The best bedside wall light is a reader you can aim, with its own switch on the wall plate and a warm 2700K to 3000K light, fixed so the head sits 60 to 75cm above the top of the mattress. Our pick for most beds is the Astro Ascoli Single Switched (£51.75, checked 9th November 2026), a small spotlight that tilts 90 degrees and turns 330 degrees. If you share the bed, the Astro Fuse 3 throws a narrow 18 degree beam that stays on your book. If you cannot wire a wall, a plug-in or cordless reader does the job.
A bedside wall light has one job that a lamp on the table does badly: putting light on the page without putting it in anyone's eyes. That is why we would choose a reader over a pretty shaded light for anyone who reads in bed, and a shaded light for anyone who does not. Every fitting here is one we sell, with its specification taken from its listing and its price checked on the date shown.
Which bedside wall lights are best?
These are the ones we would fit for each job. The details that decide between them are the switch, the beam and whether you can run a cable in the wall.
| The job | What we would fit | Light and switch | Price, checked 9th November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most beds | Astro Ascoli Single Switched | One GU10 lamp, rocker switch on the plate | £51.75 |
| Reaching past a wide headboard | Astro Ascoli Swing | Swing arm, 276mm long, rocker switch | £94.55 |
| Reading next to someone asleep | Astro Fuse 3 Toggle | Built-in LED, 185 lumens, 18 degree beam, 2700K | £173.54 |
| Charging a phone at the same time | Astro Keta USB-C | Built-in LED, 155 lumens, 2700K, USB-C port | £205.18 |
| Bending the light exactly where you want it | Astro Fosso | Flexible arm, 350mm long, 3000K | £146.95 |
| A soft glow rather than a reading beam | Endon Daley Switched | Fabric shade, toggle switch, dimmable | £39.95 |
| No wiring at all | Astro Ascoli Swing Plug-In | Plugs into a socket, rocker switch | £104.95 |
| No cable either | Novena Slancio Wall cordless | Rechargeable, 121 lumens, dims 5% to 100% | £169.00 |
If you only buy one, buy the Ascoli. It is 130mm long, the head tilts 90 degrees and turns 330 degrees, and the rocker switch sits on the round wall plate, so you switch it off without reaching across the room. It takes one GU10 lamp of up to 6W, which we would fill with a warm white 3.7W GU10 LED (£8.76, checked 9th November 2026), giving 350 lumens at 3000K. Keep it on full: the Ascoli is not a dimmable fitting. At £51.75 it is also the cheapest wired reader on this list, and the one we would fit in a spare room or a child's room without a second thought.
Should you choose a reading light or a shaded wall light?
A reader if you read in bed, a shade if you do not. A reading light is a small spotlight on the wall: it puts a pool of light where you aim it and leaves the rest of the room dark. A shaded wall light glows in every direction, which is lovely for the room and hopeless for chapter twelve at midnight, because some of that glow lands on whoever is trying to sleep.
For the glow, the Endon Daley Switched in matt nickel (£39.95, checked 9th November 2026) has a vintage white fabric shade, a toggle switch on the backplate and projects 230mm from the wall. It is dimmable, takes one E14 golf ball lamp, and with a 4W E14 LED golf ball (£8.69, checked 9th November 2026) it suits a guest room or the side of the bed where nobody reads. If both of you read, fit two readers. If only one of you does, there is nothing wrong with a reader on one side and a shade on the other. If you would rather fix nothing to the wall, our guide to the best bedside lamps for reading covers the table lamps.
How high should a bedside wall light be?
Put the head 60 to 75cm above the top of the mattress, so it sits just above your shoulder when you sit up against the headboard. Measure from the mattress, not the floor, because beds vary more than people think. Then work out the floor height before anyone drills.
| Top of mattress from the floor | Head of the light from the floor | Switch |
|---|---|---|
| 50cm | 110 to 125cm | On the plate, within reach sitting up |
| 60cm | 120 to 135cm | On the plate, within reach sitting up |
| 70cm | 130 to 145cm | On the plate, within reach sitting up |
Sideways, set the plate just outside the edge of the headboard, or above it if the headboard is low, so the light comes over your shoulder onto the page instead of shining down onto the pillow. A deep or padded headboard pushes the plate further out, and that is where the Ascoli Swing (£94.55, checked 9th November 2026) earns its extra cost: it is 276mm long against 130mm for the Ascoli, because its arm holds the head away from the plate, and the head tilts 90 degrees and swivels 180 degrees. Wire the two sides to separate switches. One person reads, the other sleeps, and our guide to bedroom lighting ideas sets out the rest of the scheme.
What beam and colour should a bedside reading light have?
A narrow beam and warm white. The narrower the beam, the smaller the pool of light, and the less of it reaches the next pillow. Here is how wide each built-in LED reader lights a page 60cm away, worked from the beam angle on its listing.
| Reader | Beam angle | Pool of light 60cm away | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astro Fuse 3 Toggle | 18 degrees | About 19cm across | 2700K |
| Astro Enna Square Switched | 20 degrees | About 21cm across | 2700K |
| Astro Fosso | 26.2 degrees | About 28cm across | 3000K |
| Astro Keta USB-C | 29.9 degrees | About 32cm across | 2700K |
That is why the Astro Fuse 3 Toggle (£173.54, checked 9th November 2026) is our pick for a shared bed. It has the narrowest beam in that table, 185 lumens at 2700K, a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90 so the page and your skin look right, and a toggle switch built into the plate. The Enna Square (£164.85, checked 9th November 2026) is a close second if you prefer a small 110mm square to a tall plate.
On colour, we would choose 2700K beside a bed and 3000K at the most. Cooler light reads crisper, but this is the last light you see before sleep, and our guide to the best colour temperature for a bedroom explains why we keep it warm.
Can you get a bedside wall light with a USB charger?
Yes. The Astro Keta USB-C (£205.18, checked 9th November 2026) puts a USB-C port in the same plate as the light, so a phone charges while you read. The LED gives 155 lumens at 2700K through a 29.9 degree beam, and a micro switch turns it on and off. It costs more than a reader and a separate charger, so we would buy it where the bedside table has run out of sockets, not as a matter of course.
Can you have bedside wall lights without wiring?
Yes, in two ways. A plug-in reader screws to the wall and its cable runs down to a socket. The Astro Ascoli Swing Plug-In in matt white (£104.95, checked 9th November 2026) has a swing arm like the wired version, a head that tilts 90 degrees and a rocker switch in its base, and the Astro Gio Plug-In (£68.31, checked 9th November 2026) is a smaller matt black head with a switch on the cable. The Gio takes a 35mm GU10 lamp of up to 4W, such as a 3W 2700K Astro GU10 (£8.09, checked 9th November 2026).
A cordless light has no cable at all. The Novena Slancio Wall (£169.00, checked 9th November 2026) is rechargeable, gives 121 lumens, dims from 5% to 100% at a touch switch, and its head turns 360 degrees. It is rated IP54, which is why its listing calls it an outdoor light. It still fixes to the wall, so it needs a drill but no electrician: use fixings that suit your wall, and check for hidden pipes and cables before you drill. Our guide to lighting a room without rewiring goes through every plug-in wall light we sell and how to keep the cable tidy.
Do you need an electrician to fit a bedside wall light?
For a wired one, yes. A wired wall light needs a supply run inside the wall, and we would always use a registered electrician for it. In England the work must meet Part P of the Building Regulations (Approved Document P, 2013 edition). Wales has its own version, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate rules. Our guide to lighting a room without rewiring sets out which electrical work is notifiable. If the walls are coming off for decorating anyway, that is the time to run the cables, because a wired reader on its own switch is the better job.
The short version
- If you read in bed, fit a reader you can aim. If you do not, a shaded wall light gives a softer glow.
- Head 60 to 75cm above the top of the mattress, plate just outside the headboard, switch within reach sitting up.
- Narrow beam and warm white: 2700K beside a bed, 3000K at the most.
- Our pick for most beds is the Astro Ascoli Single Switched. For a shared bed, the Astro Fuse 3 Toggle.
- No wiring: a plug-in reader such as the Ascoli Swing Plug-In, or the cordless Novena Slancio Wall.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best bedside wall light for reading?
A switched reader with a narrow, warm beam. The Astro Fuse 3 Toggle has an 18 degree beam, 185 lumens at 2700K and a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90, which lights a circle about 19cm across on a page 60cm away. For a smaller budget, the Astro Ascoli Single Switched takes a GU10 lamp and has its own rocker switch.
How far apart should bedside wall lights be?
Set each one just outside the edge of the headboard, so the two sit symmetrically either side of the bed, and the light comes over each sleeper's shoulder. The distance between them follows the width of the bed and headboard. On a deep or padded headboard, a swing-arm reader such as the Ascoli Swing reaches the page from further out.
Should bedside wall lights be on a separate switch?
Yes. Each side wants its own switch, within reach of the person lying there, so one can read while the other sleeps. Switched readers such as the Ascoli, Fuse 3 and Keta have the switch on the wall plate. If you are wiring from scratch, ask your electrician to keep the two sides on separate switches from the main light.
Are plug-in bedside wall lights any good?
Yes, for a bedside. A plug-in reader such as the Astro Ascoli Swing Plug-In gives the same aimed light as a wired one, and the only difference is the cable running down to the socket. Put the light directly above the socket so the cable drops straight, and choose a finish close to the wall colour.
What colour temperature is best for a bedside light?
Warm white, 2700K, or 3000K at the most. It is the last light you see before sleeping, and warm light is the gentler end of the scale. Most of the built-in LED readers here run at 2700K. For a GU10 reader such as the Ascoli, choose the lamp yourself and keep it warm.
