For most homes, bedside wall lights are a good choice for a guest bedroom. They free up space on bedside tables, give visitors a simple reading light within easy reach and help a spare room feel properly furnished rather than temporary. The main things to consider are whether the bed is likely to move, how easy the controls will be for someone who does not know the room, and whether the space doubles as an office or storage area. Get those right and wall lights tend to be more practical for guests than table lamps.
Guest rooms are often among the smallest bedrooms in a UK home, which is exactly where wall lights shine. Our modern wall lights UK collection includes swing arm, fixed and plug in designs that suit compact spaces, and the points below will help you decide what will work best.
A guest needs somewhere to put a phone, a glass of water, glasses and perhaps a book. A table lamp takes up much of a small bedside table. Moving the light to the wall leaves the surface free, or lets you choose a narrower table or a floating shelf.
Guests are unfamiliar with the room. A wall light mounted at a consistent height on each side of the bed is easier to locate than a lamp switch hidden beneath a shade or on a trailing cable.
Fixed to the wall, they cannot be bumped off a table by a sleepy guest reaching for an alarm.
A matched pair of wall lights either side of a headboard instantly gives a room a hotel like sense of order. For a room that may be furnished with pieces gathered over time, that sense of structure is valuable. If you are planning lighting for the whole house at once, our wider modern lighting UK range makes it easier to keep finishes consistent from room to room.
Once hardwired, wall lights stay put. If you might rearrange the room, switch from a double to twin beds or move the bed to another wall, plug in fittings offer more flexibility.
Hardwired lights need a qualified electrician and may involve chasing cables into the wall and redecorating. That is a bigger job than placing two lamps on tables, so it makes sense to combine it with other work if possible.
If the guest room is also a home office, a craft space or a children’s playroom, wall lights by the bed may sit unused most of the time. In that case, think about whether the fittings can also light other activities, or whether a mix of wall and table lighting would serve the room better.
The best guest room fittings are intuitive. A visitor should be able to switch them on, aim them and switch them off without instructions.
Avoid complicated controls. Touch dimmers, app based controls and remote handsets can confuse guests. If you love smart lighting, make sure there is also a simple physical switch.
A common guide is to mount bedside wall lights so the lower edge of the shade sits a little above head height when sitting up in bed. In many rooms that is roughly 30cm to 50cm above the top of the mattress, depending on the headboard and the fitting. Position them slightly outside the width of the pillows so light falls on a book rather than directly into the eyes.
Check the bed size before drilling. A guest room with a small double needs fittings closer together than one with a king size bed. Mark the positions in pencil, sit on the bed and check the spacing before committing.
Guests read, unpack, get ready for bed and wake up in the room, so bedside lights need to be bright enough for reading but soft enough for winding down. Warm white bulbs around 2700K are a comfortable choice. If the fitting allows, a dimmable bulb with a compatible switch gives guests the choice of a softer glow.
Make sure both bedside lights use identical bulbs. Two different shades of white on either side of a bed are surprisingly noticeable, especially in a small room.
Not every guest room has a double bed against a central wall. Twin beds, a single bed tucked into a corner or a sofa bed in a study all change how bedside lighting should work.
With twin beds, a single wall light mounted centrally between the beds can serve both, provided it has two independently switched heads or a wide, even spread. Alternatively, fit one light on the outer side of each bed and a third between them so both guests have their own control.
A single bed pushed against a wall usually needs only one light, placed on the wall side at a comfortable reading height. This keeps the open side of the bed free and makes the room feel larger.
For a sofa bed in a study or snug, wall lights at the arm end of the sofa do double duty: reading light for an evening on the sofa and bedside light when guests stay. Swing arm fittings are particularly useful here, as the arm can be angled differently when the bed is opened out.
Plug in wall lights are a practical compromise. They give the space saving benefits of wall mounting without the need for new wiring. The cable runs down the wall to a socket, and a paintable cable cover keeps it neat. They can be moved more easily if the room changes.
Hardwired fittings give the cleanest finish. Consider them if you are already redecorating or rewiring and the bed position is unlikely to change. A two way switch at the door and by the bed is a thoughtful addition for guests.
Bedside lights work best as part of a wider scheme. A ceiling light provides general illumination for unpacking and cleaning, and a small lamp on a chest of drawers or dressing table offers a gentle alternative to the main light.
Furniture choices shape how the lights look. A slim bedside cabinet from our modern bedside cabinets UK sale range leaves space for the light to sit above without crowding. A mirror from our bedroom mirrors UK collection, placed to catch the glow, adds depth to a small room and gives guests somewhere to check their appearance before leaving the room.
For most guest rooms, yes. Bedside wall lights make a small room more usable, help it feel considered and are easier for visitors to use than many table lamps. The exceptions are rooms where the layout changes often or where the space serves several other purposes, and even then, plug in fittings usually solve the problem.
Plan the light and the furniture beside the bed together, since the height of a bedside table affects where the fitting should sit. Our guide to bedside table measurements for UK bedrooms will help you plan both at once.
When you are ready to furnish the room, you can find wall lights, bedside cabinets and wardrobes together at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
Typically so the lower edge of the shade sits just above head height when sitting up in bed, which is often around 30cm to 50cm above the mattress.
Yes. They save surface space like hardwired fittings but are easier to install and move if the room layout changes.
Dimming is a welcome extra, but keep the controls simple. A clear physical switch is more important than advanced features.
Not beside the bed. A small lamp elsewhere in the room, such as on a chest of drawers, can still add a softer alternative to the ceiling light.
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