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Bedside reading light height: the placement that makes reading work

Q: What height for a reading light?

Allow 60 to 70 cm between the mattress and the bottom of the shade, which places the wall light around 90 to 110 cm from the floor. This range holds for a mattress 20 to 25 cm thick; beyond that, raise it by the same amount.

Q: At what height should you fix a bedside shelf and a wall light?

Align the shelf with the top of the mattress, i.e. 60 to 70 cm from the floor, then place the wall light 60 to 70 cm above the mattress. Your forearm should rest without lifting your shoulder. The switch falls between 80 and 90 cm from the floor, the socket at 30 cm or just above the furniture.

This article is also available in French: Hauteur liseuse tête de lit

28/09/2026 · 9 min read · By the Designix team

Mount your reading light between 90 and 110 cm from the floor, which is 60 to 70 cm above the mattress. Measure from the mattress surface, never from the wall: a thick mattress shifts everything. An adjustable arm forgives small gaps, a fixed wall light does not.

What height for a reading light?

Allow 60 to 70 cm between the mattress and the bottom of the shade, which places the wall light around 90 to 110 cm from the floor. This range holds for a mattress 20 to 25 cm thick; beyond that, raise it by the same amount.

Comfort is not decided by the centimetre. What matters is that the light falls on the page without passing through your eyes or those of the person sleeping next to you. Our selection of wall reading lights brings together models with adjustable arms, set once and for good.

Height from the floor or relative to the mattress?

Always relative to the mattress. The floor says nothing about your comfort: two beds of the same height, with mattresses of 18 and 30 cm, do not read the same way.

Mattress 20 to 25 cm: wall light between 90 and 110 cm from the floor.
Thick or raised mattress: add the difference to keep 60 to 70 cm of useful height.
Upholstered headboard: measure how far the back panel protrudes, the wall light must clear it.

This rule applies to the whole family: the height of a bed wall light is calculated in exactly the same way.

Adjustable arm or fixed wall light: what height changes

An adjustable arm forgives an approximate measurement, a fixed wall light does not. That difference decides comfort over time.

Light source type	Where it goes	What height changes
Fixed wall light	Wall, 90 to 110 cm from the floor	The measurement becomes final, the beam falls where it falls
Reading light with adjustable arm	Wall, same height	The measurement tolerates approximation, the arm corrects it
Reading floor lamp	Floor, alongside the bed	No drilling, continuous adjustment
Bedside lamp	Bedside table	Depends on the furniture, not the wall

Which reading light for which headboard: what really changes

	Wall-mounted reading light	Bedside lamp to place	Reading floor lamp
Mounting height	90 to 110 cm from the floor, i.e. 60 to 70 cm above the mattress	At mattress height, on the bedside table	No mounting: the base stays on the floor
Beam	Adjustable, framed on the page	Low shade, tight halo	Head adjustable towards your side of the bed
Dimmer	Declared on 56% of the survey of 36 headboard wall lights on 28 September 2026	Depending on the model	Depending on the model
Installation	Drilling and power supply (wall mounting declared on 89% of the survey)	No work needed, a socket is enough	No work needed, a socket is enough
For which reader	Full headboard and clear wall	Narrow bedside, tenant	Large bedroom with a reading corner

If your headboard has no power supply behind it, tell us about your wall: we will tell you what will hold, and you can install without unpleasant surprises. Just ask the team.

How do you light a headboard?

Light the page, not the room: one source per reader, placed 60 to 70 cm above the mattress, aimed at the book. A warm light around 2700 K, a framed beam, and the wall stays dark. That is what lets you read while the other person falls asleep.

What light for reading without tiring your eyes

A warm, framed light, dimmer than you might imagine. The eye tires when the source is bright and badly aimed.

2700 K to 3000 K: warm white, the kind that does not wake you up.
Framed beam: opaque shade on the bed side, open on the page side.
Moderate power: a reading light lights a book, not a bedroom.
Aim: source in front of the shoulder, never behind the reader's back.

To set the right level, the question of how many lumens for a bedroom is handled at room scale, not reading light scale.

Two reading lights or just one in the centre?

Two, as soon as the bed has two readers. A single source in the centre mainly lights the headboard and leaves each page in shadow.

Below 140 cm of sleeping width, one off-centre wall light is enough. Wall mounting remains the clearest in both cases, and our range of wall lights fixes without taking up the bedside table.

Both configurations coexist in the bedroom lighting family, from the discreet small format to the long arm.

What is your setup above the bed?

Which lamp for reading in bed?

Three families, three walls. The wall light if the bed is against a partition, the bedside lamp if a bedside table is planned, the reading floor lamp if the wall stays clear. In all three cases, look for an adjustable source and a dimmable brightness.

Wall light, bedside lamp, floor lamp: three answers depending on the wall

Comparing lighting families means comparing three constraints: drilling, floor space and freedom of adjustment.

Bed against a partition: wall light, nothing on the floor, measurement to get right.
Clear wall with a bedside table: bedside lamp, no drilling.
Clear wall without a table: a reading floor lamp adjusts in height without drilling.

Our Google review page remains one click away if you want to read customer feedback: verifiable reviews.

E27 socket or integrated LED: what it changes day to day

E27 can be replaced, integrated LED cannot. Across a survey of 36 headboard wall light references in our catalogue, on 28 September 2026, the E27 socket is declared on 69% of the listings and G9 on 11%.

E27: bulb of your choice, easy replacement, dimmable versions available.
Integrated LED: slimmer silhouette, no bulb to change.
Dimming: declared on 56% of the same survey, valuable late in the evening.
IP20: declared on 100% of the survey, so for dry interiors only.

The shape of the beam matters as much as the socket: an adjustable wall reading light is set once and no longer moves.

To decide between two models, this guide to choosing your reading lamp well covers the criteria that really matter.

Reading lights and bedside lamps for reading in bed

See the whole selection: Applique Murale Tête De Lit

At what height should you fix a bedside shelf and a wall light?

Align the shelf with the top of the mattress, i.e. 60 to 70 cm from the floor, then place the wall light 60 to 70 cm above the mattress. Your forearm should rest without lifting your shoulder. The switch falls between 80 and 90 cm from the floor, the socket at 30 cm or just above the furniture.

What height changes for the shoulder

A wall light that is too low makes you lift your elbow at every page; too high, it lights your forehead. The right reference is a resting forearm.

Relaxed shoulder: the forearm rests, the wrist turns on its own.
Raised elbow: the source is too low or too close.
Lit forehead: the source is too high, or the shade too open.
Shadow on the page: the source passes behind the shoulder.

Short-arm models forgive nothing. The adult bedroom wall light range brings together the most common formats for an adult bed.

Switch and socket: the heights to plan for

Control the light without getting up: this is the most often forgotten point. A wall light without a built-in switch forces you out of bed.

Switch: 80 to 90 cm from the floor, reachable with your hand resting on the mattress.
Power socket: 30 cm from the floor, or 15 cm above the shelf if it serves as a charger.
Switched socket: turns off a bedside lamp from the room's switch.
Exposed cable: a wired wall light connects to an existing box.

These measurements cross-check with those for an ideal wall light height: same logic, different room.

For the installer validating a placement before drilling, the trade area gathers the useful information.

Your questions about bedside reading light height

What height for a reading light?

Allow 90 to 110 cm from the floor, i.e. about 60 to 70 cm above the mattress, so that the beam falls on the page when you are sitting. Measure your mattress first: a high bed shifts the whole placement upwards.

At what height should you fix a wall light?

In a bedroom, height is read relative to the mattress, never relative to the wall. The wall light must reach above the shoulder when seated, otherwise your body casts a shadow on the book.

Where is it advisable to place a reading light at the head of the bed?

On each side of the bed, about 20 to 30 cm from the edge of the mattress outwards, so that the arm is above your shoulder and not in front of your face. On a wide headboard, two reading lights are better than one in the centre.

How do you read in bed without disturbing anyone?

Beam aimed at the page, adjustable brightness, warm light. Across a survey of 36 headboard wall lights in our catalogue on 28 September 2026, dimming is declared on 56% of the references: that is the setting that lets you lower the light without turning it off.

Which lamp for reading in bed?

A reading wall light if the wall allows it, a bedside lamp if you are a tenant, a reading floor lamp if the bed is away from the wall. Our headboard wall light collection has 886 references on 28 September 2026, with an E27 socket on 69% of the survey of 36.