Wall Lighting

Wall sconces, washers, and reading lights. Indirect glow that lifts a corridor or settles beside the bed. The Art Brass Glass Seashell Wall Light is a bedside example.

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, with the middle of each fitting at about eye level. 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 and the silver-toned sconces the cooler one. For colour rather than metal, there are sconces in shades of green. The ones with a marble shade or plate are gathered as sconces with marble in the name, and the ones named for alabaster as sconces with alabaster in the name.

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. The Travertine Outdoor Waterproof LED Wall Light is one of them.

Wall lights and sconces, indoors and out

About a quarter of the 457 wall lights in this collection have outdoor in the title; most of the rest are indoor sconces and reading lights. Nordic is the biggest style (107 titles), then modern, minimalist and retro. About one in five has a built-in LED, so there is no bulb to buy, and 124 come in more than one size, so check the size line before you order a pair. A pair, like any order, ships free to the countries we deliver to and takes 6 to 9 business days to arrive.

Alabaster, marble and travertine wall lights

Those three stones are the most searched words on this page, and 104 titles name one of them. Each has its own page, linked above, with pendants and ceiling lights alongside the wall lights. To see what a fitting is actually made of, go by the material line on its product page; how alabaster looks when it is lit and our travertine guide explain each stone.
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FAQ

Should I buy one wall sconce or a pair?

A pair is the usual choice either side of a bed, a mirror or a doorway. A single sconce works over a reading chair or at the end of a corridor. If you buy two, pick the same size and colour option.

How far apart should hallway wall lights be?

Roughly 2 to 3 m (6 to 10 ft) apart, with the middle of each fixture about 150 to 170 cm (60 to 66 in) above the floor. In a narrow hall, choose a slim fitting that does not stick out far.

Will I need an electrician to fit a wall light?

Usually. A wired wall light connects to a box in the wall, which is a job for a licensed electrician; 149 product pages here say hardwired. Plug-in, solar and rechargeable ones need no wiring, and the Installation section of the product page says which.

What bulb does a wall light take?

None if it has a built-in LED. Where the product page lists a bulb base, it is most often E27 or E26, then G9 and E14 on smaller fittings. A warm white of 2700K to 3000K suits most rooms.