A good reading light is not a matter of taste. It is four measurable things: enough light, in the right place, at the right colour, without lighting up the person next to you. Get those right and any style works. Get them wrong and no amount of design saves it.
If you already know you want a wall-mounted one, our bedroom and bedside wall lights are the range built for this job.
What makes a light good for reading in bed?
Position beats power. The light source should sit above and slightly behind your shoulder line when you are sitting up, roughly 90 to 100 cm above the mattress if wall-mounted. From there, modest output lights the page perfectly. A bright lamp in the wrong spot just makes glare.
Enough lumens on the page. Around 400 lumens from a well-positioned source is comfortable for most readers; older eyes want more. Fittings with diffusers spread that light softly rather than in a hard spot.
Warm, but not too warm. 2700K is the sweet spot at night: warm enough not to fight your wind-down, crisp enough that text stays sharp. Colder than 4000K and you are signalling your brain to stay awake. The full breakdown is in our warm vs cool white guide.
Contained spill. If you share the bed, the light needs to stay on your side. Directional and diffused-shade fittings do this; bare bulbs and up-throwing designs do not.
Wall light, table lamp, or clip-on?
| Type | Reading quality | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted | Best, fixed at the correct height and frees the nightstand | Needs installation |
| Table lamp | Variable, most sit too low and scatter light up | Eats nightstand space |
| Clip-on or portable | Fine for travel | Feels temporary because it is |
| Overhead or ceiling | Worst, lights the room and shadows the page | Wakes your partner too |
We made the full wall-vs-lamp case in this guide. Short version: a wall light at the right height wins on every measure except portability.
How high should a bedside reading light go?
90 to 100 cm above the top of the mattress, centred to your pillow, is the number that works in most Australian bedrooms. Sit up in bed, hold your hand where your book would be, and the fitting should sit above and slightly behind that point. Our mounting height guide covers the other rooms.
Which of our fittings read best?
The Orbis, from $270, is the pick for most people: frosted glass over a hidden LED gives even, glare-free light at 3000K, and the 150 mm size suits a narrow bedside wall. The Volta, $350, throws a contained cone of light downward, which is close to a purpose-built reading brief. The Alba, $349, and The Petalo, $450, glow rather than spotlight, which makes them the pick for people who read a few pages and drift off rather than chapter-a-night readers.
All hardwired, AS/NZS certified, $210 to $620, shipped from Sydney with flat-rate shipping from $15 in 2 to 3 business days.
What about dimming?
Worth it. Reading light and falling-asleep light are different brightnesses, and a dimmer lets one fitting be both. Pair any of our fittings with a dimmable LED globe and a compatible wall dimmer, and your electrician sorts the pairing in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How many lumens do I need for reading in bed?
Around 400 lumens from a source positioned at shoulder height suits most people. Older readers benefit from more, because light needs rise noticeably with age.
What colour light is best for reading at night?
Warm white, 2700K. It keeps text crisp without the alerting effect of cooler light.
Is it bad to read with a dim light?
It will not damage your eyes, that is a myth, but it causes eye strain and fatigue, which is reason enough to light the page properly.
Should a reading light be above or beside the bed?
Above and slightly behind your seated shoulder line. In practice, wall-mounted 90 to 100 cm above the mattress, centred to your pillow.
Are wall lights better than table lamps for reading?
For reading specifically, yes. A wall light is fixed at the correct height every time, aims light at the page rather than across the room, and frees the whole nightstand.
