Shelf Bracket Lighting »

When it came to lighting the nightstands in our bedroom, we took an unconventional approach.

We needed lighting that would hang from the wall, and not take up precious real estate on the furniture.

I like to read – a LOT! There are almost always at least two traditional books, plus my Kindle and a magazine or two on my nightstand. Add in the coaster for a water glass, the small basket for bookmarks, lip balm, etc., and there isn’t any room left for a light!

Larry’s nightstand isn’t much better – Kindle, reading glasses, coaster, clock radio.

Wall-mounted lights available for purchase were pretty pricey, and we didn’t like any of the choices we saw, so we decided to make our own.

I had a crazy idea to make wall-mounted lights using shelf brackets and pendant lights. We used the leftover brackets for a kitchen project (Dresser to Table Repurpose). We used the same process for bedroom lights at the guest house, with shelf brackets purchased just for that purpose. The nightstands there are even smaller (From Serving Tray to Nightstands).

We purchased pendant lights (made to hang from the ceiling) and grounded plug ends. Then, with some basic tools, a few items we had lying around (chain, clips) and electrical knowledge, we got to work.

First, we removed all ceiling mount hardware from the light. Then, connected the pendant wires to the plug. If you don’t have electrical knowledge, please hire an electrician to do this step!

Using links from lighting chain we had on hand, we created ‘holders’ for the cord on the shelf bracket. Three links in front and one in back.

This was before we purchased plastic-tipped pliers, so we improvised by wrapping tape around the ends to avoid scratching the chain links!

When we installed the lights, we used cable clips on the wall to hold the cord in place; the weight from the light has a tendency to make it slowly start to drop if you don’t use these.

The lights are plugged into wall sockets with wireless remote-controlled outlets we purchased at Amazon. Each side of the bed has its own remote, and each remote will control up to five outlets!

Using the shelf brackets, we were able to create custom lighting that matches the themes of our rooms; western for the main house, birds for the guest house.