Light up your home with wall sconces
Wall lamps come in a variety of designs to stylishly transform stretches of walls or simply help you read comfortably in bed or at your desk. Find everything you need to light up your home with affordable options in reading lamps, wall lamps and LED light panels.
Create stunning effects in lighting with different types of wall lighting
There’s so many ways to dramatically change your home through lighting with wall sconces that call upon your imagination and sense of style. Flexible wall lamps with adjustable arms and heads can provide charming accent lighting for bookcases while also being ready to swivel with you as you tackle different projects at your desk during the workday. Turn the heads of reading lamps attached to the wall over your bed to read comfortably at night. And these wall sconces use smart LED bulbs, so it’s easier for your partner to fall asleep since the cool light they emit cuts down on glare. Wall lamps don’t just serve a functional purpose of course. Along bare sections of walls such as in hallways, they can transform negative space with stunning lighting that has the feel of a light installation in the home. Use wall lamps to serve as bathroom vanity lights, to brighten dark corners of the family den or to be a night light for the kids. Choose from the modern look of dimmable reading lamps for above the bed or light panels that can be placed on the wall or ceiling. You can select the farmhouse look of adjustable wall lamps with handsome steel arms and shades. Or go with the rustic feel of hand-woven downlights made of sedge fiber.
Light fixture placement matters
The general rule of thumb is to place wall sconces roughly five feet up the wall. For IKEA downlight sconces, this allows enough room for lighting to cascade downward, disperse and illuminate while having a dramatic effect. For wall lamps in the living room or reading lamps in the bedroom, you generally want them to be placed a half a foot to a foot above your shoulders for ideal lighting conditions for reading or working on arts and crafts with the kids.
Frequently asked questions about wall sconces
Should wall sconces face up or down?
That depends on the purpose of the lighting. For reading in bed, doing homework at your desk or anything that requires task lighting, it’s best to use downlighting for focused lighting that avoids glare. Depending on the effect you’d like to achieve for trophy cases, artwork or photography, accent lighting can be placed above or below any of your cherished pieces. Uplighting is generally recommended for lighting high ceilings, particularly when attractive structures such as decorative wooden arches or beams would otherwise be lost in shadow. For open spaces such as bare living room walls or stretches of hallway, wall sconces that provide both up- and downlighting can provide a stunning visual effect along with greater general lighting.
How big should wall sconces be?
That depends on the purpose your wall lamp serves and the space it is meant to illuminate. If you want to light a small bathroom vanity mirror, only a smaller wall lamp is needed. A larger wall sconce will work best for a large area of empty wall space in a living room or hallway.
Can you install wall lights anywhere?
Since hardwired installation is required for wall lights, proximity to existing outlets is key. Electrical installation may need to be carried out by a licensed electrician.