Knowing how many lumens for bedside lamp can help you transform ambient light bulbs into task lighting and vice versa. You can feel more comfortable reading and writing at night with the perfect brightness. Also, you might even find you won’t have to use your ceiling light anymore, helping you save on electricity.
In this guide, we’ll explore how many lumens are most recommended for light bulbs and how to choose the perfect bedside lamp. By the end, you’ll know what to look for when you start shopping for new bedroom lighting.
Are Lumens the Same as Watts?
When discussing bright lights, most people focus on the importance of watts. However, watts and lumens are quite different in definition. Lumens are known as brightness, the luminous flux produced by lightbulbs radiating in every direction.
On the other hand, watts are typically used to measure the amount of energy light bulbs consume. When you look at light bulb packaging, you will see a number followed by “W,” such as 60W. This figure means the light source consumes 60 watts of electrical power.
With the emergence of energy-efficient bulbs, wattage has become a more standard term for a light source. Today, most homeowners are more interested in brightness to determine how helpful a bulb will be. You can also use wattage to determine how many lumens a bulb produces, giving you an idea of its brightness.
As an example, a 40W bulb is equivalent to 400+ lumens. Typically, the higher the wattage, the more lumens it will have and, as such, higher amounts of light. Making quick conversions between watts and lumens can help you quickly find the ideal brightness.
Let’s take a look at this quick chart to give you an idea of some common conversions between wattage and lumens.
| Brightness (Lumens) | 220+ | 400+ | 700+ | 900+ | 1300+ |
| Incandescent Bulb | 25W | 40W | 60W | 75W | 100W |
| Halogen Bulb | 18W | 28W | 42W | 53W | 70W |
| CFL Bulb | 6W | 9W | 12W | 15W | 20W |
| LED Bulb | 4W | 6W | 10W | 13W | 18W |
Energy Efficient Bulbs and Lumens
Choosing the correct bulb for your bedside table becomes challenging if you’re shopping for energy-efficient bulbs. Uniquely, even if an energy-efficient bulb has less wattage, it could be brighter than a standard incandescent bulb. For example, a 4W CFL bulb is equal to a 25W incandescent bulb.
This is incredibly beneficial for homeowners because your energy-efficient bulbs can consume less power and offer more brightness. You’ll be able to conserve a significant amount of energy by switching to more efficient traditional bedside lamps.
Understanding the Light Kelvin Scale
Another massive feature that contributes to the brightness of a light source is the concept of color temperature. Color temperature is often described using the light kelvin scale and refers to how warm or cool lighting can be. Most people opt for warm lighting for bedrooms, although cool lighting is often better for brightness.
Using the light kelvin scale, most color temperatures fall somewhere between 2000K and 6500K. Let’s look at some defining characteristics of the most common color temperatures.
Soft White (2700K)
If you’re looking for the coziest possible atmosphere for your bedroom, soft white lightbulbs are a great option. They have a calming light color that helps to set a more soothing and romantic ambiance for beautiful designer lamps. Also, this warm light traditionally falls between 2000K and 3000K on the light kelvin scale.
Bright, True, and Cool White (3000K to 4000K)
As a step up from soft white, bright, true, and cool white offer a cooler color temperature in modern bedside lamps. It’s a brighter option, making it ideal for task lighting in traditionally dark spaces, such as basements or garages. Bright white, true white, and cool white light bulbs typically fall between 3000K and 4000K.
You might find that these three types of bulbs have a slightly blue hue, especially energy-efficient LED bulbs. They help translate colors in a space more accurately, making them helpful for decor purposes. You’ll also find cooler temperature bulbs a fantastic choice to light up even the darkest corners of your room.
Daylight (5000K)
As its name suggests, daylight bulbs are the brighter light out of the bunch and the furthest away from warmer light. This type of lighting will have a clearer hue that offers the same brightness as standard daylight. This light source has a similar blue tone to bright, true, and cool white bulbs.
What makes daylight bulbs ideal for some bedrooms is that they’re best for reading with their bluer light. You’ll be able to reap the benefits of a clear tone to make text pop off the page. They’re also a fantastic option for a floor lamp in your home.
If you’re lucky, consider finding dimmable lights further to customize further your desk lamp or traditional bedside lamps. With dimmable lights, you can control the light output for your bedside light. Dimming features are particularly important for people sensitive to the brightness of the light.
How Many Lumens for Bedside Lamp: Things to Consider
Choosing the number of lumens you need for your bedside lamp varies depending on your personal preference. Are you looking for a type of lighting for reading and writing? Or, do you want to create a warmer light in your room to help soothe you to sleep?
If a softer light is what you’re looking for, you’ll do best by choosing bulbs that fall around 220 lumens. They’re not ideal for task lighting or reading lights, but they’re fantastic for a romantic aura. On the other hand, if you’re a reader, you’ll want to opt for something more powerful, like cooler lights.
Those who read in bed should always look for a pair of table lamps that offer a minimum of 440 lumen light. This brightness will make it easier to concentrate on your task. It’s also an excellent level to prevent eye strain and headaches, especially if you’re light sensitive.
When choosing focused lights for your bedroom, lumen light isn’t the only thing to keep in mind. Other factors such as the type of lamp you’re using and light distribution can play a major role.
Let’s consider a few other key things to keep in mind to give you the perfect visible light.
Light Fixture Design
Before choosing a bulb, one of the first things to look for is the right type of light fixture. There are many different styles, ranging from bedside floor lamps to bedside table lamps. Each has unique designs, such as shades pointing downward or diffuse light against the ceiling.
You’ll typically want a light fixture that pushes radiating book light downward when it comes to your bedroom. With a standard shade, you’ll be able to spread light closer to your bed, making it a fabulous option for reading. Also, downward radiating light can help to prevent eye strain as the light’s focused on your activity.
On the other end of the spectrum, some lamps such as torchiere lamps can be a great option for bedroom light bulbs. If you’re not looking for task lighting, torchiere’s diffuse light across the ceiling, lighting an entire space. They’re also fabulously designed, making them an exceptional decorative element.
Number of Bulbs
Another feature your lamp should have for more light control is the option to use more than one bulb. Also known as mogul lamps, multi-bulb lamps allow you to decide whether you need more or less light for activities. With these lights, you can add up to six individual bulbs for optimal brightness and alternate which you want to use.
It’s important to note that this light source may result in higher energy consumption. However, when paired with dimmer switches, multi-bulb lights are fantastic. You can use a warmer light or LED bulbs in them, offering softer light or the perfect book light.
The Right Lumens for Your Bedroom
When deciding how many lumens for bedside lamp, consider many factors from color temperature to total bulb brightness. Choosing the optimal lighting can be simpler with a good idea of what lumens are and how they work. Also, with energy-efficient bulbs, you can get plenty of lumens for less than with incandescent bulbs.
