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Joshua Lyon is a writer covering home and decor. He's also the author of our Lego guides and used to edit cleaning, pets, and emergency-prep articles. table clock large
After all-new testing, our completely rewritten guide features eight new picks (but we still love the HAY Matin Lamp).
I used to think that the best bedside lamp was the one you personally thought looked great with the rest of your decor.
That changed when I unwillingly received what felt like accidental Lasik surgery from a new lamp I’d bought for my husband’s side of the bed. With a shade that exposed too much bulb, this lamp sent a searing beam of light across our pillows, opening my eyes both literally and figuratively.
Aesthetics still play a crucial role when it comes to selecting the right lamp for winding down before sleep. But taking a few other benchmarks into consideration will help make every night a good one.
I’m a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home and decor. I visit home-goods and furniture stores and showrooms for a living, and I recently wrote about Tulip shades for covering flush-mount ceiling lights (I wasn’t impressed with them). In my free time I obsess over rearranging my living room furniture, but I always return to the same layout.
Bedside lights are a quiet, underrated workhorse in the home. Any table lamp will cover the most basic illumination needs, but bedside lamps are expected to also help us seamlessly settle in for the night, and they should gently illuminate the room when we need to wake up in the dark. As we searched for promising models to test, we began to notice the many little things that frustrate us when bedside lights are not up to task.
With all of that in mind, we decided that the best bedside lamps should do the following:
Knowing that looks are entirely subjective, we crowdsourced Wirecutter staffers for their favorites. And we spoke to three interior designers—Nicholas Obeid, Shannon Maldonado, and Jessica Davis—with different styles. They provided a range of perspectives on other things you should think about when choosing bedside lamps, from the height of your bedside tables to considering a vintage lamp instead of a new one.
After three weeks of research, I landed on 15 promising models and brought them into my home. I assembled them, inspected every feature and claim, and slept (and woke up) beside them for three to four nights per lamp (and in some cases longer). In the end, I arrived at nine great picks with a variety of price points (starting at $20). Our picks play nicely with a variety of style preferences, and each will bring the right amount of reading light and nighttime ambience to any bedroom.
A Wirecutter pick since 2020, this lamp blends effective dimming with an eye-catching design. The base could use a little extra weight, but a few bedside books do the trick.
Just look at that shade. This guide’s original author, Gregory Han, described the HAY Matin Table Lamp as having “a minimalist design evocative of Paris and chinoiserie.” His wife was a fan as well, even though the shade reminded her of “the spiral remnants of a gigantic sharpened pencil.”
Dimming works the way it should. The lamp’s in-line dimmer switch, which is touch-activated, won me over more than its show-stopping look. Designed by Inga Sempé, the HAY Matin lamp toggles between its three brightness settings in the order all dimmable lights should—starting at the highest level of brightness and ending on the lowest. (Many other dimmable lamps we considered work in reverse, so if you use them by the bed, they’ll jar you wide awake with a bright flash just as you’re trying to ease the room into darkness.) This lamp’s integrated LED bulb isn’t replaceable, but the manual claims an expected lifespan of 25,000 hours, or eight to 10 years with regular use.
Assembly can be challenging. It took six attempts to secure the Matin’s PVC-laminated shade in place, an issue that Gregory also encountered. The shade arrived in a tight cone shape, stiff and compressed, and it repeatedly leapt out of my hands as I tried to unfurl it and secure it into place. A second set of hands would likely make the process easier.
The base could be sturdier. The Matin lamp’s minimalist, lightweight frame (made from steel with a brass finish) balances weight evenly, and I didn’t encounter stability issues. But should any arise, you can solve the problem by using the space at the bottom of the lamp to corral your bedside books.
A lot of paper lantern lamps are unsteady on their feet, but this lamp’s wide and heavy base keeps it in place. The shade’s slightly thick overlay lines might annoy perfectionists.
The base won’t tip or slide. Lamps with paper lantern shades often prove too unstable for bedside use, due to lightweight bases that cause them to tip if you so much as graze the side. The 12-inch West Elm Mooney Table Lamp’s 2-pound circular walnut-finished base anchors the lamp in place, while creating a soothing juxtaposition between fragile and solid materials.
Assembly is simple. Just prop the paper lantern up by the shade hanger, and use the three white cylindrical screws to fasten the shade in place. The screws are located on the interior, out of sight. The paper’s slightly yellow tint emits a soothing, warm glow.
Some construction details are a little noticeable. It’s definitely not a Noguchi. Paper lanterns are assembled in segments, and the section lines where each one attaches are clearly visible. This construction process is often near-seamless on higher-end paper lanterns, and while the slight asymmetry on the Mooney didn’t bother us, it might annoy some.
This lamp takes up a lot of nightstand real estate. With its 12½ inch shade, the Mooney lamp works best for wider bedside tables.
This lamp can double as a sunrise alarm clock and schedule bedtime reminders. It also allows for seemingly endless single and gradient color combinations. But the app can be a little clunky.
It offers a wide range of lighting options. The Loftie Lamp is essentially a glowing column (made of translucent polycarbonate), with a perforated steel shade perched on top to help diffuse any harsh glare. It comes with three preset modes—day, reading, and night—each of which lights up different sections along the column, in either bright white or warm hues. But the Loftie really shines with the additional features available on the app, which lets you add your own modes and custom colors—from purple-pink sunset gradients to solid red (or any color on a color-wheel gradient).
After you’ve set up your custom modes on the app, you can then choose to use the physical button on the base to toggle through your presets—as well as a dimmer button to adjust the brightness—or use the app on your phone to control it. (We appreciate that we’re not tied to using the app exclusively.)
The lamp also works as a sunrise alarm clock. With the app, you can program the lamp to wake you up gently by gradually getting brighter, like a sunrise alarm clock. You can also set up bedtime reminders; these schedule the lamp to emit a warm glow at the designated time or to gradually dim over the course of 10 minutes until it’s off.
The bedtime features, like the bedtime signal and the wind-down reminder, aren’t super-flexible. The bedtime signal and the wind-down reminder can only be turned on or off; you can’t schedule them on certain days. Our home-decor editor, Daniela Gorny, who’s had the lamp since early 2023, has occasionally been woken up by the wind-down reminders on days she’s fallen asleep earlier; that’s because the light will turn on to “wind down,” even if the lamp is already off, only to turn itself off again 10 minutes later. This has also happened with the bedtime signal, but Daniela agrees that’s on her for not remembering to turn off the feature. We’re hoping a future update to the app can allow for more customization.
The lamp has turned on by itself a couple of times. Granted, these instances happened during atypical circumstances: a power outage and while our tester was traveling. But on both occasions, the lamp had already been turned off, only to turn on again; it was then impossible to turn back off (she had to unplug it). Thankfully, this hasn’t happened again, but we’ll keep an eye on whether it does.
You can get similar features more cheaply with a smart bulb inside almost any lamp. But with the Loftie, you’re paying for the lamp design and physical controls on the lamp itself. A smart bulb typically requires the use of an app on your phone (something best put away before bedtime for better sleep).
The asymmetric play on an otherwise standard silhouette gives this bedside lamp a subtle sophistication. It can blend into a room or stand out.
The construction feels solid. The ceramic base on this lamp is stable, so it won’t topple easily, unless you tip it over on purpose. The linen shade also feels sturdy and disperses light with a nice glow. The in-line switch on the cord is uncomplicated and simple to turn on and off.
It almost doubles as a work of art. The earthy design incorporates just the right amount of whimsy to remind us of something you’d find in a pottery shop.
The cord doesn’t quite match the vibe. Compared with the subtle elegance of the lamp itself, the fabric-wrapped cord—a style we often like on other lamps—looks somewhat unrefined here.
A little sliding may occur. While the base won’t topple, the fabric liner at the bottom, meant to protect surfaces, glides almost too easily when the lamp is deliberately pushed across the table.
With a sleek industrial design, this lamp has a pivoting shade and major reach, so it works best for large beds in big spaces. It’s heavy, and in most cases it will take more than one person to install it.
Plenty of reach for bigger beds. The arm on the Stuff By Andrew Neyer Swing Dome Light (small) has a vast, 30-inch swing path, so we think it’s best suited for king-size beds in large rooms. (The big version has a whopping 48-inch reach.) But if you have the space, and you like an industrial look mixed with warm wood accents, Neyer’s got you covered. Because of its size, this lamp is not subtle—expect it to become a fairly major statement piece.
The design is extremely thoughtful. The wide, rotating swivel shade easily diverts the beam from bed partners or up toward the ceiling for accent lighting. There’s more than enough distance between the arm and the round, in-line dimmer switch (which affixes to the wall via an adhesive) to prevent someone from bonking their head in bed. The socket is a smaller, E12 size, and a G16.5 bulb is recommended. (The Swing Dome comes with one.)
Customer service is top notch. Got questions? Talk to the designer himself—Andrew Neyer often answers calls to the company’s headquarters, at 1-800-867-5319. And he’s delightful to chat with.
We can’t overstate how big this light is. Be sure to measure your space and refer to Neyer’s complete measurements, including the arm’s swing path (all pictured below), to confirm this lamp is a good fit for your space.
You’ll need two people to mount it. Due to this lamp’s weight and long, moving arm, installing it will be easier with a second set of hands, and you’ll definitely need to use the included anchors.
This lamp’s smooth wooden base and textured fabric shade create a cozy ambiance that invites winding down and falling asleep.
It’s stylish enough for Broadway. We were drawn to the Quinn Table Lantern for its subtle, mid-century style, and we’re not alone in loving it. Weeks after testing this lamp, we spotted it (or an eerily exact replica) onstage as part of the decor in Stereophonic. (When it comes to this beat, we’re always on the clock.)
The base is super-stable. Structured like an inverted tripod, its wood frame cradles the shade instead of carrying it, providing a supportive, triangular foundation. The Quinn’s cord, which is wrapped in simple brown cloth, complements the base.
You can buy it at multiple sellers. We found the Quinn at West Elm, but it’s made by Adesso and sold at other retailers, like Home Depot and Lamps Plus.
If you find it in a different finish, check the shade. We initially evaluated a now-discontinued version of this lamp with painted-black wood. But we dismissed it due to how visible and glaring the bulb looked through its differently designed and loosely woven shade. Should Adesso release additional finishes in the future, compare the shade to our pick to make sure it’s the same.
One model had a slight production defect. The socket on our second Quinn lamp was slightly crooked, which meant the shade wasn’t quite centered. Since we got ours from West Elm, an exchange would be covered through its policy of reviewing any product defects within a year of purchase.
Due to its clean lines, this lamp is a chameleon for a wide range of decor styles, but the cord looks awful—make sure it stays hidden.
This is the lamp version of a friend who gets along with everyone. The IKEA Årstid Table Lamp straddles the border between basic and elegant, but we don’t mean basic in a bad way. The slim profile and simple pleated white shade complement all sorts of environments—adding an aristocratic touch to a shabby-chic room or a breath of fresh air inside a rustic country cabin.
It’s solidly built. A subtly tiered and surprisingly heavy base keeps the lamp anchored in place, and the ball at the end of its pull chain switch is nicely weighted, so it won’t knock against the pole. Should an aggressive yank cause it to hit, the resulting sound is more of a soft thud than a sharp clang.
The cord is a blemish. Årstid’s stiff white electrical cord looks like something you’d find in a dollar store, but you can easily hide it behind a nightstand.
Inexpensive and convenient, this lamp charges tech while you sleep, and it’s the right size for small nightstands. But the dimmer frustratingly toggles from low to high, instead of from high to low.
This lamp is a multitasker. We had doubts about the Yarra-Decor Bedside Table Lamp with USB Port, but we gave it a shot due to its more than 25,000 largely positive Amazon reviews. After keeping it on a particularly small bedside table for several weeks, we think it's a hardworking little lamp. Each model has two USB ports, so you can charge a phone along with a tablet, e-reader, or any other USB-powered device that you keep near the bed. The Yarra-Decor also comes in many different shades and base finishes. We ordered the “Fabric” option, which came with a shade reminiscent of a classic linen style and a base made from metal but covered with a wood-pattern laminate.
It’s budget-friendly. The price fluctuates between $22 and $35, based on the color and finish. It often drops to $20, and we’ve seen it as low as $18. Given this lamp’s low cost, we’re not sure how long it will last. But as of this guide’s publish date, we’ve been using it for four months with no problems.
The base we tested looks as cheap as the price. We hardly expected mahogany, but a slightly darker “finish” on the wood-patterned laminate would go a long way toward making this look a bit more sophisticated.
The dimming order is irksome. Dimming lamps should start high and end low. This one doesn’t.
This blue-and-white Threshold lamp has been a customer favorite for around four years. Like most other designs in the line, it’s inexpensive and on trend, and it holds up surprisingly well.
It comes from a reliably good source. One of Target’s in-house brands, Threshold (along with Threshold designed with Studio McGee) has long been a great go-to for inexpensive lamps. The Threshold Assembled Ceramic Table Lamp Blue is described as “abstract” by the company, but we see repeated patterns in a jewel-tone blue on a cream-colored background. This lamp’s base has a satisfying heft for the low price point. Like all models from Target Owned Brands, this lamp comes with a generous one-year return policy, even if it has been used.
It should have a long shelf life. My current bedside lamp is another simple Threshold design that’s just the right height and fits on my nightstand with plenty of room to spare. And it provides just enough light for me to read by without disturbing my husband. I’ve used it since 2018 without any issues.
Precision isn’t a strong suit. Sometimes the paint jobs on Threshold’s ceramic models wander outside the lines. If you’re picky, we suggest you see these lamps in person to make sure there aren’t any faults before buying. We’re also not fans of the socket switch, but we’ll make an exception for an inexpensive and reliable lamp.
Not all Threshold lamps are created equal. Although we’re a fan of Threshold lamps in general, they come in a wide range of styles and materials, and not all models are winners. In our experience, tall, skinny options don’t typically have strong bases, and they can wobble (or, worse, topple) when you’re switching them on and off in bed.
Every interior designer we spoke with brought up rewiring vintage lamps as a way to get something truly unique to your taste, as well as to extend the life of a beloved family lamp.
This Old House offers a thorough tutorial on rewiring, and there are many videos on YouTube that walk you through the process. Lamp-rewiring kits are plentiful online, and you can upgrade or personalize your find with a cloth-covered or twisted cord. If you find a beautiful vintage lamp with an annoying switch, you can see whether it’s compatible with a smart bulb; if so, you could control the lamp with your phone or even set up automated schedules.
We’d hoped to include more corded sconces, but many were not up to snuff, and one was discontinued after we ordered it. We plan to update this guide with more options, and we’re looking into two models from Schoolhouse (the Allegheny and the Issac) as well as the Rejuvenation Lilith Single Sconce.
In addition, there were a few lamps we loved but dismissed as bedside options, due to the criteria we set in place; they will likely appear as picks for general-use table lamps in a future guide. These include Crate & Barrel’s studious Clem Light Green Metal Table Lamp, CB2’s serpentine Snake Bronze Table Lamp, and the gorgeously simple Noguchi Akari 1AG (pictured below).
This is not a comprehensive list of everything we’ve tested in previous iterations of this guide— just what’s still available.
The inexpensive ONEWISH Touch Bedside Lamp has a cute genie-bottle-shaped base and three touch-toggle settings. But the shade, which comes rolled in a tube and attaches via Velcro and plastic clips, looks terribly cheap. And, annoyingly, the dimming function toggles from low to high. But if you don’t mind that, you can easily swap out the shade for a new one (an inexpensive option from Target will do), and you’ll have a nice-looking lamp at a good price.
In photos, we thought the milky glass finish on the West Elm Cleo would provide enough light diffusion to meet our criteria. But we could clearly see lines from the recommended T9L bulb through it, and we found the white glare too strong for bedside use. This detail might not bother some, though, and this is a cute lamp that comes in three shade colors.
We love the Normann Copenhagen Rise Wall Lamp, a corded sconce made from wood and metal, but we got word that it’s being discontinued. As of this writing, all colors are now out of stock.
The Crate & Kids Pixie Metal and Wood Kids’ Swivel Plug-In Wall Sconce would be great if it weren’t for a fatal flaw—the cord sticks out slightly from the back, preventing a fully flush mount against the wall. We hoped it might just be a defect with our lamp, but we saw reviews on the site reporting the same issue. (We also saw other reviewers claiming their lamps were just fine.)
We like the idea of a clip-on lamp for headboards, so we looked at the IKEA Ranarp Wall/Clamp Spotlight, which can be mounted either as a corded sconce or as a clamp. But the clamp isn’t strong enough to stay in place unless you also attach some confusing additional hardware. A clamp should be able to clamp.
This guide was edited by Daniela Gorny and Joanne Chen.
Nicholas Obeid, interior designer and product designer, video interview,, May 1, 2024
Jessica Davis, interior designer and owner of Atelier Davis, phone interview, May 1, 2024
Shannon Maldonado, founder and creative director of Yowie, phone interview, April 26, 2024
I’m a writer who covers home and decor, exploring everything from lights to Lego. My obsession with interiors comes from living in 27 houses and apartments throughout my life so far and being satisfied with the look of only two.
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