Best Cust effective light for room with no ceiling light?

[FrugalSaver]

I’d prefer not to get a standard torch or just a lamp

Any good suggestions?

[FrugalSaver]

Cost, not cust

Don’t know how to change subject

[profnot]

The type and brightness of a light for a room depends on what you want to do in that room.  LED bulbs are the most cost effective over time.

If you want a good light for reading, put an end table next to a chair and put a lamp on it.  You want the bottom of the shade to be below your eye level so it doesn't shine in your eyes.  But high enough to direct light onto your book.  Or you could put a wall sconce (light that attaches to wall) next to your chair.

If you want to light people at a dining table and don't have electric wiring above the table, suspend a candle chandelier above the table.  Or place tall candle holders on the table.  (Low candles on the table light the undersides of people's chins.  That's for flashlights at the campfire.)

If you want some dim ambient (over all) light for a TV room, you can place accent lights on tables and chests and install lower wattage bulbs.  A few nightlights can help create enough ambient light.

If you want to make a room with a nice ceiling look more open, place floor lamps around the room.  Or place can lights on the floor / tables / shelves and put lower wattage washer bulbs in them.  Aim the can lights up and wash the wall.

If you want to have sufficient light in a kitchen so you don't cut your fingers off while working on a countertop, place strip lights under the upper cabinets.

If you want to shave or apply makeup in front of a bathroom mirror, put lightest the left and right of the mirror.  Most bathrooms come with above-mirror lights but side lights are better if you get to choose one over the other.

If you want your room to be bright like the inside of a refrigerator, put lots of bright lightbulbs all over.

If you want a cozy effect, create areas of light and shadow.  Not harsh shadows, but vary the amount of lights in different areas of the room.  In general, have ambient light be 15% or more, task lights placed as needed with dimmers, and accent lights to show off special belongings and/or add more ambient light. 

Inexpensive light fixtures and lamps can be found at stores like Target as well as thrift stores.  Second hand stores can have great lamps and just need a new shade you get from Target.

Have fun!

[FrugalSaver]

Thanks for the thoughts.  I failed to mention this was a bedroom.

[chemistk]

Apart from wiring a new light yourself (not really that difficult if you're comfortable working with wires and electricity), your only option really is to put a bright lamp in the room. I would probably recommend one of the lamps that holds at least two bulbs - one pointed up at the ceiling and the other pointed wherever is most convenient for you.

For whatever awful reason, the last two places we've rented have had no ceiling lights in the bedrooms, and instead they have a light switch that controls the top socket in all the electrical outlets. We have lamps in our bedrooms in the switch socket, it's really not great but we have no other choice.

[kanga1622]

We used crappy floor lamp and table lamps for a bit in our living room that had no overhead lights. Once we figured out it wasn't too expensive to have an independent electrician (not a big company) come over and install recessed lighting, that was our solution. We put 6 in our living room with a dimmer and paid about $500. Worth it for me EVERY DAY!

In a bedroom, I'd probably stick to side lamps as long as you have decent windows. You can always get dressed somewhere with better light if necessary and we don't spend much time in our bedroom unless we are sleeping.

[PhilB]

Uplighter on top of the wardrobe?

[wbarnett]

I just moved into a house with no ceiling lights in several rooms. If there is an interior wall without insulation and/or you have access to the attic, installing some recessed lighting is pretty easy if you're handy. YouTube helps a lot if you're unsure. If that's not up your alley, check out battery-operated puck lights. They're under $50, can be installed anywhere, some of them come with remotes, and they have LEDs that supposedly last a decade.

[PDXTabs]

I really love these three-way Normande lamps with these three way LEDs.

EDITed to add: and these bedside lamps.

[FrugalSaver]

Apart from wiring a new light yourself (not really that difficult if you're comfortable working with wires and electricity), your only option really is to put a bright lamp in the room. I would probably recommend one of the lamps that holds at least two bulbs - one pointed up at the ceiling and the other pointed wherever is most convenient for you.

For whatever awful reason, the last two places we've rented have had no ceiling lights in the bedrooms, and instead they have a light switch that controls the top socket in all the electrical outlets. We have lamps in our bedrooms in the switch socket, it's really not great but we have no other choice.

that's exactly my situation.  never seen it before. 

[wbarnett]

My house has that too. Apparently it was common in the 1960s. It's annoying, for sure.

[CptCool]

Those are usually called switched outlets, as you control the electricity to the outlet at the switch. You generally only plug light fixtures into them

I actually like them in bedrooms more than overhead lights because you can turn off a lamp by your bedside without having to get out of bed :)