Are you looking for unique lighting ideas for your home’s interior design? Perhaps the most versatile light source in a home, the small-but-mighty sconce is a smart choice for almost any space in the house, from the hallway to the bathroom, exterior entryway, bedroom, office, living room or an outdoor living area.
From choosing a style of sconce to deciding on hanging height, this article offers expert advice on finding the right wall sconce design for your space. We discuss the benefits of wrought iron sconces.
What is a wall sconce?
Put simply, a sconce is just a fancy term for a wall bracket that holds a lamp, candle or light source. This style of light fixture can be found in any room or setting where directional and ambient light is desired, including interior and exterior spaces.
How to choose a wall sconce
Because of their prominent, eye-level placement, wall sconces are often highly decorative and designed to make a strong aesthetic statement. As a result, there are wall sconces to suit every style of home and interior design.
Wall sconces can be crafted from a variety of materials. It’s worth noting that if you intend to place your wall sconce outdoors, it should be crafted from a weather-resistant metal or other material.
Benefits of wrought iron sconces
#1 Wrought iron sconces are stylish
A decorative wrought iron sconce can add artistic flair to your living space while also keeping it safe and illuminated. Wrought iron sconces work well with a wide variety of home decor:
Traditional or vintage
This style of wrought iron sconce features ornate detailing. With its elegant appearance, a traditional wall sconce adds a touch of old world luxury, while a rustic style will make your home feel cozy. Here are some of our favourite ideas:
- Baroque: One of our favourite antique wrought iron sconce styles, a Baroque wrought iron sconce features iconic leaves, florals and scrollwork.
- Rustic Tuscany: A rustic Tuscan-style wall sconce, featuring interwoven spirals to mimic a grapevine, will help transform your space into a sun-clad Mediterranean oasis.
- Shabby chic: This style of wall sconce features simple details that have been purposefully made to look weathered or distressed, to suit a mid century modern style.
Contemporary
A contemporary wrought iron sconce is simple with sleek lines and streamlined styling to blend in well with a contemporary or minimalist interior. Geometric shapes, elegant curved frames and light detailing are hallmarks of this style. This style of sconce can fit in with most decor styles:
- Art Deco: This style embraces trapezoids, sunbursts, leaves, branches and jagged pointed lines inspired by skyscrapers
- Australian flora: A wall sconce featuring native Australian flora can perfectly complement an urban interior.
Best of all, wrought iron can be custom-crafted to match your exact vision for the design. The possibilities are virtually endless!
#2 Wrought iron is durable
Like all products made of wrought iron, wrought iron sconces are extremely durable. They can endure direct sunlight, rain and lots of changes in temperature. This makes wrought iron sconces well-suited to both indoor and outdoor spaces.
#3 Wrought iron is ideal for candle sconces
If you’re interested in an indoor or outdoor candle wall sconce, wrought iron is an excellent choice as iron is not flammable at candle-burning temperatures. An iron wall sconce candle holder will keep your candle far away from combustible materials in your home while providing a warm, friendly glow. Outdoor wrought iron candle wall sconces, especially those with a shade ring or hurricane chimney, can protect the candle’s flame from wind.
Where should I hang my wall sconce?
Although lighting your home is generally a straightforward process, there are quite a few best practice guidelines to follow if you want to create the best functional space and a beautiful aesthetic in your home.
Choosing the right wall height and placement is crucial to achieving a balanced look. Ultimately, the ideal placement will depend on size: the sconce’s size, the room’s size and the proportional size of the item that will be illuminated.
Here are some guidelines for hanging your wall sconce:
General rules of thumb
- Aim to orient your wall sconces at eye level height — approximately 165 centimetres above the floor.
- Adjust this height as needed if you have taller or shorter people in your home.
- In most cases, wall sconces work best in pairs or groups. The only exception is for specific task lighting purposes. When illuminating nooks in the home or providing light above a desk or kitchen sink, only a single sconce is necessary.
Living and dining rooms
- In living rooms, dining rooms and spaces that are frequently used for sitting down, place your wall sconce slightly lower to match eye level height from a seated position.
Along a staircase
- Measure the height of your ceiling in centimetres. Then, multiply that by 3/4.
Place your wall sconce approximately three-thirds of the way up the wall. By placing your wall sconce a little higher on the wall, you’ll prevent people who use the staircase from ‘looking down’ into the sconce from above.
Bathrooms
- Mount your bathroom sconce 165 centimetres above the floor.
If you have multiple bathroom wall sconces, install them 90-100 centimetres apart. - Leave 10 centimetres between the frame of the bathroom mirror and your wall sconce.
Hallway
- For best illumination, place hallway sconces 165 centimetres above the floor. Ideally, the top of the sconce should not be visible when standing.
- If your home has a higher than the typical ceiling, this height may be increased.
- If you will have multiple hallway sconces, space them between 20 and 25 centimetres apart. Stagger the fixtures so the wall sconces are not directly across from each other.
- If you have a narrow hallway and you want to avoid making it feel cramped, choose a slim wall sconce that extends no more than 10 centimetres from the wall.
Outdoor
- In general, outdoor lights should measure close to eye level, about 165 centimetres above ground.
- If you will have multiple outdoor wall sconces, plan spaces of 20 to 25 centimetres between each fixture.
- To illuminate the exterior of a door with a single outdoor light, position your wall sconce at approximately one-third of the door’s height.
- If you’re illuminating the door with two lights on either side, position them a quarter of the height of the door.
Artwork
To illuminate a piece of art, place two sconces on either side of the artwork, centred alongside the picture. To find the centre, measure the length of the artwork and divide by two. When you locate that centre spot, measure 10 centres away from it. This is the ideal location to place the centre of your sconces. To avoid a disproportionate look, always make sure there are at least 5 centimetres above and below the wall sconce.