Small bedrooms can be chock-full of charm if you play your metaphorical design cards right. From perfectly prim bedding to expert-level use of wallpaper, there are plenty of designer tricks to make the space feel bigger—but none are probably as effective as this simple designer-loved lighting hack. Below, I’m diving into the trick and sharing all the ways designers pull it off.
What’s the Trick?
Space is already at a premium in a small bedroom, so why waste precious space dedicated to table or floor lamps? Designers certainly wouldn’t, and neither should you. Instead, mount your lighting to the wall! Wall sconces are a no-brainer in hardworking spaces where counterspace is at a premium, like in the kitchen or bathroom, and you should apply that same logic to the bedroom.
Installing bedside sconces frees up a ton of room on your already-small side tables, and there are plenty of options out there for showing off your style. You can go classic with a timeless swing-arm brass sconce or embrace a little bit of funk with a pattern-happy shade—whatever you decide, make sure it speaks to you.
How Do Designers Pull It Off?
There are lots of ways to use wall sconces in a bedroom. Below, designers share their favorite ways in bedrooms both large and small.
Add Personality with a Pleated Shade
If a patterned shade feels too busy for your space but you don’t want a simple white cone topping your sconce, go for a pleated style that adds visual texture without stealing the show, as Country Design 100 honoree Marynn Udvarhelyi did in this pattern-filled Cape Cod cottage bedroom.
RELATED: See More of These Dreamy Mother-Daughter Cape Cod Cottages That Are Pure Magic
Use Focus-Friendly Lighting
Deep dome-shaded sconces, like the ones seen in this California cottage bedroom from designer Alexis Garrett, are great for adding light in a smaller, more focused manner—think your classic reading light. This style of sconce is perfect for bedrooms where one partner may be up late into the night without disturbing their bedmate.
Do Double Duty
If your bed sits next to your desk or dresser, as this one does, take a page from Nashville-based designer Kendall Simmons’s playbook and split the lighting difference with a light-flaring sconce to illuminate both spaces.
RELATED: See More of This Tennessee Home That Used to Be a Rickety Hayloft
Play with Scale
Don’t be afraid to play with scale in small bedrooms. Dramatically tall shade silhouettes, like these in the attic bedroom of the design-minded couple behind lighting company Urban Electric Co., draw the eye upward, creating the illusion of height without overpowering the space.
RELATED: See More of This Storybook Cottage Nestled in the North Carolina Foothills
Mount on the Side Wall
Don’t even have room for a bedside sconce? Try mounting one on the wall adjacent to the headboard like photographer Matt Albiani, designer of the idyllic seaside escape Sea Roost, did in this bedroom-slash-office. You really only need one light—you want the room to feel relaxing, after all.
RELATED: See More of This 1940s Cottage That Proves Fisherman-Core Is Actually Timeless
Skip the Swing Arm
Sometimes, simplicity just wins. Rather than going for a finicky adjustable light or swing-arm sconce, opt instead for a slim-lined classic fixture that stays put. In this bedroom, a fixed sconce provides enough ambient lighting at night to get the job done.
Anna Logan is the Deputy Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.
