I haven’t done a ‘best of’ in a while – but when I received a request from my best friend I couldn’t help but oblige. Without much space either side of the bed, she was looking for some neat, plug-in bedside lights that could free up room on her compact bedside tables.
Wall lights or sconces can give a lovely, hotel-like elegance and sophistication to a bedroom, but they can be a pain (and expense) to wire in if you’re not doing a full renovation or redecoration project. That’s because a builder or decorator will need to chase the wires into the wall so that they can’t be seen when the wall is plastered over and painted. If they’re already doing work, it’s not too much bother or additional mess, but if you’re adding wall lights into a nice, decorated room, it’s just a bit of a faff.
That’s where plug-in wall lights come in – you can install them on the wall and the wire hangs down so that it can reach a plug socket. You get the clean look of a wall light but without the fuss of fitting them. And there’s some beautiful minimalist designs around.
If you too are stuck for space and don’t want a table lamp, you can also get clip-on lights which could be attached to a picture ledge or shelf above the bed. Or like I have in my bedroom, a plug-in pendant light that can be looped around a hook on the wall. I don’t mind the look of the wire – I think it gives a relaxed, laid-back feel to the space. I like that they’re versatile and can be easily moved around or taken to a new home – ideal if you’re renting (and are able to screw something like a hook into the wall – I know not all landlords will allow you to do that).
The only thing that’s annoying about these Menu Bollard lamps is that they don’t have an on/off switch on the wire so you have to turn them on at the wall socket – so that’s definitely one thing to look out for when choosing your light fitting.
Here I’ve rounded up 14 of what I deem to be the best minimalist plug-in bedside lights for under £350. Will you go for a sculptural dome shape or an exposed bulb?
1. Lean wall light by Muuto, £131.75, Nest.co.uk
2. Ambit wall lamp by Muuto, £315, Someday Designs
3. Ball charcoal grey magnetic wall light, £45, Habitat [affiliate link]
4. Club wall lamp by House Doctor, £144, Nordic Nest
5. Bazar 1-Light Armed Sconce By Rydéns, £84.99, Wayfair
6. Cobra wall light by Gubi, £287.30, Nest.co.uk
7. Staple lamp by Menu, £160, Opumo
8. Arum wall lamp by Ferm Living, £203.15, Nest.co.uk
9. Ivar grey wall light, £50, Habitat [affiliate link]
10. Cast wall light by Menu, £130, Opumo
11. Caravaggio wall light by Fritz Hansen, £269, Finnish Design Shop
12. Noc wall light by Hay, £106.25, Utility Design
13. Hector dome wall light by Original Btc, £116, Hoxton Lights
14. Bellevue AJ9 wall light by &tradition, £280, Twentytwentyone
One thing to carefully consider is function – it might sound obvious, but you can easily get seduced by a design’s look. A bedside light needs to work for you everyday – if you like reading, for instance, you might want to check that the luminosity is enough or that you can turn the shade to focus light on your book. A shade will help focus the light, while an exposed bulb will emit a brighter, broader ranging light. That said, you want to be careful with how big the shade is, as you don’t want to be banging your head as you get out of bed.
Consider the height and width of your bed and the headboard. Bedside wall lights are generally installed 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 5.5 feet) from the floor, but if you have a tall bed or a person taller than 6ft you might want to adjust it so the light is at a more comfortable height. When you’re sitting up in bed, you want the wall light to be just above your shoulder height so it can cast light onto your lap if you’re reading. You’ll also want to be able to reach the shade to adjust it or the switch to turn it on or off from the bed too. Ideally, the best thing is to wait until the bed is in, sit up in it and play around with the height of the wall light until it feels right.
