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Do Nightstands Need Lamps? (Beginners Guide)

If you are interested to decorate your bedroom with nightstands, you might be confused that whether nightstands need lamps or not. Well, in your bedroom, the bed is the most essential thing. But other decorative elements make your room look complete.

Nightstands are one of the necessary pieces of furniture for your bedroom. Nightstands hold many necessary things like water bottles, medicine, remotes, glasses, etc. Besides, lamps are also kept over the nightstands for providing enough light and decorative purposes.

Do nightstands need lamps?

Nightstands need lamps to provide enough light. If you are a night reader, you must need adequate light to read comfortably. You might need light to find many necessary things over the nightstand like medicine, glasses, water bottle, etc. Moreover, lamps increase the completeness of your room.

Lamps over the nightstand can fulfill two purposes. Lamps provide adequate light and they complete the decoration of your room. Also, lamps help to balance the lighting in your bedroom.

Every nightstand needs a lamp. Whether you read at night or not, lamps are important in many ways. An adjustable lamp over the nightstand can ensure other bedroom activities. So, nightstands need lamps for designing lighting around your lifestyle.

Do both nightstands need lamps?

Generally, if you sleep alone in the bed and the bed is comparatively small, one lamp is enough. But if you have a partner, both nightstands require lamps.

Moreover, if you have a large room or a large bed, two lamps on both sides of the bed will balance the light. For illumination, you will need more light sources or lamps in your room. But balancing the light or keeping the combination right, two lamps will help.

It depends on your personal choice whether you use one nightstand or two. But if you have a wide wall beside your bed, lamps on both nightstands will give your bedroom a consistent look.

Benefits of having nightstand lamps

Nightstand lamps have great decorative value. But people use them for many purposes. Nightstand lamps are one of the most useful pieces of furniture. They have become an indispensable part of our bedrooms.

Nightstand lamps can be beneficial in many ways. Let’s see some common benefits.

The lamps will illuminate a particular area:

One of the main purposes of a nightstand lamp is reading. While using a nightstand lamp, it will help you read illuminating a certain area of your room.

Help you deal with nightmares:

If you have nightmares or a sleep disorder, you might need a light source in your room. Moreover, if you want to go to the bathroom, you will need at least a little light. Having a nightstand with a lamp will help you with that little light.

A perfect element for night reading:

If you read at night, a little light is a must. You can use nightstands with lamps for enough light. These lamps will help you read comfortably without disturbing your partner.

Easy to turn on:

Nightstands consist of many important things like medicine, remotes, water bottle, glasses, etc. If you need something in the middle of the night, a nightstand lamp will be very convenient to turn on.

Safety for kids and elders:

Many kids are afraid of darkness. They need a light source that can make them feel safe at night. The same goes for the elders. Sometimes, they need medicines and other important things in the middle of the night or they need to go to the bathroom. So, nightstand lamps are perfect for avoiding injuries in the darkness.

Perfect element for decoration:

If you want to decorate your room with the perfect ambience, a nightstand lamp is a must. It creates a classic look at night. You can use two nightstand lamps on both sides of your bed to keep the balance of the light.

How tall should lamps be on nightstands?

The height of the lamps should be the same as the height of the nightstands. It will look perfect if the height of the lamp is a bit more than the height of the nightstand.

For example, if the height of the nightstand is 20 inches, a 20 inches lamp or 23 inches lamp will look the best.

The height of the lamps on nightstands should be according to the height of your mattress top. To ensure comfort for your eyes, the gap between the mattress top and the lower edge of the lampshade should not be more than 50 cm.

If you are a night reader, the height of your nightstand and lamp is the most important. The light source must be comfortable and illuminate only over the book. Moreover, the light should not create a shadow over the book. So choosing the right height lamp is essential.

How wide should lamps be on nightstands?

Ideally, the width of the lamps should be one-third of the width of nightstands. You should measure the width of the lamp from the base of the lampshade.

The size of the lamp also depends on the size of the room. For a larger room, you will need a larger and wider lamp. The same goes for the mattress. If you have a wider mattress, you should use a wider lamp.

Choosing the wrong size lamp is a common mistake while decorating a bedroom. If you have the idea of proportional measurement among mattress, nightstand, and lamp, you can choose the right size lamp.

You can also check more about The Best Lamp Size for a Nightstand.

How to choose nightstand lamps?

Nightstand lamps are an essential part of your room. It can create a decorative look along with other benefits.

But you have to choose the right nightstand lamps to fulfill the purposes of decoration and other bedroom activities. For choosing nightstand lamps, you should consider some common decorative rules.

Choose the right height lamp:

The height of the lamp impacts your reading books at night. While reading the light should illuminate a certain area around the book, and should not create a shadow over the book.

So, the height of the lamp and nightstand should be the same or the height of the lamp should be a couple of inches tall.

Choose the right width lamp:

The width of the lamp is also important to look perfect for your room. If you have a large room with a smaller or less wide lamp, it will look weird. So, try to choose a lamp with one-third width of the nightstand.

Pick an adequate number of lamps:

The light balance of the room depends on how many lamps you are using in the room. For night-time, two nightstand lamps are enough for adequate light. Two lamps will also balance the light for the room. Try to pick at least two lamps for the bedroom.

Consider the color of the lamp:

Wrong colors or too many colors can decrease the classic look of your room. Moreover, too many colors can affect your eyes too. So try to choose the lamp with appropriate color that goes with your room’s wall and doesn’t affect your eyes. 

Try to match both of the lamps:

If you want to keep the decoration to look symmetrical, both lamps of the nightstands on both sides of your bed should match.

You can also mix different shapes, but try to match the same material or metals of the lamps. Matching lamps will increase the elegance of your room. 

How much does a nightstand lamp cost?

Generally, a good-quality nightstand lamp can cost from $20 to $100. The price differs according to the functions and materials used for lamps. You can also find different sizes and color lamps at different prices.

You can also get a nightstand lamp at a lower cost, but the quality might not be so good. Try to choose a lamp at a reasonable price with multiple functions and good materials. For buying elegant and decorative lamps, you might have to spend a little more.

You can buy a single lamp at a lower price, but it will be convenient if you buy a set of lamps for both sides of your bed.

Do lamps on nightstands have to match?

It is not obvious to match the lamps on nightstands. But if you consider the decoration and symmetrical view of your room, matching the lamps will be the best.

If you want to choose lamps that go well with the wall, you should match the lamps. To maintain symmetry, the height, width and color of the lamps should match.

But if you want to experiment with the lamps whether it goes well with the room, you can choose different lamps. Try to avoid too many colors and wrong color lamps.

How to decorate nightstands without lamps?

Lamps are essential for both decorative and necessity purposes. But in case you don’t want to use lamps on the nightstand, here are some ideas you can follow to decorate nightstands.

  • Keep some books over the nightstand in a suitable color.
  • Put a vase of beautiful flowers.
  • Put some organic elements or plants that suit the room.
  • Hang a drawing or portrait over the nightstand.
  • Put small showpieces or small ornament boxes.
  • Keep a small tray for a coffee mug or snacks.

Nightstand lamps can be beautiful and essential furniture for your room. If you are decorative-minded, you will consider the rules of choosing the perfect nightstand lamp.

Besides, nightstands lamps have many benefits that you have already known. Choosing a suitable nightstand lamp can increase the consistent and classic look of your room.