Home > Relax Better in Your Bedroom with Light Relax Better in Your Bedroom with Light Everyone wants their bedroom to be a sanctuary – a place to escape the stresses and hardships of everyday life. And because bedrooms are much more than just a place to lie down and sleep, the right lighting is essential to creating and maintaining a desirable atmosphere. Whether you’re watching TV, reading, exercising, or entertaining, the right bedroom lighting can go a long way. The lighting experts at the American Lighting Association offer these simple tips for lighting your bedroom: Create the Right Ambience with Ambient Lighting Ambient lighting, or “general lighting”, provides a general illumination that allows maximum visibility throughout the entire room. This type of lighting is essential for everyday tasks you might do in your bedroom such as ironing, housekeeping, or anytime you just don’t feel like sitting in the dark. The best general lighting fixtures are ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, fan lights, recessed downlights, or wall sconces. Get the Details with Better Mirror Lighting Most people do their grooming and makeup in their bedrooms, and so it is necessary to have excellent mirror lights. The right mirror light will allow for a comfortable light that allows you to see the details during grooming and applying makeup. Find that Shoe with Closet Lighting Closet lighting is mandatory for large walk-in closets or even smaller closets in areas of the bedroom that aren’t well-lit by the general lighting. For these types of closets, any recessed light or surface-mounted light, such as a wall sconce, is ideal as they take up very little space, if any. Swing on a Wall Lamp The light right next to the bed cannot be underestimated in importance. Ideally, you want something that is easy to reach and easily adjusted. A swing-arm wall lamp on either side of the bed, which provides for adequate reading light while leaving night tables free for clock-radios, books, or beverages, is a perfect solution. Keep Up with the Kids Lastly, the ALA recommends track lighting in children’s rooms which provides excellent lighting agility so that the lights can be turned and swiveled onto various areas for play, homework, or anywhere else light is needed. “Kids never stay in the same place too long,” one of our lighting consultants, and a mother of three, says. “You want a lighting system that can keep up with them.”