Lighting and accessories are the finishing touches that help to strengthen a room’s overall appearance, but whereas cushions and ornaments can be left to the last stage of decorating, lighting should be considered at the design and planning stage. It is vital that lights are positioned correctly within a room prior to decoration if you are to achieve the desired result.

General lighting

As with all rooms, a central pendant light will be greatly enhanced by fitting it with a dimmer switch to give you a wider range of lighting options. In the evenings, you can use lighting to make your bedroom appear as large as possible by concentrating all visual interest on the bed area and allowing the surroundings to fade gently into darkness. The darkened area will appear to go on and on, giving the room an expansive, yet relaxing feel.

Free-standing furniture can be highlighted with the clever use of lighting. A simple strip light attached behind the pelmet of a traditional wardrobe can be very effective and enhance the atmosphere of the overall decorative scheme.

Bedside lighting

It is important to light the bed area appropriately ¡ª a bedside light will provide sufficient illumination by which to read and can be switched on if you need to get out of bed during the night without having to turn on the glare of the main light. The most common choice is to have a bedside table lamp at each side of a double bed, with sockets positioned nearby.

Wall lights are another option. Two soft spotlights positioned either in the ceiling or on a half-tester (a small version of a four-poster that only covers the top part of the bed) may be an option in a traditional selling. Avoid positioning spotlights too close to soft furnishings, as this can constitute a lire risk. If you choose spotlights or wall lights, make sure that they can be operated from the bedside. Uplighters are not suitable as bedside lights, as their light shines upwards and casts the area below in shadow; use them only to provide accent or general lighting.

Candlelight is an option, but would not provide enough light for reading.

Lighting mirrors

The area where you apply make-up and do your hair must also be well ¡ª and preferably evenly – illuminated. Small bulbs positioned around the perimeter of the mirror are the choice of professionals, though this does tend to give the area a glitzy Hollywood feel. A good alternative is to fit a recessed directional spotlight into the ceiling that can be angled directly towards the mirror, allowing the light to reflect back onto your face.