A simple rule of thumb: when you sit up in bed, the bottom of the lampshade should be roughly at the same height as your eyes. This helps keep the bulb out of your direct line of sight so you get plenty of light on your book or laptop without feeling like you are staring into a headlight.
For most standard beds and nightstands, that means a lamp that is about 24 to 28 inches tall from base to top of the shade. If your nightstand is quite low, you can go taller. If your nightstand is high, a slightly shorter lamp can still feel balanced.
Scale matters as well. A tiny lamp on a wide nightstand can look lost and may not spread light very far. A lamp that is too large can crowd the space and leave no room for water, books, or your phone. When in doubt, choose something with a compact footprint but a noticeable shape, which is where sculptural 3D printed designs shine.
2. Choose warm, dimmable light
The color and intensity of your light have a direct impact on how easy it is to fall asleep. For bedrooms, warm white in the range of about 2200K to 3000K is usually ideal. It feels like a candlelit restaurant rather than a grocery store aisle.
Brightness is measured in lumens. For a bedside lamp that you will use for reading, aim for somewhere around 450 to 800 lumens per lamp, then add a dimmer so you can turn it down once you are done reading or working. Many Terra Labs customers pair our lamps with smart or dimmable bulbs so they can dial in the exact level of glow they want.
Cooler, very bright bulbs can be useful during the day, but in the evening they signal to your eyes that it is still daytime, which can interfere with your sleep cycle. Keeping bedroom bulbs on the warmer side makes it easier to move from “still working” into “ready to sleep.”
3. Think about how you use your bedroom
Not everyone uses a bedroom in the same way. Your ideal lamp might be different depending on your habits.
If you read in bed most nights you will want a lamp with a shade or form that directs light down onto the page without leaking too much into the rest of the room.
If you scroll, game, or watch TV you may want softer, more ambient light that keeps the room visible but does not reflect on screens.
If your bedroom doubles as a home office you may appreciate a slightly brighter lamp on the side where you work, and a softer lamp on the opposite side for evenings.
Because Terra Labs designs tend to glow softly across the entire shade rather than blasting light from a single clear bulb, they work well for people who want their bedroom to feel calm even when the lamp is bright enough to read by.
4. Match the style to your space
Bedroom lamps do not have to disappear. They often end up being one of the main pieces of decor that you actually interact with every day.
Here are a few style directions that are popular right now:
Mushroom and dome lamps that look like little sculptures on your nightstand.
Soft, rounded forms that feel friendly and organic rather than sharp and rigid.
Midcentury inspired silhouettes in cozy neutrals, which pair well with both minimal and eclectic rooms.
Playful “weird” lamps that double as art objects for people who like their decor to have a bit of character.
Terra Labs lamps sit right at the intersection of cozy and sculptural. Because they are 3D printed layer by layer, they can use curves and textures that are hard to achieve with traditional manufacturing. That makes them easy to treat as both light source and decor.
5. Decide whether you want a set of two
A matching set of bedside lamps does more than make your room feel symmetrical. It also keeps both sides of the bed equally usable. No one gets stuck with the “dark” side where it is hard to read or reach a light switch.
If your bed is against a wall or you live in a studio, you might only have room for one lamp. In that case, you can still choose a design that throws light wide enough to reach both sides of the bed, or pair your bedside lamp with a second lamp across the room near a mirror or dresser for balance.
How to choose the best table lamps for bedroom
1. Get the right height and size
A simple rule of thumb: when you sit up in bed, the bottom of the lampshade should be roughly at the same height as your eyes. This helps keep the bulb out of your direct line of sight so you get plenty of light on your book or laptop without feeling like you are staring into a headlight.
For most standard beds and nightstands, that means a lamp that is about 24 to 28 inches tall from base to top of the shade. If your nightstand is quite low, you can go taller. If your nightstand is high, a slightly shorter lamp can still feel balanced.
Scale matters as well. A tiny lamp on a wide nightstand can look lost and may not spread light very far. A lamp that is too large can crowd the space and leave no room for water, books, or your phone. When in doubt, choose something with a compact footprint but a noticeable shape, which is where sculptural 3D printed designs shine.
2. Choose warm, dimmable light
The color and intensity of your light have a direct impact on how easy it is to fall asleep. For bedrooms, warm white in the range of about 2200K to 3000K is usually ideal. It feels like a candlelit restaurant rather than a grocery store aisle.
Brightness is measured in lumens. For a bedside lamp that you will use for reading, aim for somewhere around 450 to 800 lumens per lamp, then add a dimmer so you can turn it down once you are done reading or working. Many Terra Labs customers pair our lamps with smart or dimmable bulbs so they can dial in the exact level of glow they want.
Cooler, very bright bulbs can be useful during the day, but in the evening they signal to your eyes that it is still daytime, which can interfere with your sleep cycle. Keeping bedroom bulbs on the warmer side makes it easier to move from “still working” into “ready to sleep.”
3. Think about how you use your bedroom
Not everyone uses a bedroom in the same way. Your ideal lamp might be different depending on your habits.
Because Terra Labs designs tend to glow softly across the entire shade rather than blasting light from a single clear bulb, they work well for people who want their bedroom to feel calm even when the lamp is bright enough to read by.
4. Match the style to your space
Bedroom lamps do not have to disappear. They often end up being one of the main pieces of decor that you actually interact with every day.
Here are a few style directions that are popular right now:
Terra Labs lamps sit right at the intersection of cozy and sculptural. Because they are 3D printed layer by layer, they can use curves and textures that are hard to achieve with traditional manufacturing. That makes them easy to treat as both light source and decor.
5. Decide whether you want a set of two
A matching set of bedside lamps does more than make your room feel symmetrical. It also keeps both sides of the bed equally usable. No one gets stuck with the “dark” side where it is hard to read or reach a light switch.
If your bed is against a wall or you live in a studio, you might only have room for one lamp. In that case, you can still choose a design that throws light wide enough to reach both sides of the bed, or pair your bedside lamp with a second lamp across the room near a mirror or dresser for balance.