Bedroom is getting a makeover! Long overdue. Just got the carpet pulled and hardwood floors installed. Furniture arrives next week. Bought a rug to put under the bed. Moving on to other things - lighting!
Our bed and nightstands will be on the wall opposite the door to the bedroom. Would like to have two lamps (matching?) on the nightstands. But should those be the only source of light? We can’t find our way to that wall to turn the light on. We had a lamp on a small table near the door - don’t know if I want to put that table back, but the light was definitely good to have.
What do you have in your bedroom? Matched set of lamps ? Any others? Does anyone here any of the “smart” lamps - lamps that can be accessed through Alexa, google and where you can dim the brightness, change the color etc?
In our state the building code requires that there be a switch at the door to turn on a light or at least be attached to one of the outlets so you can have a light go on when you turn the switch. Ideally you would have a 3-way switch by the door to an overhead light with the other switch by the bed.
We have three lamps in our bedroom that go well together but are not the same. One is on a small chest of drawers next to the door…and as noted by @mathmom it is plugged into the outlet that uses the wall switch.
The other two lamps are on our night stands. They do have the same shape and very similar color shades, but they are not the same lamp at all.
We do not have overhead lights in any of our bedrooms.
Had to laugh at the Clapper post. Indeed - we could do that. We do have Alexa right now turning on and off our bedroom lights, including the one we have next to the door. H says he’s tired of asking Alexa to turn on the lights
@thumper1 - it sounds like the setup we are going for is what you have in your room.
Have a ceiling fan and light controlled by a switch along with two nightstands with smart bulbs. All can be controlled by Alexa. Did a command to turn off the hallway, bedroom lights, and locks the exterior doors when going to sleep. I think telling Alexa to turn them on and off grows on you. Feels a little odd at first.
We added the canned ceiling dimmable led lights. They’re warmer than I thought they would be. I like them. Installation is important. Especially if the attic is above. Make sure they meet code. For some lights you can’t just throw insulation on-top. Good luck.
we also have a ceiling fan with a light, along with an Alexa-controlled lamp on the nightstand. The control is via a controllable plug, its an ordinary lamp and bulb. The fan and its light are controlled only by the wall switches (in addition to the pull chain, an electrician can wire up a fan so it is controlled by a wall switch). These days you can probably buy something to control the fan and its light with Alexa.
I like the Alexa control since it lets you set up routines. In the living room (with its own Alexa) I can say “Alexa, ready for bed” and it turns off the TV and stereo while it turns on the nightstand light. Then “Alexa, goodnight” turns off the nightstand light and plays 30 minutes of white noise (ocean waves). If you have more connected devices you could make the routines even fancier.
If we were doing a room makeover I’d consider cans in the ceiling in addition to the nightstand. I’d want them to be dimmable and rated for insulation-contact, I’d also install a dimmer that Alexa could control.
Ceiling fan with light that is controlled with a switch by the door and a remote control that I keep in my nightstand, 2 matching nightstand lamps (with 3-way bulbs) controlled by the switch by the door, and a floor lamp in the nook with a small love seat for reading that we actually have to walk over and turn on.
We have matched nightstand lights, a matched pair on the dresser on the opposite wall, and a lamp on a small table next to a chair in a corner. I like low-light in the bedroom, so I usually only turn on the nightstands which are controlled by the switch next to the entry.
If you’re willing to pay an electrician, you can have the room re-wired to have the nightstand lights switched at the entry.
My daughter has a bedside lamp (on a night table) with a smart bulb. She turns on that bulb (and also adjusts the tone of the bulb) with an app on her phone.
I have bedside lamps along with a lamp on a dresser. The one on the dresser is controlled by the wall switch by the door. It acts as a nightlight for us.
Old school technology at our home. (Not an Alexa fan). We have a remote control device on our night stand. They’re super inexpensive and plentiful around the holidays (for Tree lighting), but can usually be found any time of the year. They typically control up to (3) fixtures with one controller and (3) separate plugs. That way we can turn on/off whatever we want controlled without leaving bed.
The room is small enough, and we have a night light which suffices for entry. We only use one general uplight which serves for reading, and room lighting. But you could have both an uplight, and (2) nightstand lights for reading purposes.
We also have a matched set of lamps on our nightstands and another lamp on our dresser. No overhead lighting in the master bedroom (although all the kid’s bedrooms have an overhead light).
Don’t have a ceiling fan or lights, although that is on our list of to-dos. Especially the fan.
@abasket - we have gosund plugs which can be controlled through Alexa or the Gosund app on the phone. I had the bedroom light and a few other lights in our house connected to this.
@kjofkw - good idea with the remotes. Only problem is that H is likely to misplace it (happens all the time with him).
I think the best option might be a small light on the dresser next to the doorway, operated by the light switch and a pair of nightstand lights.
Not remote controlled, but the nightstand lamps we bought for our cabin bedrooms are highly functional with a three-way switch (upper bulb, lower nightlight, or both) and two USB ports. I originally bought these for the guest room but liked them so well I bought another set for the master. I like being able to chose the level of light and not having to have chargers on the nightstands. In both rooms, the lamps are controlled by the doorway switch (each pair shares the switched plug via adapter), so that adds to the convenience.
Just an FYI. If you don’t like the position of your wall switch but relocation is next to impossible due to studs etc. being in the way, I highly recommend this product. No Alexa or other snooping devices needed. Installation is a piece of cake.
