Should Lamps Be Taller Than Headboard? (Read This First!)
If you are thinking of adding side lamps to your bed with a headboard, you may have to do a little thinking beforehand.
The scale of the lamp and headboard dimension is important, and you don’t want your lamps to be too tall or too short from your headboard height.
Should lamps be taller than headboards?
If the height of your headboard is no more than a few inches and you own a floor lamp, the height of the floor lamp should be double the height of the headboard. If you have a table lamp, it should be around the same height or 2 to 4 inches taller than the headboard top height.
Table of Contents
Should bedside lamps be shorter than headboard?
Whether a bedside lamp should be shorter than the headboard will depend on a number of factors. However, mostly it will depend on the height of the headboard itself. If the headboard is considerably long and high, lamps should be shorter than the headboard.
If the headboard is not too magnificently tall and is a sleek average height from the bed surface the lamps should not be shorter than the headboard.
Should bedside lamps be the same height as headboard?
If you are planning to adorn your room with table lamps, and if your headboard is a few inches from the surface of the bed, it is a good idea to have lamps of the same size as the headboard.
As a rule of thumb, you would want to sit on the size of your bed, with the lower end of the lampshade being at your eye level. This way, no light is blocked and the light distribution is also even.
If it is a table lamp, make sure the side tables are 2 to 4 inches higher or lower than the bed level. This way, you can add a lamp to the nightstand and adjust the height of the lamp to a few inches taller than the headboard.
How tall should bedroom lamps be compared to a headboard?
Although there are no hard and fast rules to how tall a bedroom lamp should be compared to a headboard, the best visual scale can be obtained if your headboard is half the height of a floor lamp.
That of course, would only be possible if the headboard is not too giant and not too petit. If you have a headboard that almost touches the ceiling, as with modern bedrooms, you may want table lamps that have a shade end leveled at your eye height as you sit on the bed.
If the headboard is an average height of a few inches, table lamps of the same height as the headboard, or a few inches shorter can be a good scaling decision.
4 factors affecting the lamp height with headboards:
4 factors affecting the lamp height with headboards are given below –
What your Bedroom Theme is:
Your bedroom theme has a huge part to play in determining how tall your lamp should be based on your headboard height. For modern bedrooms, with headboards that are high on ceilings, you can choose lamps of any size.
For maximum and soft light distribution, your eye level should be matching the shade height. For bedrooms with furniture that are lower in height, you may have to scale up or down the height of your lamps as well.
How you use the lamp:
One of the most important factors and perhaps the more crucial of the 4 is how you use your lamp.
Your lamp’s height should surely be complementing the height of your headboard, and the size of the rest of the furniture in the house. However, it should also serve the primary purpose of shedding light when you need it to in the dark.
Many people love to read at night with the help of the light from the lamp. For people as such, a lower lamp is more helpful. For many of you who simply want to make your headboard look appealing with two-floor lamps, you may choose taller lamps.
How big is your nightstand:
For table lamps, how tall it stands beside your headboard will depend on the side table it is standing on. The height of your nightstand table should not be more than a few inches higher or lower than your bed height.
Now, if you have a taller nightstand and a headboard that is a few inches high, an average height lamp will look taller on the side than you think.
Size of your Lamp shade:
Some of us love to switch lamp shades with seasons, occasions, or just by mood.
If we are to attach separate shades, we can change the height of the lamps based on what suits best. At times, the shades add extra height to an otherwise short lamp.
How can I make my lamp look taller?
In order to make your lamp look taller than has been sitting on your bedside table, you may first want to take a hard look at your bedroom and the aesthetics around it. Not every technique will suit the additions to the height.
If you have a wooden side table, one of the tricks to make the lamp look taller is adding a round wooden base. It would look more like an extension to the nightstand without being overly dramatic.
We all have books at home. If you want to ditch the wooden base idea, you may stack on a few books under the lamp. Some people also like to use a tripod to raise the lamp height, but for this, we suggest you keep the looks in your books.
Do you need matching bedside lamps with a headboard?
Most of us relish the idea of contrasting colors and styles in our rooms. While it can be challenging to mismatch the rest of the furniture in your bedroom, when it comes to lamps, you can be as creative as you want.
This means, there is no need to match bedside lamps with a headboard. Doing so would make the room look monotonous. Instead, you can go for different colors of shades or stand. However, it is smart to have matching bedside lamps to a particular headboard.
Do I need two lamps with a headboard?
Depending on the size of your bed and bedroom and the position of your bed in the room, you can decide how many lamps you need to keep in your bedside with a headboard.
If you have a single bed with a headboard, or a bed with one side against a wall, you can have a single lamp with a headboard. However, that would be the only exception.
For any other bed, the best way is to balance the overall look and scale of your room by having two matching lamps on either side of a bed with a headboard.
With style being an important feature to keep in mind, you have to be careful about the size of the lamps too, regardless of whether they are table lamps or floor lamps.
How can I make my headboard look better?
One way to make you’re your headboard look even more appealing, is to add some tufted elegance. You can enhance the look by upgrading the headboard to an upholstered one and covering it in a fabric that complements the curtains or carpets of the room.
Adding lamps and side tables to a bed with a headboard is another way of adding color and balance to your room. The headboard along with the side decorations would augment the overall look beautifully.
If you don’t want to put in so much effort and wish to make your headboard look prettier, it’s perpetually an exceptional idea to cover it up with a slipcover.
You can find ready-made slipcovers to match the style of the overall room if you want. You can also make one from scratch using your designed fabric.
Floor lamps must be double the height of a short headboard, while table lamps should be about the same height or a few inches taller
Lamp to headboard ratio is always a confusion among people looking to incorporate both in a room. Well, lucky for you, figuring that out is not rocket science!
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