I love a good budget-friendly find. A few months ago, I bought the prettiest cream lamps with pleated empire shades, and honestly, I loved them. They were stylish, affordable, and felt like the perfect finishing touch for our master bedroom.
But here’s the thing: something may be beautiful, but it may not be right for your space.
After living with the lamps for a little while, I noticed two problems:
- They were too small. On the large nightstands, next to the tall upholstered bed frame, the lamps just looked… underwhelming. The scale was off, and instead of anchoring the nightstand, they got lost.
- They blended in too much. With cream walls, cream lamps, and a cream bed, everything just melted together. I love a soft, neutral palette, but it left the room feeling flat instead of layered and intentional.
And here’s the biggest red flag: I noticed myself over-styling the nightstands. Because the lamps weren’t pulling their weight visually, I kept adding decorative objects to “fill the space.” Instead of a chic vignette, it just looked cluttered.
THE BEFORE / THE AFTER
I’m saving those cream lamps to hopefully use in another room, but I knew I needed a better solution for this space. So I started the hunt for lamps that were bigger, bolder, and better scaled for my bedroom furniture.
After plenty of searching (I’ll share all the contenders I considered below), I finally landed on the perfect choice: a pair of pottery-style lamps with sculptural black bases and soft beige shades (source). They bring in contrast, depth, and that cozy-but-polished vibe I wanted — and just like that, the room felt balanced. The nightstands no longer looked bare, the lamps added height and presence, and I could simplify the styling because the lamps themselves made the statement.
How to Choose the Right Size Lamp for Your Nightstand
Getting the scale right can be tricky, but here are a few tried-and-true guidelines to follow:
- Start with the bed-to-nightstand ratio. A good rule of thumb is for your nightstand to be about ⅓–⅔ the width of your bed. This creates balance on either side without looking too skimpy or too oversized.
- Width guidelines. The widest part of your lamp (usually the base of the shade) should be about ½–⅔ the width of your nightstand. This keeps things visually balanced while leaving you enough surface area for books, a candle, or a glass of water.
- Height guidelines. Most bedside lamps should fall between 24–30 inches tall, but more important than the number is the function: when you’re sitting up in bed, the bottom of the lampshade should be at or just below eye level. That way the bulb is covered, the light is filtered (instead of glaring in your eyes), and it’s comfortable for reading.
When you nail the proportions, you’ll instantly notice how much more finished, cohesive, and intentional your bedroom feels.
Shop My Bedroom Sources
I’ve linked the lamp I ended up choosing below, along with other pieces from our master bedroom if you want to recreate the look.
And if you’re in the market for new lamps, I included all the options I considered during my hunt.
As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!
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