Bedroom Glow Up New Lamps and Lighting Secrets

Our primary bedroom has been a journey of transformation since we first moved in last August, evolving slowly but surely into the sanctuary we envisioned. What began as a space with dated carpet and walls painted in a forgettable tan has gradually blossomed into a bright, inviting haven. Each step, from replacing the old flooring with something fresh and modern to painting the walls a crisp, timeless Simply White, has brought us closer to our dream. The bulky ceiling fan was replaced with an elegant chandelier, immediately elevating the room’s aesthetic. One of the more challenging aspects was finding the perfect pair of narrow nightstands to fit the compact wall where our bed is positioned, a task that required patience and careful searching. Just last week, I checked off the final two items on our bedroom to-do list: installing new drapery rods and blackout drapes, which proved to be a unique learning experience given our angled walls, and sourcing the ideal bedroom lamps for both our nightstands and the cozy reading chair.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! It’s finally time for our primary bedroom reveal! Get ready to see the stunning transformation! (This post includes affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission on purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure statement available {here}).

To truly appreciate the transformation, let’s take a quick trip back in time to right before we settled in. This is where our journey began:

And here is our primary bedroom today, a testament to thoughtful design and diligent effort:

Bedroom Design Sources: Round blush bedside lamps | Narrow nightstands | Nightstand drawer knobs | Upholstered bed (Zuma White fabric) | Duvet – no longer available | Luxurious gray quilt | Decorative gray & white dragon pillows | White blackout drapes – standard sizes {here}, custom sizes {here} | Modern drapery rods (with {these} corner connectors for angled walls) | Drapery rings | Drapery rod finials | Elegant floor lamp | Comfortable upholstered reading chair | Stylish chandelier

The finished space truly feels lighter, airier, and most importantly, authentically “us.” After sharing a sneak peek of our new drapes on Instagram, I received an overwhelming number of questions about our curtains. To answer those and many more, including my top recommendations for curtains and rods, be sure to check out my detailed post on how high to hang curtains. Today, I’m thrilled to be partnering with Circa Lighting to delve into all the specifics of our exquisite new kate spade new york bedroom lamps. I’ll also share some invaluable lamp sizing and style tips to help you select the perfect lighting solutions for your own home.

Let’s kick things off with an in-depth look at our beautiful new kate spade new york bedside lamps, which bring both function and flair to our sleep space:

I am absolutely smitten with these lamps! Our bedroom features a harmonious palette dominated by various shades of white and gray, creating a serene and sophisticated atmosphere. While beautiful, I knew the space needed a thoughtful infusion of color to truly come alive. I had experimented with several different bedside lamps, each time feeling that something was just quite not right. Then, I discovered {these blush Elsie table lamps}, and it was an instant connection. They turned out to be the exact pop of color and personality our primary bedroom was craving, tying the entire design together with a delicate yet impactful touch:

What I adore about this particular shade of blush is its remarkable versatility. It’s vibrant enough to provide that much-needed color accent, yet soft and subtle enough to blend seamlessly with the whites and grays already present in our room. This delicate balance ensures it doesn’t overpower the space but rather enhances it. Furthermore, its gentle hue means it would effortlessly complement a variety of other color schemes, such as greens, blues, or even bolder tones, should I ever decide to update our bedding or decor. The fact that these lamps are crafted from painted glass also sets them apart, lending them a captivating luminous quality that traditional ceramic lamps simply cannot replicate. The light interacts with the glass in a way that creates a soft, inviting glow, adding an extra layer of warmth and sophistication to our bedroom:

Another significant advantage of the Elsie lamp is its thoughtfully designed proportions. It possesses a substantial presence without being overly wide, a critical factor for our narrow-by-necessity nightstands. The wall where our bed is situated is quite short, limiting the width of our nightstands to an absolute maximum. In my search for the perfect bedside lighting, I tried several other lamps, most of which were around 16 inches wide. However, I often found that they were either disproportionately short or had an unsuitably narrow base, making them appear flimsy or out of place. Discovering the Elsie lamp was truly a design victory! While I’m particularly fond of the blush color, it’s worth noting that this versatile lamp is also available in a range of other beautiful shades, including lilac, cream (with options for a cream or black shade), classic blue, and cheerful yellow, offering plenty of choices to suit various interior styles:

If you’re also embarking on the exciting hunt for new bedside lamps, here are some essential tips to help you select lamps that are perfectly sized and styled for your unique space, ensuring both functionality and aesthetic appeal.

How to Choose the Right Height for Bedside Lamps

The height of your bedroom lamp is a critical factor in both its functionality and its visual impact within the room. A lamp that is too short can result in you constantly looking at the bare light bulb when sitting up in bed to read, creating an uncomfortable glare. Conversely, lamps that are excessively tall can overpower your bed, making the entire arrangement feel top-heavy and disproportionate, while lamps that are too short might look more suited for a desk than a bedside table. As a general guideline, a bedroom lamp that measures between 24 and 28 inches tall often works exceptionally well on most standard nightstands. This height typically positions the bottom of the lamp shade roughly at eye level when you’re seated in bed, providing ample light for reading without causing glare. If your bed boasts a substantial, tall headboard, you might extend this range slightly, with lamps up to 30 inches tall still looking well-proportioned and functional.

For those seeking exquisite and perfectly sized bedside lamps, the kate spade new york lighting collection offers an array of stunning options that effortlessly meet the ideal height recommendations. These lamps are not just sources of light but beautiful decorative elements in their own right:

While there’s a commonly cited rule of thumb suggesting that the widest part of your lamp should be approximately one-third the width of your nightstand, I honestly find this guideline to be a bit too rigid and often impractical, especially in more modest-sized bedrooms or with narrower nightstands. In my own primary bedroom, for instance, my Elsie lamps measure 16 inches wide, while my nightstands are a compact 18 inches wide. According to the “one-third” rule, my lamps would need to be only 6 inches wide to fit the criterion, which would look comically small and disproportionate in the space – certainly not the aesthetic I was aiming for! The 16-inch Elsie lamps, despite exceeding this arbitrary rule, look absolutely perfect and substantial on my 18-inch nightstands, creating a balanced and visually appealing arrangement:

To further illustrate this point, I even tried my Elsie lamps on the 24-inch wide nightstands in our guest room, and they looked equally fantastic there! This goes to show that while rules can offer a starting point, personal judgment, the overall balance of the room, and the specific design of your chosen pieces often take precedence for creating a truly harmonious space.

Beyond Size: Other Key Features to Consider for Bedside Lamps

When you’re shopping for the perfect bedside lamps, there are several other nuanced features that can significantly impact both the aesthetics and the functionality of your choice. Don’t overlook these details:

1. Shade Style: The style of your lamp shade plays a crucial role in defining the overall character and aesthetic of your lamp, and by extension, your bedroom. I personally gravitate towards drum shades, which maintain the same width from top to bottom, much like my Elsie lamp, or slightly tapered shades. These styles offer a clean, contemporary, and often timeless look that complements a variety of decor schemes. In contrast, pleated or bell-shaped shades tend to lean towards a more traditional or classic aesthetic, which doesn’t align with my personal taste. Similarly, highly tapered shades, while modern, can sometimes feel too stark for the soft ambiance typically desired in a bedroom.

2. Turn Switch Knob vs. In-Line Switch Button: This is a feature often overlooked but can greatly enhance convenience. One detail you’ll notice about my Elsie lamp is its remarkably clean and sleek design. Not only does it boast a beautiful base, but even the lamp socket itself exhibits elegant, uncluttered lines because it cleverly incorporates no visible turn switch knob:

Instead, the lamp is conveniently turned on and off with an in-line switch button discreetly located on the cord:

I had never experienced bedside lights with an in-line switch before, and I was genuinely surprised by how much I’ve come to love it! It has made turning my lamp on and off from the comfort of my bed significantly easier and more effortless, eliminating the need to reach awkwardly for a switch on the lamp socket. This small detail contributes immensely to the lamp’s overall user-friendly design and contributes to a truly relaxing bedroom experience.

Now, let’s turn our attention to another essential element of bedroom lighting: floor lamps.

Illuminating Your Bedroom: The Role of Floor Lamps

One of the aspects I truly appreciate about the primary bedroom in our home is its perfectly balanced size. It’s not so expansive that it unnecessarily takes away square footage from other areas of the house, yet it’s generous enough to comfortably accommodate all the essentials, plus the luxury of a dedicated reading chair. If this particular chair looks familiar, it’s because it’s a beloved piece that migrated from the guest room of our previous home, bringing with it a sense of continuity and comfort. The addition of a small, charming garden stool and {this elegant kate spade new york Monroe floor lamp} was all it took to transform this corner into the perfect, inviting reading nook, a serene spot to unwind with a good book:

One of my tried-and-true tips for masterfully mixing metals in interior design is to strategically sprinkle each metal finish throughout your room rather than clustering them all together on one side. This creates a cohesive and balanced look. In our bedroom, I’ve integrated a sophisticated mix of black and gold metals. The burnished brass base of my Monroe floor lamp is absolutely perfect for extending the brass elements from our table lamps and nightstand knobs to the opposite side of the bedroom, ensuring a harmonious distribution. And I particularly adore the substantial size of its drum shade, which adds significant visual weight and balance to this side of the room, grounding the reading nook beautifully.

The versatility of the Monroe lamp extends to its design options. It’s available with a polished nickel base, offering an alternative to the burnished brass, and comes with various color choices for the top portion of the lamp. These options include a crisp gloss white, a delicate blush, a vibrant coral, a classic gloss black, a tranquil green, and a deep navy. While I considered selecting the blush color to perfectly coordinate with my bedside lamps, I ultimately chose the gloss white. This decision was driven by a desire for a more “future-proof” design element – a crucial consideration when investing in a higher-end light fixture. Gloss white is a timeless and neutral choice that will seamlessly adapt to evolving decor preferences over the years, providing lasting style and flexibility.

This thoughtful choice means that if our needs or our home change in the future, I’ll be able to effortlessly incorporate this floor lamp into a living room, a home office, or virtually any other space, ensuring its enduring utility and style.

The kate spade new york collection offers a plethora of stunning floor lamp designs, each capable of elevating a room’s aesthetic. Here are a few of my other favorites, showcasing the diverse and beautiful options available:

Favorite Kate Spade Floor Lamps: 1. Black trimmed linen shade floor lamp | 2. Dotted shade floor lamp with polished nickel base | 3. Black trimmed tapered shade floor lamp | 4. Dotted shade floor lamp with brass base | 5. Silver trimmed linen shade floor lamp | 6. Chic navy/brass floor lamp | 7. Sophisticated green/brass floor lamp | 8. Our choice: white/brass Monroe floor lamp | 9. Elegant blush/brass floor lamp | 10. Classic black/brass floor lamp

Beyond table and floor lamps, the kate spade new york lighting line also encompasses an array of truly stunning ceiling light fixtures, including exquisite chandeliers, versatile pendants, and sleek flush mounts. A key principle in creating a beautifully illuminated and inviting bedroom is to layer multiple sources of light. This means combining overhead ambient lighting (like a chandelier or flush mount) with task lighting (such as bedside lamps for reading) and accent lighting (like a floor lamp in a reading nook). This layering approach is essential for achieving both practical illumination and a captivating atmosphere that literally and figuratively makes your space shine. Any of these fixtures would be absolutely gorgeous additions to a bedroom or other room in your home, providing both essential light and a touch of refined elegance:

Stunning Kate Spade Ceiling Light Fixtures: 1. Modern round flush mount light | 2. Elegant scalloped flush mount light | 3. Graceful curved arm brass chandelier | 4. Impressive two-tier brass chandelier | 5. Delicate floral flush mount light | 6. Striking Sputnik chandelier | 7. Chic black trim linen shade flush mount | 8. Luxurious linen with cream trim flush mount | 9. Sophisticated white & brass 6-light chandelier | 10. Playful scalloped hanging shade

The collection also extends to several beautiful bathroom sconces, offering elegant lighting solutions for vanity areas. For example, I recently sourced {this particular sconce} for above the vanity in my sister’s powder room, and it is absolutely gorgeous (I’ll be sure to share a look on Instagram Stories the next time I visit her house!). This versatile design also comes in single and double light options, available {here}. You can explore the entirety of the kate spade new york lighting collection at Circa Lighting by clicking {here}, where you’ll find an abundance of stylish options for every room.

As we bring this bedroom reveal to a close, I have one final, yet crucial, lighting tip to share that can dramatically enhance the ambiance of your space: always install dimmer switches on your overhead lighting. Dimmers allow you to precisely control the intensity of the light, enabling you to effortlessly dial the brightness up or down to set the perfect mood for any occasion – whether it’s bright for cleaning or soft for relaxation. If I had my way, every overhead light in our home would be on a dimmer; I’m thrilled to say I’m already about halfway there! 😉

With our primary bedroom now beautifully complete (and our family room fireplace project also finished, with more details on that coming soon!), I can finally shift my focus back to other exciting endeavors. Next up is finalizing the design plan for my girls’ bathroom and tackling that remodel in the new year. What kinds of projects are topping your to-do lists for 2023? I’d love to hear about your aspirations and plans!

XO,