Wall Sconces: A Classic Lighting Style With Contemporary Appeal
Wall sconces were one of the first lighting fixtures, but today's versions are sleek, smart and functional
There are numerous lighting options out there, but the wall sconce is one that is often forgotten. Wall-mounted lights require exact planning and wiring inside walls and are not moveable like a floor or table lamp. But they do have a long legacy and work to great effect: for a focused downlight or ambient uplight, you can achieve effects with wall sconces that you can’t with other lamp types. Here are the different styles and how to use them in your home.
From cave to castle, the wall sconce has been in existence since humans first used flame for light. Early fixtures held wooden torches until candles became the norm for wealthier homeowners in the Medieval and Renaissance eras. They were typically made from wrought or cast iron, and later copper, brass, bronze or silver in increasingly ornate and elaborate styles.
By the nineteenth century, detailed brass and cast-iron brackets held flammable kerosene and gas lamps away from the wall. With the dawn of electricity, the invention of the lightbulb stimulated the demand for all types of lamps and light fixtures, including the age-old wall sconce.
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Types of wall sconces
Depending on the design of the wall sconce, it can direct light upwards, downwards or both, and thus serve different lighting purposes within a space. They can also wash light against the wall or project it further into the space if they have extended arms.
Here’s a brief guide to up-facing, down-facing, and up-down wall sconces.
Depending on the design of the wall sconce, it can direct light upwards, downwards or both, and thus serve different lighting purposes within a space. They can also wash light against the wall or project it further into the space if they have extended arms.
Here’s a brief guide to up-facing, down-facing, and up-down wall sconces.
Up-facing: Looking to brighten a room? Choose an up-facing wall sconce.
This style can direct light toward the ceiling, or bounce light off a wall and into a room. A bright wall makes a room feel more tangible, and up-facing lamps can therefore make a room look larger than it actually is. Up-facing wall sconces can also be used to draw attention to architectural details, such as mouldings, or create ambient effects in transitionary spaces including hallways and stairwells.
This style can direct light toward the ceiling, or bounce light off a wall and into a room. A bright wall makes a room feel more tangible, and up-facing lamps can therefore make a room look larger than it actually is. Up-facing wall sconces can also be used to draw attention to architectural details, such as mouldings, or create ambient effects in transitionary spaces including hallways and stairwells.
Down-facing: Need to read or work? Go with a down-facing sconce.
Down-facing wall sconces direct light downwards and can be used as a focused reading or task light, or to create a warm and cosy atmosphere.
Browse more black-accented bedrooms
Down-facing wall sconces direct light downwards and can be used as a focused reading or task light, or to create a warm and cosy atmosphere.
Browse more black-accented bedrooms
A series of wall-affixed downlights illuminate this kitchen bench, which is located beneath a glass roof and doesn’t have overhead lighting at night.
Down-facing wall lights in the bathroom should be used in conjunction with other lights so shadows don’t get in the way. Unless, of course, you’re trying to create a darker, moodier space as one might in a powder room.
Up-down wall sconces: Want to create atmosphere? Try a wall sconce that emits light in both directions.
Up-down sconces direct light both up and down, providing a more balanced spread of light. Lampshades can also be used to direct light in both directions. They will predominantly focus light downwards and soften the glare of the bulb, but can also be used to create interesting light and shadow effects across a blank wall.
In this dining room, up-down sconces add decorative and illuminated detail, with a pair affixed to the wall on either side of a painting.
In this dining room, up-down sconces add decorative and illuminated detail, with a pair affixed to the wall on either side of a painting.
Styles of wall sconces
Wall sconces come in a variety of designs, which influence how they diffuse light. The first priority with lighting is to choose a lamp that will service your illumination needs; second is to choose a lamp that complements the space.
The style and size of a wall sconce should suit a room’s decor, size and surrounding hardware. Whether you choose antique and ornate, modernist and spare, or exotic and sculptural, a wall sconce should enhance the look of a room. Be inspired by these well-sconced interiors…
Wall sconces come in a variety of designs, which influence how they diffuse light. The first priority with lighting is to choose a lamp that will service your illumination needs; second is to choose a lamp that complements the space.
The style and size of a wall sconce should suit a room’s decor, size and surrounding hardware. Whether you choose antique and ornate, modernist and spare, or exotic and sculptural, a wall sconce should enhance the look of a room. Be inspired by these well-sconced interiors…
This living room has three miniature wall sconces that shine light onto a white-painted brick wall. The light adds a decorative effect to the wall without the need for artwork or over-embellishment.
These wall lamps with moveable arms are a functional and flexible choice in a bedroom. Position them over the bed for focused light and swing them aside when not in use.
Contemporary wall sconces with exposed filaments brighten up this bathroom. The geometric forms complement the circular mirror and basins, and the black hardware matches the taps.
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Ornamental wall sconces are elegant in this luxury bedroom, with its velvet wall panels and an Italian hand-carved bedhead. The sculptural lamps are made from gold-plated brass tubing, fixed together by hand. The design is inspired by the pipe organ and references the clients’ love for music.
Antony Martin of MRTN Architects designed this stunning brass wall light specifically for this dining space. The room has no downlights and all other lighting is derived from a perimeter LED that up-lights the cedar ceiling. “We thought, however, that a specific light was required to provide some atmosphere and additional lighting to the dining table,” says Martin. The light is fabricated out of plate brass to soften the concrete-block wall and to complement the cedar ceiling, and it has a pivoting arm that illuminates the timber dining table.
Wall sconces in transitional spaces – such as hallways, entrances, and stairs – can be used to provide functional light in narrow or dim spaces, ambient light in passageways, or simply decoration on wall expanses in place of art or other framed pictures. This Dioscuri lamp with a hand-blown glass shade can be either wall- or ceiling-mounted and provides diffused, incandescent lighting.
Affixing wall sconces
The height that a sconce is fixed to a wall will be influenced by the purpose of the light, the actual position of the light source, and the height of the ceilings. Speak to a professional for advice tailored to your home and space.
The height that a sconce is fixed to a wall will be influenced by the purpose of the light, the actual position of the light source, and the height of the ceilings. Speak to a professional for advice tailored to your home and space.
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