Loft and bunk beds are often ideal solutions to various design issues people face when trying to maximize their space and make the most of a small room, studio apartment, vacation rental, or a shared living area like a hostel or dorm.
But of course, every choice has consequences, and when you upgrade your room with a loft or bunk bed, that often means you’ve created some other concern that needs to be addressed. One common question that arises is how to use a light source to sufficiently illuminate all of the usable areas in a room, especially when whole portions of the overhead lighting may be obscured or even totally blocked by the raised sleeping platform.
Fortunately, there are many creative solutions to this problem. For your convenience, we’ve curated our eight favorite lighting ideas for loft and bunk beds below.
String or Rope Lights Under the Top Bunk
One of the most striking lighting solutions for loft and bunk beds is to hang string or rope lights underneath the bottom of the raised sleeping platform. This could be traditional string lights, more ornate and design-conscious solutions with different types of bulbs, or LED rope lights (which can also change colors - and moods - depending on the type you purchase). It’s worth noting that this solution really only works for the person sleeping on the bottom bunk or when the space beneath the loft bed is being utilized for other activities - and of course, for creating or enhancing a specific vibe - but that it’s not an all-purpose solution for lighting an entire room.
(Photo via Pinterest)
LED Tube Light Fixtures
Similar in intention to the string or rope lights, LED tube light fixtures can be affixed to the lower part of your loft bed or top bunk’s bed rails to shine a light on the space beneath the elevated sleeping platform. Many LED tube light fixtures can be purchased in multiple packs, so you can get as few or as many as you need. The best part is that these fixtures are made to be placed on surfaces (meaning they’re not heavy and usually have flat backs), so they should be easy to attach with adhesives. Because of the wide four inch bed rails that we use for our Adult Loft and Bunk Beds, they’re particularly adept at accommodating these fixtures. And because LED lights have so many different color options, you can play around to find the styles that look best in your space.
(Photo via SuperBrightLEDS.com)
Moveable Clip On Lamps
If you’re looking for a solution that is inexpensive and less permanent, consider a standard clip on lamp. These use standard bulbs and simply plug into a wall socket (or even use batteries in some cases). Most importantly, they’re super lightweight and can easily be moved around and clipped onto many different surfaces, so it can either live in a specific space on or around your bed frame, or move up and down the bed with you and be wherever you need it at any given time.
(Photo via The Home Depot)
Standard Desk Lamps
Another option that performs the same basic functions as the clip on lamps, but is sturdier and a little more aesthetically sophisticated is the classic desk lamp (if your loft or bunk bed has the space to accommodate it). With our Adult Loft and Bunk Beds, we’d recommend this option if you order accessories that the light can sit on, such as an attached desk or the bookshelf, which even has a hole in the back to run cords through, so that they won’t have to hang over the edge of your bed or disrupt your décor. See the photos below for examples of these accessories with desk lamps.
Mounted Wall Lights
A more permanent lighting solution to a room that is going to be home to a bunk or loft bed for many years to come is to install mounted wall lights or sconces next to each sleeping platform. This offers two primary benefits over the options we’ve already mentioned. The first (and more practical) purpose is to provide an individual light source for every sleeping platform (meaning it’s probably more worthwhile for bunk beds, especially in a room with quality overhead lighting). The other reason is these lights will give your room a more mature and sophisticated design aesthetic, so if your goal is to impress the folks who will be sleeping there (say in a vacation rental), this might be a worthwhile investment in the overall style of your space. Of course, one must consider that installing these lights in a room that doesn’t already have them will require re-wiring and the expertise of a professional electrician.
(Photo via Decoist)
Floor Lamps
Depending on how you’ll be using the bed and what kind of space you have, a standard floor lamp could also be a viable lighting option, especially for a loft bed. As long as it’s tall enough for you to reach when you’re in the bed, a floor lamp can basically act like any other bedside lamp that sits on a nightstand (note: you can check out any of our loft bed product pages for dimensions to see how tall your lamp would need to be). And if you get a floor lamp with multiple light sources, you could make it work as a multi-purpose lighting solution. For example, in my home office, I use a floor lamp with an additional “task light” (see picture below) with my loft bed. The upper light serves as a light source when I’m up on the bed, and the adjustable task light works as a sort of desk lamp when I’m working below.
(Photo via The Home Depot)
A Ceiling Light with a Remote Controller
If you’re happy with how well the light coming from the ceiling fixture in your room is able to illuminate the space, but you’re concerned about having to get in and out of your loft bed to turn it off when it’s time to sleep, consider replacing your existing lighting fixture with one that has a remote controller, so that you can turn it on and off from the comfort of your bed. There are even “smart” LED light fixtures that allow you to use your phone to operate the light.
(Photo via Walmart)
Utilize Natural Light
This option obviously depends on the layout of your room and the quality of the natural light coming through your window(s) - as well as maybe your lifestyle and how late into the evening you require a light source - but if you have the option to let the sun shine in and satisfy your iillumination needs for most of the day, it’s definitely worth making it work. Natural sunlight not only provides many health benefits, but it will also save you money and is better for the environment in the long-run.
At the end of the day, the purpose of your loft or bunk bed is to help you find the best ways to use the space you’ve got and unleash your creative design potential. No matter what lighting solution you end up with, it should be the one that not only fits your lifestyle, but also enhances your space and brightens your day, literally and figuratively.