Wall lights: style and function in any interior

Wall lights are among the most elegant and most practical fittings there are, because they do two things at once: they light a specific part of a room, and they decorate the wall they are on. The range of designs available means there is a version for almost any interior. This article covers the types, where they go, and how to pick the right one for a home or an office.

Where do wall lights go?

They are unusually flexible about position, and what they are for changes with the room:

• Entrance hall and corridor
  • Discreet light that is still enough to see by, leading a visitor through the house without a bright ceiling fitting.
• Living room
  • Decorative light that makes the room comfortable in the evening, when full ceiling light is more than you want.
• Bedroom
  • An alternative to bedside lamps, especially for reading - and they free up the surface of the bedside table.
• Bathroom
  • Placed either side of a mirror, where they light a face evenly instead of casting shadows down it.
• Garden and facade
  • Outdoor wall lights light a path or a doorway and finish the outside of a building properly.

What they do to a room

Lighting decides the mood of a room more than almost anything else in it. Chosen well, wall lights will:

• Make a room comfortable
  • Warm light at wall height is softer than the same amount of light from above.
• Give it a modern look
  • Minimal and industrial designs suit contemporary interiors and read as deliberate rather than added on.
• Add a note of luxury
  • Brass or matt metal finishes look considered and expensive, whatever they cost.
• Do a job
  • A directional wall light is genuinely better for reading or working than a general one.

The types

By design, purpose and the way they are mounted, wall lights fall into a few groups:

• Decorative
  • Shapes and materials chosen to be looked at; the light is the secondary purpose.
• Functional
  • Directional light aimed where you need it, for reading or working.
• Recessed
  • Set into the wall itself, for a clean surface with light coming out of it.
• Retro and vintage
  • Classical shapes and materials, which give a plain room some character.
• Smart
  • LED, dimmable, controlled from a phone or a remote.

How to choose one

Five things decide whether a wall light will work where you want to put it:

• The style of the room
  • Match it to the other fittings and to the furniture, not to a photograph of a different room.
• The colour of the light
  • Warm light where you relax, neutral or cool light where you work.
• Size and position
  • Scale the fitting to the wall it goes on. A small light on a large wall looks lost; the reverse looks crowded.
• Dimming and control
  • Dimmable or smart fittings are worth the small extra cost in any room used at different times of day.
• Material and protection
  • Outdoors, and in a bathroom, check the IP rating before anything else. IP44 is the minimum around a bath; IP65 outdoors where the fitting is exposed.

In short

Wall lights suit almost every interior, from strictly modern to classical. They light a room properly and they improve the wall they are on. Have a look through our range and see what fits your space - and if you are unsure about the IP rating or the size, ask us.