Wall Lighting

Wall lights solve the two places a ceiling fixture cannot reach: the corridor with nothing to hang from, and the side of a bed where you want light on the page rather than in someone else's eyes. Height is most of the job. Beside a bed, mount the sconce 30-36 inches (75-90 cm) above the mattress top and just inside the shoulder line - bedside lighting ideas sets out the heights and compares a sconce against a swing-arm. In a hallway, space them evenly and keep them above head height rather than beside it. On a staircase there is a number worth using: 60-66 inches (150-170 cm) above the step nosing, spaced so one pool of light hands over to the next, which our stairwell lighting ideas set out along with the clearance a pendant needs over the treads.

This is the deepest part of the range, and stone is why. Alabaster and travertine sconces light from within rather than throwing a beam, which makes them forgiving in a narrow hall where a hard edge of light would show every bump in the plaster. Marble is the crisper, cooler version of the same idea. If you would rather the fitting read as metal, the gold and brass-look sconces are the warm option.

Part of this range is rated IP65, which means the fitting is sealed against water thrown from any direction and can go on an exterior wall or under a porch. Those are gathered in outdoor lighting if that is what brought you here.