My Bright Idea:: Bedside Lighting For My Bedroom

Obviously in my bedroom, I have no space for bedside table lamps because…well…I have no bedside tables.

So I had to get a bit creative. My plan this whole time has been to build a “bridge” between the two closets that would be closed up with trim and moulding…a false ceiling, I guess it would be called…and hang pendant lights from it, with the wires going up into the little bridge/false ceiling, over into the closet, where I would plug it into a power strip. The trick was that I also wanted to put a switch on the side wall of the closet so that it could be turned off and on without having to get out of bed.

I went to Home Depot, explained my plan to the guy, and he helped me purchase everything I needed, including the switches. I was confident that I could do it (after all, I did my own undercabinet lighting in the kitchen), but the problem is that I wasn’t at all thrilled with any of the lights I found. I actually ended up settling for something, and I hate to go to so much work for something that I’m having to settle for.

So I returned everything, and came up with a Plan B, which involved these pretty little swing arm lamps from Home Depot.

It’s called a plug in wall sconce, and as you can see, it even comes with the little metal cord cover.

But when I took the metal mounting plate off of the back, I realized that it could also be hardwired.  Now my situation was a bit unique.  I needed to be able to plug it in, but I also much preferred a hardwired look, without the cord running down the wall.  And because of the configuration of my closets, I could actually have it both ways. 

After removing the metal cord cover and separating the wires, that left this hole on the bottom.

But there was a little round plug in the package just for this purpose.  Perfect!

Next, I held up the light to determine the position, and marked around it.  These marks will eventually be covered with primer and paint, so I wasn’t too concerned about marking on the closet.

I held the mounting plate up to mark where the pilot holes for the screws needed to go.

I also realized that the center metal circle on the mounting plate would need to be removed for the cords to fit through.

This is an extra step that I took, but I used Loctite construction adhesive on the back of the mounting plate.  It just makes it easier to position, and makes me more confident that my light won’t come crashing down on me while I’m sleeping.

After checking for level, I drilled the pilot holes and secured the plate with the screws that were provided.

Then I had to drill a hole large enough for the cord to fit through.

Before I completed the bed base, I planned ahead by drilling a hole through the side of the closet, through the side of the first box of the bed base, and plugging a new power strip into the outlet on that wall. 

So then I just needed to drill a hole through the back corner of the shelf for the wire to pass through.

And then I poked it through the hole in the middle of the mounting plate.  Phew!  Almost finished!!

I re-wired the light using the wire nuts they provided, and secured the wire nuts with electrical tape (not provided).

And then I pulled the excess cord back into the closet, and mounted the light onto the mounting plate with four small screws.  All of the cords inside will eventually be secured, and the power strip will be secured to a pull-out shelf where we will be able to plug in our laptops (we both enjoy sitting in bed in the evenings and using our computers), our phones (we’re a cell phone-only household, so we like to keep them charged and close by), and anything else that needs to be plugged in.

And voila!  I have plug-in bedside lighting with a built-in look.  No cords, no mess.  I love it!