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A comprehensive guide to wall lights for every room in the house
Sure, there are table lamps and floor lamps, pendant lamps and chandeliers. But there is also the unsung hero, the oft-forgotten cousin of freestanding and hanging lamps: the wall light. Casting pools of light upwards or down, wall lights (or “sconces”, which can be said interchangeably) are lamps that help shine a soft spotlight in a room and add to a general lighting scheme or ambiance.
Wall lights are functional staples to any room's decoration: think mounted reading lamps in a bedroom or the less harsh lights that surround a mirror in a bathroom. Most often employed in bedrooms as bedside reading lamps, and for a gentler light in bathrooms (just make sure you buy an IP44-rated light if it's going to be near a water source), wall lights also work beautifully around the sofa or fireplace in a living room, and even over the kitchen worktop or sink. Whatever brightness you need, wall lights are usually prepared to provide.
However, of course, "wall light selection can feel like a daunting prospect at the beginning of a project,” shares designer Rita Konig. After all, they can be tricky to integrate into any design project, especially because they usually must be wired in, so they usually only get installed when a room or house is being refurbished. However, fear not: there are also plenty of plug-in wall lights out there that create the same look without needing to carve up your walls.
We've created a comprehensive guide to help you navigate wall lights so you can let in the light (at least on your walls).
How do I choose wall lights?
Generally speaking, wall lights look their best at around five feet from the ground, but do take into account the height of your ceilings as you may need to adjust accordingly. Also, consider your choice of wall light depending on what angle you will see it at most often.
Bearing in mind the use for wall lights varies from room to room, here are the best ways to integrate them into any design:
If you are looking for hallway lights, you will likely only see these lights whilst standing. Something that looks good straight on will be right here. Also, hallway lights are decorative features – sometimes the only ones! – in the space, so choose your lights wisely.
If you are looking to light up a reading nook, something that looks lovely from your sofa or armchair should be your priority. For Sally Storey, the creative director of lighting company John Cullen Lighting, installing a plug-in wall light was ideal for lighting a snug in her living room, as it “meant [she] had greater flexibility, as [she] could mount the lamp once the sofa was in position”.
“If you want to have wall lights by your bed,” advises Rita, “make it a priority so that you do not find yourself rushing into something with the electrician breathing down your neck”. Install dimmable wall lights with separate switches on either side of the bed for the utmost personalisation in lighting. Having wall lights on either side of a dresser or vanity, too, can help you to see better the day's clothing choices and makeup application.
“Dining rooms are an ideal place for wall lights,” says Rita. Have them flank serving tables and doorways, all sure ways to incorporate soft lighting in the space. Beyond these typical, electrified sconces which doubtlessly cast soft lighting around the room, Rita also advises installing unwired dishes that can either hold plug-in bulbs or candles, whose light makes “for a prettier effect”.
As previously mentioned, before installing bathroom lighting, wall or not, consider where you're putting light sources as you'll need a certain IP rating, depending on where it's going in relation to the waterworks (IP rating stands for "Ingress Protection" and relates to how waterproof a light is and what voltage it has). Once you've determined your IP, the wall light fun can begin.
Designer Sarah Stewart-Smith advises investing in dimmable wall lights for the bathroom “because when they are dimmed they create atmosphere in the bathroom/shower room,” she shares, adding that they "make your face look fab”. In the shower, Sarah creatively uses mast lights on shower walls as they are “dimmable and totally waterproof as they really belong on ship masts” – not to mention “stunning and create light that washes down the walls, making us look good when wearing no kit”, she says.
Wall lights are the ideal tools to help make your artwork sing. Affix plug-in or wired down-lit wall lights above paintings to add a soft spotlight. “When lighting art, make sure to use lights that have a colour rendering index of 95 or above," advises Sally, “as it will represent the true colours much better. I always find it is best to use a frame-fixed picture light, rather than a wall-mounted one, as this offers greater flexibility with the positioning”.
How much should I spend?
When it comes to spending money on wall lighting, Maddux Creative's Jo leGleud and Scott Maddux advise to “think of lighting as the 'statement jewellery' to a house". “If you wear high street and set it off with amazing earrings, the whole outfit will look fantastic," they continue, "Spend money on lights and be bold.” However, it is possible to save where you can. “It is always good to look at [one's wall light] selection and mix [very beautifully made splurges] with other cheaper things throughout the house,” says Rita.
