Guides + Ideas

Wall Light Buying Guide

What is a wall light?
Why choose a wall light?
Where to install wall lights in your home
Types of wall lights
Wall Lights Buying Checklist
Quick Buying Tips

What is a Wall Light?

Wall lights have become a multifunctional lighting solution for homes, commercial properties and workspaces. They can be subtly placed in rooms, are ideal for reading and task lighting, and can create ambience and be used to layer lighting in a room. A wall light serves as a decorative feature with the ability to highlight an area within a room such as a bedside table, feature wall or a bathroom mirror. Once you've read through our guide here, check out our range of Wall Lights.

Adjustable wall arm light in black installed in bright living space between book shelves.

Why Choose a Wall Light?

The versatility of a wall light makes them a popular choice for a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces. Outdoor wall lights are a simple and subtle lighting solutions that can greatly enhance your outdoor spaces. While indoor wall lights can offer subtle placement and are perfect for reading, task lighting, as well as creating ambiance and layering with other lighting sources. Wall lights can also serve as a decorative element . Drawing attention to specific areas within a room, such as a feature wall, artwork display or they can ready a patio for entertaining. They can even be used in the bathroom.

Where to Install Wall Lights in Your Home

Wall lights are not only a useful lighting solution, but they can add depth to almost any room. Light placement is essential as it will help to balance out a room and achieve an optimal spread of light throughout the space. Wall lights are a multifunctional lighting option that can be used in bathrooms, as reading lights over bedside tables, to line a hallway and in café and restaurant seating areas. The placement ideas are limitless. Some wall lights come with various levels of protection against solids and water and can be installed outdoors. These wall lights add an extra layer of security to your home by lighting your front door, an entryway pillar, or a backyard patio.

General placement

As a rule, wall lights should be placed around 160cm to 180cm above the ground or floor. This positioning makes them almost eye level and ensures optimal illumination. When placing wall lights in a space that is used for sitting such as a family or lounge room, they can be installed slightly lower than this. However, depending on your room size and space, you will need to adjust your wall light placement accordingly.

Hallway

Spacing your wall lights apart evenly will create depth and symmetry in your hall. Too many lights can be overwhelming and too little may leave dark spots throughout. 2 to 2.5 metre spacing works wonders to layer a hallway and provide enough light throughout.

Living room

Living room wall lights can follow the general rule of around 160cm to 180cm placement above the ground, but tweak slightly for sitting spaces if desired.

Double arm wall sconce with Portofino ceramic shades in a bright and light living space.

Bathroom

The bathroom mirror is one of the most used piece of décor items in the house, so optimum lighting is a must. Generally, lighting a mirror from three sides, the left, top and right sides, will achieve full illumination of objects in the mirror.

Bedroom

Wall lights can make excellent reading lights, particularly swing arm or wall sconces. Depending on the size and position of a bed, place swing arms above a bedside table, in line with a standard table lamp. Wall sconce lights can be placed roughly 75cm to 90cm above a bed, for use as an optimal reading light.

Two Bakelite Swing Arm wall lights being utilized as bedside lamps, installed either side of a comfortable bed.

Exteriors

Wall lights can be used not just inside the home but outside as well. Depending on their IP rating, they can be used to illuminate a front door, a garage entrance, a side path or create ambience in an outdoor beer garden. For an added layer of security around the home or business, use a sensor on an outdoor wall light. This can trigger the light when arriving or leaving in the dark, providing extra safety and convenience. A qualified electrician can install sensors for you.

Two Strandhill Outdoor Light's installed on the outside of a fresh grey and white house.

Types of Wall Lights

Flush mounted

These lights sit flush against a wall with no protruding wall sconce arm. They come in a variety of styles and sizes. Flush mounted wall lights are ideal for small, tight spaces like apartments hallways or laundries.

Gold brass Brooklyn Wall Sconce with opal ball shade.

Lantern style

Designed to replicate old street lantern lighting, these lights can feature a hook style wall sconce. In keeping with their traditional design they might also feature a hinged door or top openings which were used historically to allow smoke to escape, and oxygen to enter.

A black Cotswolds Exterior Wall Light on a cream weatherboard house entrance with lush trees.

Up/Down

These multi-directional wall lights cast light up and down the surface they are installed on. These are great for lighting pillars and feature walls, and can come with an adjustable beam angle for a choice of light patterns to suit your taste.

Adjustable arm

These wall lights consist of sconce arms that are adjustable. These include swing arm, wing arm and tiltable arm fixtures. These make for excellent task lighting in the bedroom, office or study.

Portofino Ceramic Wall Light with a white shade and black arm in gif form showcasing the tiltable angels of he wall arm.

Sconce

This is a classic style wall light consisting of a stationary arm that projects a light shade from the wall. These arms come in many forms such as straight, gooseneck or arch, to name a few.

Plug in wall lights

If you do not have the appropriate conditions for an electrician to install and wire a wall light, plug in sconces are an excellent solution. These are wall lights that plug into a power point socket and mounted onto a wall.

Black Gooseneck Wall Sconce with a bare bulb and inline switch.

Outdoor wall lights

Various wall lights can be placed outdoors and even withstand harsh weather. If a light can be used on the exterior of a home or business, it will have a two-digit Ingress Protection (IP) rating number. The first number indicates the protection level from solids and the second number indicates the protection level from water. The higher the number, the more protected your light is. Always check with a qualified electrician to see if your light can be used in your desired exterior location. Please see our Outdoor Lighting Guide for an in-depth look at product IP ratings.

Black Railway wall light installed on a white washed brick wall.

Wall Lights Buying Checklist

Yes

Have you measured your space?

⬜

Do you need multiple wall lights to illuminate your space?

⬜

Have you considered the type of wall light you are installing?

⬜

Have you mapped out the placement of your wall light?

⬜

Is the light suitable for outdoors?

⬜

Have you checked the IP rating?

⬜

Have you consulted your electrician about the placement outdoors?

⬜

Quick Buying Tips

Choose a light bulb that meets the purpose or desired vibe of your space. High kelvins and wattage give sharper illumination while low kelvins and wattage give warmer and ambient colour temperatures.
Measure the sconce to ensure you have the required projection from the wall to serve your purpose.
Wall lights look great in pairs or lined in a row; experiment with placements by drawing up a lighting plan.
For bathroom vanities, consider the shade type, direction of light and placement to eliminate shadows on your face.