Where should we better light Shabbos candles?
Question
A young couple is being hosted for Shabbos. They are going to sleep in one house, and to eat in another. Where should they light the Shabbos candles?
Answer
The house where you eat is the better place for lighting Shabbos candles. However, according to halacha, one can recite a blessing over lighting in the place where one sleeps as well. Today, when there is electric lighting, one should not recite a blessing over lighting candles in the place where one sleeps, since, generally speaking, the pursuit of domestic harmony does not obligate one to make a blessing over additional light. However, if there is no other option, one can be lenient and recite a blessing over lighting in the place where one sleeps. It’s better to eat a kezais of cake or something similar there, or to perform an action that constitutes preparation for the meal.
It's better for someone who is not lighting in the place where she eats to turn off the electric light before lighting the candles, light the candles, and then, immediately after lighting them, before reciting the blessing, to turn the electric light back on, and then to recite the blessing. That way the candles will serve not just as an additional source of light, but as the primary source, and the blessing will be recited over the electric light as well as the candles.
Source
Azamrah LiShmecha Newsletter, ## 19-21