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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong
String lights provide a warm, ambient glow that’s ideal for bedrooms. We researched dozens of string lights, judging them on ease of installation and use, brightness, and durability.
Our top recommendation is the KooPower 200 LED Indoor String Lights with Remote and Timer, which is 69-feet long, has a built-in timer with memory, and comes with a remote control.
Here are the best string lights for bedrooms.
Best Overall: KooPower 200 LED Indoor String Light with Remote and Timer
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Courtesy of Amazon
69 feet long with 200 LED lights
Includes a remote control
Built-in timer with memory function
Bulbs can be a bit dim
Who else recommends it? Insider also picked the KooPower 200 LED Indoor String Lights.
What do buyers say? 89% of 1,900+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
In terms of quality, adjustability, length, and convenience, the best string lights for bedrooms are the KooPower LED Indoor String Lights. This set is a whopping 69 feet long and comes with 200 warm white LED lights. It's long enough to wrap around your curtain rods, install around the perimeter of your ceiling, illuminate a full walk-in closet, or hang anywhere you want to achieve a cozy, decorative glow.
These KooPower string lights plug into a standard outlet and come with a remote control, allowing you to turn them off and on, select from various modes, and dim the brightness. There's also a built-in timer with a memory function, which automatically turns the lights on during the hours you want and back off during the hours you don't use them.
Best Colorful: PBteen Rainbow Waterfall String Lights
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Courtesy of Pottery Barn Teen
Lights transition to different colors
Includes hooks for hanging
Waterfall design
Expensive
If you want to add a bit of color to your room, check out the Rainbow Waterfall String Lights from Pottery Barn Teen. This chain is 59 inches long and 50 inches wide. It has 16 strings, each with 16 LED lights that transition through every color of the rainbow, starting with red on top and ending with purple on the bottom. PBteen also has an Ombre Purple option with shades of pink, purple, and blue.
These cascading waterfall string lights are made of recycled materials and are powered by a standard two-prong plug. They're perfect for adding a burst of calming color to a kid's or teen's bedroom, or even a college dorm. Using the included hook, you can hang them over a doorway, window, headboard, or vanity —or just use them as a wall decoration.
Best Shapes: Twinkle Star 100 LED Star String Lights
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Courtesy of Amazon
Unique star-shaped lights
Nine different modes including flashing and twinkling
Available in several colors
Can easily get tangles
For some extra character, you might consider the Twinkle Star String Lights. You'll get 100 star-shaped LED lights, each about 1.4 inches wide with durable, waterproof plastic construction. Choose from bright white, warm white, blue, or multi-color. The lights are spaced about 4 inches apart across a 33-foot strand.
This set plugs into a wall and can be extended with up to 9 additional strings. Since they're LEDs, these string lights are energy-efficient and have a longer lifespan than traditional bulbs. There are nine different modes for the lights, including waves, sequential, slow glow, flashing, slow fade, twinkle, and combination, as well as standard on and off.
Best LED: SkrLights G40 LED String Lights
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Courtesy of Amazon
Shatterproof and energy-efficient LED bulbs
Weatherproof for outdoor use
Easy to replace bulbs if necessary
Bulbs only come in clear white
With the SkrLights G40 LED String Lights, you'll get a 25-foot string with 27 globe bulbs, each of which offers 0.6W of illumination. Each bulb is about 1.5 inches wide, just slightly smaller than a golf ball. You can connect up to 28 strands with the dual-ended plug and connector. And each bulb has its own clip, making it easy to hang them in your bedroom.
These LED globes provide up to 30,000 hours of use. But that's not all—each of the bulbs is shatterproof. This means you don't have to worry about dropping them on hard floors, and it makes storage much easier. Since these string lights are designed for outdoor use, they're also weatherproof. They have candelabra-style screw bases, too, which makes it easy to replace individual bulbs if needed.
Best Fairy Lights: Ebern Designs LED Bulb Fairy String Light
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Courtesy of Wayfair
Available in eight colors
Copper wire cords to twist and shape
Energy-efficient bulbs won't heat up
No connector for attaching multiple strands
Fairy string lights are delicate, versatile, and charming, and you can expect no less from the Ebern Designs Bulb Fairy String Lights. This set is available in eight colors: warm white, orange, red, blue, green, pink, purple, and multi-color. It comes with 100 micro LED lights, which are spaced 4 inches apart across a 33-foot copper wire cord.
The copper wire makes it easy to twist the string into various shapes and configurations. Some people opt to coil the cord and place it in a mason jar for a chic DIY indoor lantern. This set is powered by a standard outlet plug, which is 36 inches from the last fairy light. Also, the energy-efficient individual bulbs won't heat up even when they're left on for hours.
Best Globe Lights: The Party Aisle LED Bulb Globe String Light
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Courtesy of Wayfair
Option of warm white or multicolor bulbs
Eight different lighting modes
Connect up to five strings
Can't replace individual bulbs
If you're partial to globe lights, we recommend the Bulb Globe String Light from The Party Aisle. This set comes with the option of warm white or multi-color pendant lights. You'll get 100 round, retro bulbs in total across 33 feet of PC-coated copper string. The lights themselves are .75 inches wide and are spaced about 3.5 inches apart.
This string light set is powered through a traditional plug and socket, and you can connect up to five sets to hang around your bedroom. Plus, there are eight different lighting modes to choose from. With LED chips, the lights only use 6W of energy and can provide up to 50,000 hours of warm, relaxing illumination without overheating.
Best Budget: Anjaylia LED Fairy String Lights
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Courtesy of Amazon
Affordable price point
Ultra-lightweight for easy placement
LED bulbs have a 20 year lifespan
Requires batteries (not included)
If you want a budget-friendly option for sprucing up your bedroom lighting, we suggest the Anjaylia LED Fairy String Lights. You'll get 30 extra-bright firefly lights on 10 feet of wire. And with battery operation, the set is much more versatile than many plug-in options. It takes three AA batteries (not included) and has a handy on/off switch right on the battery box.
The ultra-thin wire is lightweight and flexible yet sturdy, allowing you to create a wide range of decorations, like wrapping the lights around a plant. Since the fairy bulbs are LED, they boast a lifespan of 20 years or more and use a fraction of the energy as standard string lights. There are nine colors to choose from, including warm white, white, multi-color, blue, green, red, purple, pink, and orange. You can also get longer strings for a slightly higher price.
Best Curtain: SupplyFlora LED Window Curtain Lights
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Courtesy of SupplyFlora
Long cascading design for windows and ceilings
Eight different display settings including flashing
Must use your own USB adapter
Curtain string lights can look really lovely in bedrooms. If this is the vibe you're going for, take a look at the LED Window Curtain Lights from the SupplyFlora Etsy shop. This set has 300 lights, which cascade down ten strings spaced 11.8 inches apart. It's 6.6 feet wide and 9.8 feet long, making it ideal for draping in bedrooms with large windows or tall ceilings.
This handmade set can be plugged directly into a standard outlet. However, you'll need to use your own USB adapter, as it doesn't come with an attached plug. It has eight different settings: waves, sequential, slogs, flashing, flow fade, combination, and steady on.
Best for Kids: Urban Outfitters Pompom LED String Lights
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Courtesy of Urban Outfitters
Cheerful lights and pom poms
Great for children's bedrooms
Requires batteries (not included)
If you're looking for something for a child's bedroom, the Pompom LED String Light set from Urban Outfitters is an excellent choice. It has cheerful pompoms in teal, pink, yellow, and orange, plus 12 white LED globe lights.
These lights run on three AA batteries (not included), so they can be hung virtually anywhere in a bedroom, no outlet needed. Drape them over a dresser, around a mirror, across a doorway, or around bedposts. This set is also ideal for a tween or teen's room.
Our top pick is the Koopower 200 LED Indoor String Lights (view at Amazon), which includes a remote control and built-in time with a memory function. If you're on a budget, the Anjaylia LED Fairy String Lights (view at Amazon) are worth checking out. Besides being affordable, they're also ultra-lightweight and durable for extra convenience.
What to Look for in Bedroom String Lights
Style
When looking for the best string lights for your bedroom, think about the effect you want the lights to have on the room. Do you want extra lighting to highlight a canopy or to add light to the entire room? A strand of lights will likely do the trick perfectly. Would you rather have an entire wall or a section of the wall fully illuminated? Consider curtain or waterfall lights, which look great as a faux headboard or around your desk.
Bulb Density
Bulb count on strong lights can vary from as few as 30 to as many as 300—and cords vary in length, so density is important to consider, too. Bigger bulbs are usually spread out more along the strand, while smaller lights need to be packed closer together to really give off a glow.
Light Settings
Do you want basic cool or warm white lights, or are you interested in jazzing things up with twinkling, fading, or colorful options? Some strands even have automatic timers that will turn the lights off after a set period of time, which could be a nice feature for a child's bedroom. While none of those features are must-haves, they're all nice touches that will make the lights more versatile.
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What are the different types of string lights?
String lights are a type of decorative accent lighting. There are several varieties of bulbs and string types that can be purchased depending on whether they’re being used indoors or outdoors. The most popular types for indoor use include small LED bulbs, shaped bulbs (such as stars or flowers), strip lights, and multicolored lights. There are also seasonal (or Christmas) lights and those that are used outdoors, like bistro and globe lights. These outdoor variations often look a bit different and are made to be weatherproof.
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Are string lights safe for bedrooms?
When set up correctly and turned off prior to sleeping or leaving the house, string lights are relatively safe to have in bedrooms, especially LED options. Search for lights that are accredited and have a safety rating. For instance, UL, a science and safety certification group, works in accordance with ANSI’s standards to ensure string light and seasonal light products are safe. String lights being used in bedrooms are typically fine, but they shouldn’t be installed in areas prone to high levels of moisture—such as bathrooms.
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How do you install string lights?
Strings lights are one of the easiest fixtures to implement in a home because there is very little installation needed, and the lights themselves are plugged in rather than hardwired. For a more permanent setup, hammer nails or wall hooks into place and drape them over top. If ease and quick installation are more important, several varieties of adhesive wall hooks and tacks can be used to keep their weight supported. Sometimes tape can be useful, but it’s not as reliable as other anchors.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was written by Theresa Holland, a freelance writer who has contributed to The Spruce since 2020. More of her home-related writing can be found on MyDomaine. To make this list, she considered each pick's shape, price, and style. Additional reporting was done by Melissa Epifano, a news writer for The Spruce who covers trends, decor, and design topics with a deep appreciation for all things interiors and exteriors.