Rest, romance, concentration and play, - all possibilities for the bedroom but they don't necessarily go together that well do they?
Different lighting in different areas of the room could help to light up some of those moods (and switch others off) letting your space feel right no matter the activity.
General feel for the interior...
You might have a tendency for an intimate feel in the bedroom - dark with rich colours, warm textures, cosy with direct lighting which lights up little special spots on tables or walls.
Or you might prefer a more romantic sentiment - light, with pale or even washed out colours, light-weight flowing curtains and other materials, diffuse lighting bringing light and air into the whole space (or at least translucent lampshades which are light in colour so that there's not much contrast between surfaces).
Now, which different sorts of lighting for different areas of the bedroom?...
Reading light near the bed for reading, writing, gadgets, drawing, lap-top activities (I've never managed to take up knitting or crochet but I'm sure they'd be great to do in bed!) This should be bright enough to concentrate and read with! Directional would be good, and fixed to a wall or solid enough to stay where it's supposed to be on your bedside table. The height of this light would be great at ___cm above the mattress height.
Low intensity lighting near the bed but not necessarily at reading height (could be a floor lamp nearish the bed - a metre away at the wall or in the corner). If this can be activated from the bed all the better (manual switch close enough / voice activated / remote control in some other way). This way you have a gentle light to help you to relax at night before bed, or in order to be able to get up slowly in the morning. DID you know that it's best to wake up and then only get up gradually - to avoid a shock to the system - feeling feint, as your head becomes the highest thing in your body and your blood circulation has to speed up to catch up with the change in position? I don't know if I've said that in the correct way, but yes, - good for you body to get up slowly! Only bounce out of bed once you're definitely safe in the sitting position!
If you have a full length or dressing table mirror, consider putting lighting around it, in order to give a glow to that person in the reflection. A little dangle of fairy lights can give a whimsical glow, a row of Moviestar golf-ball bulbs around your mirror can give something more razzle-dazzle and bright, or a tall standard lamp sitting right next to your dressing table or full length mirror could add an adjustable and complimentary glow to you and the room.
Good general light for actually seeing everything in the room! It's great to have lighting in the bedroom that is NOT right by the bed, that is balanced and that gives interest around the room - so that when you're not in bed it feel like it's a room worth being in and so that you can actually do other stuff (eg sit on a side chair reading, or at a table doing make-up, writing, sewing, making, repairing, fiddling...) This can overflow into task lighting at a table, and could either be central ceiling lighting or standard lamps and wall lamps around the room. Definitely make sure that there at least 4 different lights around the room so that you can light up and dim down different areas for those different activities and moods. Happy bedrooming!
