Cozy Bedroom Lighting Ideas That Work in the Living Room Too

Cozy bedroom lighting comes down to two moves: bring the light down from the ceiling, and warm up the color. One overhead fixture lights a room evenly and flatly. Two or three smaller sources at table height, on a wall or in a window give the same room depth, soft corners and an evening mood.

These cozy room lighting ideas work in a bedroom, a living room, or a studio where one room does both jobs. None of them needs wiring, and several run on a rechargeable battery, so you aren't limited by where the outlets are.

A lamp at mattress height is the easiest upgrade in any bedroom.

• The cordless touch table lamp charges over USB-C and dims with a tap. It switches between amber, warm white and cool white. It starts at $44.99, and there's a set of 2 for a pair of nightstands.
• The crystal diamond table lamp ($36.99) is clear acrylic cut like a gem. It offers 16 colors and 6 brightness levels from a remote, and a touch on top turns it on or changes the color. A full charge lasts about 10 hours.
• The 3D moon lamp (from $34.99) looks like a small full moon on a stand. It has 16 colors and remote or touch control, in 6, 7 or 8 in (15, 18 or 20 cm) sizes. The 6 in fits a crowded nightstand; the 8 in stands out more on a dresser or shelf.
• For a nightstand piece that does two jobs, the mist aroma diffuser ($42.99) gives off a cool mist and glows in 7 LED colors. It has four timer settings and shuts off when the water runs low.

If a lamp feels too ordinary, point the light at a wall or the ceiling instead.

The sunset lamp ($29.99) puts golden-hour color on a wall any time of day. The head tilts so you can aim it higher or lower, and it runs on USB power with a button on the cord. Pick a color version: Sun, Sunset, Sunset Red, Setting Sun, Rainbow, or RGB with a remote if you want to change colors from the couch. At about 10.6 in (27 cm) tall, it fits on a bookshelf.

The astronaut star projector ($40.99) turns the ceiling into a slow-moving nebula with stars. It has a remote and a sleep timer, so the light switches off on its own after you're in bed, and the astronaut's head attaches with a magnet. It's about 8.7 in (22 cm) tall and runs on USB power.

String and floating lights add a glow without taking up table space.

• Window curtain fairy lights ($28.99) hang across a window about 11.5 ft (3.5 m) wide. Choose Stars & moons (multicolor) to keep up all year, or one of two Christmas styles, multicolor or warm white, for the holidays.
• Floating candles with a wand ($42.99) give you 12 flickering LED candles on hooks, plus about 65 ft (20 m) of fishing line to hang them from the ceiling. A wave of the wand remote lights them. Each candle is about 6.7 in (17 cm) long and takes 2 AA batteries, and the wand takes 1 AAA; batteries are not included.

It's late September, so a few pieces can carry a room through the next three months.

• Halloween window lights (from $19.99) stick to glass with a suction cup and run on batteries. Pick a pumpkin, ghost, spider, bat, eyeball, spider web or witch hat, or a 3-pack with a ghost, pumpkin and bat.
• The snowflake holiday projector ($44.99) sends falling snowflakes across a living-room wall or the front of the house. It's rated IP44 for indoor and outdoor use and comes with a stake for the yard and a bracket for a table or wall. The power adapter is not waterproof, so keep it covered.
• The floating candles above work for Halloween and the winter holidays alike.

• Mix at least two sources: one lamp to read by and one glow for mood.
• Keep evening light below eye level. Tabletop and window lights do this on their own.
• Use warm tones such as amber, warm white or sunset in the evening, and save cool white for tasks.
• Put rechargeable lamps where outlets are hard to reach, like a bookshelf or the middle of a dining table.
• Shipping is free on every US order, and you can return any of these within 30 days if the color isn't right for your room.