apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wall-mounted reading lamps are your best bet - My personal preference would be for something that has both ambient light and directional lighting, such as these:

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Dimmable-Cylinder-Shade-Dual-Light-Plug-In-Wall-Lamp__44308.html

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/George-Kovacs-Multi-Function-Plug-In-Wall-Light__05780.html

But of course, there are lots of other options out there...

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Wall-Lamps-@-Swing-Arms/Style_Contemporary/

Maybe a center mounted picture light, change cord to a clear one, run the cord down adhere tightly to the head frame to the nearest outlet. Or a floor lamp with a flexible arm to make an uplight when not using and pull arm down when you want to read.

The wall art has cutouts, right? Would it be possible to pull the art out a little bit and light it from behind, so that the cutouts were your light? I don't know if that would be bright enough, but it would look pretty cool.

I'd go the wall mounted route. You can even get the kind that plug in so you don't need an electrician. You could rehang your "headboard" from L brackets and give yourself the room for the cord to hide behind the headboard.

I'd love to know the wall color in your bedroom?

I've also been trying to pull together our bedroom for months and can't seem to find the right wall color. I'm looking for a pale blue/blue gray, something that would be a neutral backdrop for anything I tote home from the thrift shop in the future!

Sorry to ask a question vs. offering advice, but you don't want advice from the person who has been living in their home 5 years and still doesn't have their own bedroom together!

I second PhoebeArt's idea. My first thought was backlight that headboard. Then add an articulate wall mounted reading light that you can use in bed, or to light your shelves, etc.

I just can't say enough about Circa Lighting...

What about something like this giant and fabulous bracket light that would swing all the way across:

http://circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=1787&cid=1

or for your Swarovski wish, this Paris Flea Market sconce:

http://circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=1493&cid=1

or this gorgeous adjustable torchiere sconce:

http://circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=728&cid=1

and this Swing Arm Wall Lamp is a classic beauty:

http://circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=226&cid=1

Good luck! The headboard and shelves are beautiful!!

agree wall mounted is the only real option here.

Amazingly enough - there are even wall-mounted lamps that have little tables attached:

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Sonneman-Nickel-and-Glass-Tray-Swing-Arm-Plug-In-Wall-Lamp__28309.html

I guess I have cord phobia. if you were to wall mount you will have a cord going down the wall on both sides which is a look that I personally do not like ..but the bigger question where are your outlets? Are they on both sides of the bed?

I think wall-mounted lamps could end up making the space look a bit cramped.

A ceiling pendant lamp would be a great way to provide both accent and ambient light. I've received great complements on the eden pendant lamp I got from CB2. It's not hardwired, so the cord will be visible, but it's clear and not too noticeable.

actually I just clicked through to comment on how beautiful your room is - so serene, great, simple furnishing, and like the others, I second the wall mounted light idea. perhaps one of those lights with 2 arms that come out of one socket, though not sure whether that would draw too much attention to the light rather than the headboard or the room as a whole...

ditto on the pendant lamp; i think they can make a small space look larger, and the light is generally diffused better. i'd choose an interesting (but not too busy or twee) lamp and experiment with hanging heights. i'm not sent by the idea of wall mounted lamps in this space.

great job so far on this petite bedroom. the wall color is fantastic! have you considered hanging more art above the bed? i think a block of small- to medium-sized framed pieces up there would warm the room up a little.

*swoon* Where did you find your headboard?

dramatic pendant lamp with a dimmer & if you need a reading light use a small clip light on your bookshelf.

I agree on pendant lighting instead of wall mount lights. I would select 2 tiny pendants that plug in (that way they are practical for reading). If you want to hide the plugs, think about hanging a small wall curtain from ceiling to floor (gray perhaps). It will give you a warm cocoon effect.

I'd go pendant, something you can hang low enough to read by but high enough so you don't whack your head on it. Simple in shape. White shade probably. There are a couple of light-weight IKEA lanterns that I might use (partially for cost, partially because I just think they look nice, even if ubiquitous, and partially because if you bash into them, you are unlikely to hurt yourself or the lamp.) You would need to install a hook in the ceiling (eye hook or maybe even a strong Command self-adhesive hook, depending on the texture of the concrete). You could run the cord (with sticky cord hooks) straight back on the ciling to the wall, along the corner, down the corner, putting the built-in rocker switch in reach and minimizing the visibility of the cord. (Could even paint the cord the wall color, once positioned.)

Very pretty room so far, even if small! I hope you find the perfect solution.

Having done this, you CAN hang from concrete ceilings, the trick here is use a masonry bit and a piece of dowl wedged into the hole w/ a hammer and then screw your eye hook into that.

I know, I've done it w/ 2 of the IKEA paper pendents in my bedroom and it works wonders to bring both reading but soft overall light when the one off to one end overhead light is not in use.

The next thing is to try and disquise the cord going down the wall and I do see an outlet down the side wall near the little bookcases and just use an extension cord to plug the lamps into.

Also second the clip light and some of them can also be made to mount to the wall too and IKEA has several of the little goodneck wall units that can work for task lighting and have a small pendant for overall lighting.

Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll look nice and you've done a great job w/ the space already.

If you're on a budget, and who isn't these days, get some IKEA sconces. I got two red ones on ebay and they flank my bed. They are on a ball joint so the move around very well. The best part is that they aren't hard wired so installing them is a snap. A fun bright red pop in your lighting housings may make your headboard sing!!

here are detailed instructions on installing some ikea lamps cheaply. i think the type of lamps she uses here aren't quite right for your style, but ikea's got lots of other options!

http://moderninmn.blogspot.com/2009/02/ikea-hacking-desk-lamps-into-wall-lamps.html

Could you please please please, tell us what paint color from what brand you used for your room? It is, simply put, perfect.

If ciddyguy is right, and it *is* possible to hang a pendant light from a concrete ceiling, I'm seeing this as a great budget/DIY option (but spraypainted black):

http://bit.ly/LjXtR

Experiment with hanging height, bulbs, dimmer.

I agree with those who say that wall mounted lamps will cramp the space.

I'm putting in another vote for backlighting that headboard. Just cuz it would be so pretty.

how about two small crystal chandeliers, on either side of the bed, hanging from the ceiling?

Judging by your achievements so far, I'd say that we should be asking you for advice, rather than the other way around.

Instead of just backlighting the headboard art thing, I'd raise it higher, build it out, then install small lights in the underside - a couple at each end shining down and a few in the middle shining up. That should give you good reading light and also highlight the marvellous sculptural quality of the art.

Thank you ALL so much! I LOVE Apartmenttherapy.com, and I am so impressed but the wealth of information and ideas you all provided. You people are so creative, what a great resource, thank you so much!
I will allow myself a couple of days to take it all in, and I'll let you know what happens. I really love the idea of backlighting the headboard - let's see if I can talk my husband into pulling that project together!

For those of you who were interested in the the paint color: it is Benjamin Moore, Palladian Blue, HC-144. I'm glad it turned out to be so successful with you guys! Thanks for the nice compliments.

The headboard is from Brocade Home, I just bought it in June 09, at the Soho store (59 Greene St.). They have it online, too: https://www.brocadehome.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1008_120016&products_id=124058&zenid=3aaumuv3nla3cb599epd10stk4

Thank you again, you guys rock!

Love the comments about lighting behind the headboard. I think I'd do that regardless just because it'd be cool.
Personally, I couldn't live without having some kind of reading light at the bedside, so I'm in the wall mounted camp.
In addition to the IKEA desk-to-wall lamp hack I did that someone linked above, I also wall mounted a less obtrusive set of IKEA desk lamps in our master bedroom. They're really small yet bendy/adjustable...maybe a better solution to avoid the crowding issue that's been mentioned:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/06/fashion/20070906IKEA_8.html

Those particular desk lamps just happened to be suited to hardwiring. They're not available anymore, but they do have several others now that are very similar that would work if you can live with having the cord exposed (using cordmate, of course!)

I hung two wicker pendant lights in my bedroom using two wall hooks. I slathered silicone onto the back, flat piece of the hook, then stuck it on the ceiling. Allow a couple of hours to dry well. With the hook now hanging down, I looped the lampcord once around the hook. Using this technique, you can adjust the lamp to any height/length. This works well, as long as you're using something light, like wicker or paper lanterns.

Lovely room. Sconces work well if there are two people. A pendant light means both of you are awash in light, whereas one can sleep if the other is using a sconce.

Light the artwork from behind.....
Wall mounted lamp(s).....
One very thin pole lamp.....
String of lights above the bed (like clear Christmas lights).....

I too would come up with a way of pulling the headboard out a few inches and placing lights behind it. You accomplish two things by doing so...highlight the great cut out pattern on the headboard and you will provide light from behind for in bed reading.
I did a similar thing to a large wood sculpture in a family room before and it was very dramatic.
I merely got 4 pieces of wood block 2" thick,3" long, 2" wide and mounted them to the four corners to provide enough space to place lights behind. You can use either string (Xmas lights) or a pair of lights that can be hung.

One other thing you might be able to do it you are woodworkers or know a creative person who can do it...take the headboard and have two small shelves mounted on the outside top corners on which you can place small lamps.

Or, how about placing a small lamp on one of the shelves in the side shelving unit? I know it would be hard to place a lamp with cord there, but if done carefully you might not even notice the cord coming down.

You've gotten a ton of great suggestions already. I would also hang a pendant and run the cord down to an outlet. Here's an example of a paintable cord cover:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/cord-cover-kit.do

I love swing-arm wall lamps for bedrooms, but your space is really tight. I would get very simple lamps to keep the attention on your beautiful headboard (inspired choice!). How about these?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00136070

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10128748

This would be a pretty easy hack, I think you can just take off the base and slide the cord/tube through a wall bracket (see the Modern in Minnesota link above). You might need to snip off the plug, but any hardware store will have DIY plug kits.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00138639

I also like the idea of lighting behind your headboard, but I don't think you'd get much function from that, it's more to highlight the pretty cutouts. A rope light would probably do the trick - you can use cable/coaxial staples to attach it to the back of the headboard.

I would definitely add some overhead lighting, although I think a pendant would be more pleasing. You want a little space between the overhead light and your headboard, especially if you want the fixture to be dramatic. The cheapest pendants are paper lanterns, and both Ikea and Pearl River have a selection:

http://pearlriver.com/v2/sub_lanterns.html

Clustering a few of varying size, at slightly different heights, would look great. Here is a modern (and cheap) take on a chandelier:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=12635769&parentid=A_FURN_LIGHTING&sortProperties= subCategoryPosition, product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=18&navAction=poppushpush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_LIGHTING&popId=APARTMENT_FURNISH&prepushId=

I've never shopped at this website, but they have a lot of inexpensive chandeliers:

http://www.gallery802.com/ProductList.aspx?Category=2

Or you could look for something secondhand. I'm sure whatever you choose will work out well - it's obvious from your photo that you have a good design sense. Would love to see the finished room!

My room is just about as big as yours. I just bought this light by Tord Boontje from zwello
http://www.zwello.com/pendants.html. I am going to cut the wire and hang it hardwired as a chandelier, but it comes with a plug in cord with the dial swithc on the cord. Any light of that nature that you can hang, but that plugs in would work I think. Good luck :)

Just wanted to say you've done a great job on your room, it looks great.
And to echo the other posters, backlighting the headboard would look amazing.

@ rebeldress Try "French Gray" by Behr. I just painted that color, and it looks very nice!

I think the tolomeo wall lamps would be an excellent choice.

definitely 2 wall lamps with adjustable arms, I think something more traditional with a nickel finish would look nice with the wall color and headboard

theambershow, thank you. I'm going to grab a sample of "french gray" tonight!

also thanks liliaNY for revealing your fabulous wall color's source for those of us who asked.

Pretty soon the whole room will be painted with samples, so I may not even have to choose!