The 23 Very Best Bedside Lights

Whatwe’relookingfor

Brightness:220 lumens |Dimmable:Click button with three preset levels

Far and away, the most frequently mentioned and highest-rated fixture among the experts we spoke to is Hay’s Matin table lamp, a light with a square wire base and a pleated cotton shade that comes in two sizes and seven colors. “This little light balances timeless design elements like chrome detailing and a pleated shade with the distinctive quirks Hay is known for, such as rich, punchy colors and a playful sense of proportion,”writes designer and architect Ming Thompson. It’s a favorite ofSNL’sChloe Fineman,who has one Matin lamp in New York and one in L.A.;Liza Curtiss and Corey Kingston, the co-founders of architecture-and-design studioLe Whit; Strategist contributorChris Black; and social-media strategist Utibe Mbagwu, who named itthe best thing she bought in 2020.

When I tested it out at the Design Within Reach store in midtown, I found the lamp smooth to operate — it has an onboard LED fixture that rotates between three different brightness levels via a click button. I loved the texture of the laminated cotton shade. It can liveon your desk, but the angle of the shade and the way light filters through the translucent fabric means it works well on a bedside table, particularly for nighttime readers. Evan Dent, the manager of192 Booksin Chelsea, received it as a gift from his girlfriend: “I often like to read a little later into the night than my girlfriend wants to stay up,” he says. “The shade shapes the light pretty well so that you can keep reading without disturbing someone trying to sleep next to you.” (Another reader-friendly quality: The lamp’s open wire base can be used to contain books and other bedside items.) Strategist deals editor Sam Daly has owned hers since 2020, and “I cherish it,” she says. She mentions that the pleats can collect dust, but are easy enough to clean — you can use a microfiber cloth or a can ofcompressed air.

Brightness:Bulb not included; E26 socket |Dimmable:No

For a less-expensive, time-tested pick, consider Ikea’s Fado globe lamp. Its simple spherical glass shade creates a warm, ambient glow, perfect for winding down at the end of the night. Although the lamp doesn’t come with a lightbulb and isn’t dimmable on its own, there are a few workarounds. You can install asmart bulband dim or extinguish the light via your home hub or an app; you can also plug the fixture into a dimmer extension. (My favorite is below.)

Brightness:4-watt LED |Dimmable:No

First designed in 1951, Akari lamps by designer Isamu Noguchi are “nearly ubiquitous as an accessible design object, and for good reason,” says Herman Miller creative directorKelsey Keith. “They’re relatively well priced and emit an irresistible glow.” The lamp has a washi-paper and bamboo-ribbed shade that diffuses the glow of an LED bulb inside. (Although the lamp doesn’t come with dimming capabilities, you can get around that by installing adimmable smart LED bulbin its socket.) “I’ve used this specific light for decades,” says Jonathan Marvel, the founder ofMarvel Architects. The lamp comes in dozens of styles, including pendants and floor lamps (check out our photo essay ofevery Akari lamp under the sunto see for yourself), and the petite, nightstand-size 1N earned a place on both theStrategist Home Catalogueand theStrategist 100, our list of our most stood-behind products.

Brightness:450 lumens |Dimmable:Smooth dimming knob

“The architects I know use this everywhere,”writes Thompsonof this Jonas Wagell lamp. The large, oval-shaped bulb contains a warm 450-lumen LED, and a single knob works as both an on/off switch and a dimmer that Strategist deputy editor Simone Kitchens calls “the best dimmer on earth.” When I tested it at the Design Within Reach store, the knob turned smoothly, dimming the light from a bright 450 lumens down to the softest glow. The base comes in nine finishes, including Carrara marble, concrete, polished brass, and different shades of powder-coated metal, and there’s also aportable, USB-rechargeable version.Thompson calls it “a classic that can move from bedside to library shelf to console table over the years.”

Brightness:Not listed |Dimmable:Yes

This is a style of lamp first popularized on TikTok — it’s a clever design that uses a color-changing LED and a bulbous lens anddichroic film(a material that appears different colors depending on the angle of the light) to create gradients and irregularity in the splash of color it projects on your wall, like a real sunset. (Here’s a videothat gets into the details of what’s inside.) There are a ton of these available on Amazon with the same basic technology, which is not incredibly expensive. I chose this one for its good ratings, low price, customizability and dimmability, and its tripod base, which makes it easy to position anywhere in your bedroom. It also makes a great party light.

Brightness:1-watt LED |Dimmable:Three-step dimming

Strategist contributor Tessa Kauppila found this chic, affordable Zara Home light in her roundup of thebest cordless lamps. It would also make a great bedside-table lamp — its wide-angled, opaque shade diffuses light, and it comes with three-step dimming.

Brightness:Bulb not included |Dimmable:No

Fanny Singer, founder of homeware storePermanent Collectionandco-writerofThe Green SpoonSubstack, uses a pair of these swiveling lamps from the French department store Merci as bedside lights. When I tested it out in person, I was impressed with its solid construction and how smoothly each component turns; you can configure this lamp in a million different ways depending on how much light you want. (Think of it like an analog dimmer stitch.) It comes in three colors — canary yellow, off-white, and Yves Klein blue — and is made of steel and aluminum. A bulb isn’t included, but it takes a standard E27 base. If you want the fixture to have smooth dimming, you could install asmart bulband dim via a smart-home hub or an app.

[Editor’s note: The price is an estimated conversion of euros to USD.]

Brightness:2-watt LED |Dimmable:Three-stage dimming

We were tipped off about this lamp by former Strategist senior editor Chelsea Peng, who spotted it at the barBad Roman.I love this version with a hand-marbled paper shade, but if it’s not your style, there are 61 other shade options to choose from, includingpleated silkandfauxvellum.

Brightness:Bulb not included, max 60 watts |Dimmable:No

These beautiful scallop-shaded lamps come inmore than 100 styles, includingblue-and-white ginghamandBarbiecore pink on pink. The fabric shade softly diffuses light, perfect for winding down, and the lamp has a relatively small footprint, which is perfect for limited bedside-table real estate. The lamp doesn’t come with a bulb, but it’s compatible with a standard E27 fixture.

Brightness:6 watts |Dimmable:Yes

This lamp from 3-D-printed lighting company Gantri, designed by Kickie Chudikova, was recommended by designer and photographerTommy Lei. The oblong, egg-shaped light is dimmable, a useful quality for a bedside lamp, and nests in a small tray that could serve as a catchall for jewelry or other small objects on your bedside table. It comes in three colors — black, white, and persimmon orange.

Brightness:Bulb not included; 60-watt maximum |Dimmable:Yes

“I moved away from doing table lamps at home because I like the adjustability and the flexibility of either a floor lamp or a wall-mounted sconce,” says Lipkin. She especially likes this metal Visual Comfort lamp, which comes in four finishes, including antique brass. “It’s very clean and minimal,” she says, and importantly for a bedside light, it is “so adjustable. You can adjust the height and the direction of the shade so that you don’t have bright light shining on you.” It rotates, and the arm also pivots. And despite its small footprint, it’s not flimsy: “It’s substantial enough that you’re not going to knock it over, but it also doesn’t take up a lot of space.”

Brightness:Bulb not included; 80-watt maximum |Dimmable:No

“I think more people are asking for wall-mounted sconces as opposed to table lamps,” says Lipkin. She imagines they’re popular because they save space on smaller nightstands and feel more luxurious than a table lamp. “People tend to associate them with being hard-wired, and there are really good plug-in options as well,” she says. I love this small steel sconce from Lichen NYC by Alvaro Ucha Rodriguez (the designer of a bunch of otherwell-designed,reasonably pricedsteel housewares), which is corded so it doesn’t require any electrical know-how to install. It has one socket for a standard-size E26lightbulb.

Brightness:3-watt LED |Dimmable:Three-step dimming

Danish designer Verner Panton’s Flowerpot lamp has seen a recent surge in popularity. (It’s one of his more understated designs —check out his renovation of the Spiegel publishing house in Hamburgand hismultilevel seating sculptures.) Thetable lampis slightly too large for a bedside table, but this rechargeable version is about half its size and comes with three-step dimming. I love the color range — 14 shades from bubblegum pink to cobalt and glossy chrome.

Brightness:Includes 10-watt LED |Dimmable:No

I first noticed this ingeniously designed lamp atfancy boutiques in Chinatown and the Lower East Side. It’s made from eight laser-cut aluminum panels that contain a 3-D-printed diffuser. It could work anywhere, but its sturdy, plinthlike form and gentle glow make it a good candidate for a bedside lamp.

Brightness:700 lumens| Dimmable:Yes; smooth dimming

Tala’s bedside light looks lo-fi, but it has all the smart features of aLoftie lamp: smooth dimming you operate by turning the ceramic base, programmable wake-up lighting, white noise and nature sounds, and integration with smart-home systems. It even includes a clock on the base (that can be turned off if you prefer to not see the time on your lamp). Kitchens has been using it for six months and loves it: “I wake up earlier and easier,” she says.

Brightness:Bulb not included; 40-watt maximum |Dimmable:No

For a cozier, more vintage look, Lipkin recommends this sconce from Lostine. It has a wooden backplate with brass hardware and a leather shade that comes in both black and brown. Similar to the Visual Comfort lamp, she appreciates that the lamp is fully adjustable: “You can bring the bulb forward when you need it and put it back when you don’t.”

Brightness:450 lumens |Dimmable:Smooth dimming knob

Brooklyn lighting company In Common With’s Alien lamp has a handmade, hump-molded ceramic shade “that looks like it’s still in formation on the pottery wheel,”says Thompson. “The shade’s imperfect indentations and edges are juxtaposed with the sharp, clean metal of the base.” The lamp comes with two LED bulbs and is fully dimmable via a knob at its base.