redecorate the kids bedroom ready for Father Christmas (yes, he’ll be here soon – sorry!), then Eglo lighting have some fantastic lights that will look amazing for children of any age. If they’re really young, then their spotlights look like colourful animal characters, rather than lights. As they get older, then they have some ceiling lights for boys and girls, from kites to aeroplanes. If they’re getting to be more grown-up, then Oaks Lighting have some beautiful Tiffany-style lamps that look grown up, but still have a playful side. They come as cats, dogs, frogs or butterflies and need to be seen to be believed.

Bedroom lights are as individual as the person who lays their head within. Whatever style you want to create, whatever atmosphere you want to rest your weary head in, the lights you choose will play a massive part in that process. Take a look at the range of bedroom lighting we have and you’ll amazed at just what is on offer to create somewhere you’ll want to spend far more than a third of your life in.

September 8, 2017
Lighting Your Home: Bedroom Lighting

Lighting your home can be stressful and tricky, you want something that captures the theme perfectly, you might want a lighting fixture that creates a focus piece, or one that is easily hidden. Whatever your lighting needs, at Castlegate Lights we’re here to help!

Our latest selection of blog posts will feature on how to light the rooms in your home; first up is your bedroom!
A bedroom can be a difficult place to get the right lighting fixtures for, you ideally want something that reflects your personality, but doesn’t draw attention away from the feature piece in the room, your bed. As it’s usually a place to relax our professional opinion would be to suggest a light with dimmable capabilities, to be able to create that right atmosphere, but with the added option to put the brightness up. At Castlegate Lights we have a huge range of lighting dedicated to just bedroom lighting, so depending on if you’re going for the contemporary style or rustic edge we’ve got the perfect style for you!

Ceiling
A pendant of hanging light is an excellent feature to any room, but really gives a bedroom that homely feel and distributes light expertly. Our two suggestions:

Fitting in perfectly with either a traditional touch or modern style.

Bedside
A bedroom without bedside tables doesn’t feel right, where else would you put your phones, glasses, book, remotes at night!? Of course if you’ve got bedside tables you’ll need a table lamp to go on top, and at Castlegate we’ve got an incredible amount of stylish lamps for you to choose from! Two of our favourites:

Spotlights
Spotlights might seem out of place in a bedroom, but they are provide a great source of light if you have a walk in wardrobe or over a dressing table. If you’re looking for a discreet spotlight then we’ve got a few ideas for you in our collection:

As spotlights are usually LED they give off a brilliant clean light, which will last alot longer than your regular bulbs.
For more great bedroom lighting choices check out our full collection at Castlegate Lights.

January 21, 2016