In recent years the bedside pendant has gone from hotel trick to standard solution: the light hangs from a ceiling or wall hook next to the bed, the bedside table stays clear and the switch is within reach. There are two ways to build it.
Option 1: Plug-in pendant
No electrician needed: fabric cable from the socket behind the bed up the wall, over a wall or ceiling hook, then the drop to the lamp holder. Inline switch 40 cm above the lamp holder, where your hand reaches when you're lying down. The advantage: ordered today, up by the weekend. The cable on the wall is part of the design – in a colour that stands out from the wall, or in the wall colour for the discreet version.
Option 2: ceiling outlet with ceiling rose
If you're building new or renovating, place two ceiling outlets 40 cm from the wall and 30 cm outside the edge of the bed, switched from the bed (two-gang switch at the bed or smart bulbs with a wireless button). Then a pure pendant with ceiling rose hangs there, with no cable on the wall.
Height and position
The lamp holder hangs low: bottom edge 20 to 30 cm above the bedside table, about 80 to 100 cm above the floor. 20 to 30 cm to the side of the bed edge so you don't bump into it when getting up, and slightly towards the headboard. Both sides mirror-symmetrical – asymmetry is especially noticeable in the bedroom.
Light Bulbs
For reading, 250 to 400 lumens at 2200 to 2700 K is enough; the low position brings the light close to the book. Exposed filament bulbs in smoked or gold glass don't dazzle your partner; a clear globe with 400 lm at eye level does. Dimmable via an inline dimmer instead of an inline switch is the upgrade you'll want after the first week. Alternative: the spot version with a small metal shade that focuses the light downwards and leaves the other side of the bed dark.
Three combinations
Calm: ecru cotton cable, porcelain lamp holder, white inline switch, smoked glass teardrop bulb 2200 K. Warm: grey linen cable, brass lamp holder, inline dimmer, Edison ST64 gold glass. Colour: sage green viscose cable, white painted lamp holder with shade ring and small white metal shade, opal glass 400 lm.
Ready-made kits: Corn Yellow Plug-in Pendant; your own colour in the configurator under “Lights with plug” – don't forget the cable length: route to the socket plus drop, see Calculating cable length.