Wall Sconces

Wall Sconces: Luxurious Accent Lighting

While overhead lighting serves many purposes, indoor wall lights can create dramatic highlights and set varying moods through proper use and planning. It is not uncommon for a tasteful room to sport both an overhead light along with several indoor wall lights serving as spotlights to naturally draw the attention of your guests and visitors.

Finding the Right Indoor Wall Light

When it comes to selecting the right modern indoor wall light for different areas of your home, there are several factors you should consider:

• Illumination Desired - different areas have varying illumination demands; for instance, dimmer lights work well in hallways while bathrooms demand bright light to catch minor details
• Space Available - with small areas, indoor wall lighting becomes an ever more special asset which saves you space while lighting important spots, like bedside tables
• Aesthetics - through careful selection and placement, indoor wall lighting does more than light up an area; it can also express shapes and motion or be an element of an artistic display

Fortunately, when working with Urban Ambiance, your choices of high-end wall sconces become virtually unlimited thanks to the extensive inventory of indoor wall lights which we carry for our valued customers.

Types of Indoor Wall Lights

While all luxury wall sconces attach to a wall, there are several types of indoor wall lights from which you can choose. Certain lights use fixtures which almost serve as alcoves in a wall, hardly projecting any material out from the wall and creating a flush look and feel; these indoor wall light types work well in narrow spaces, such as hallways and even for bathroom vanity areas, where there can be natural daylight contributing its brightness to the area.

In other rooms, such as living rooms and bedrooms, selecting a luxury wall sconce that projects out from the wall can deliver some delightful and dramatic effects for those areas. Projected fixtures can also serve as spotlights, highlights, or as extra illumination for spaces with nooks and crannies.

Finally, our indoor wall lights come in a variety of shapes:

• Candle Style
• Circular
• Drum
• Empire
• Geometric
• Linear
• Square
• Tear Drop

All of our urban indoor wall lights are compatible with LED bulbs and are dimmable, for those desiring such features.  

Popular Indoor Wall Light Styles

Within our selection of 25 superior, high-quality indoor wall lights, you will be certain to find a style meeting your artistic demands and tastes. Below are all the different styles of high-end wall sconces you can browse, along with the number of models for each style (please note that some models fit into multiple styles):

• Americana - there are two models in this style, both coated in a beautiful polished chrome finish
• Art Nouveau - there is one model for this style, giving a French country feel with an ancient bronze finish
• Colonial - there is one model in this style, using a white linen shade to soften the illumination from the two bulbs
• Contemporary - the one model in this style offers a modern design using a brushed brass finish
• Cosmopolitan - there is one model for this style, extending out from the wall and offering a full shade surrounding a single bulb
• Craftsmen - provides two models in this style, both employing a forged iron finish
• Farmhouse - you can find three models with different finishes (charcoal, antique black, or galvanized steel)
• French Country - offers two models with different finishes (soft creme or ancient bronze)
• Geometric - you will find one model, a hexagonal frame in a natural black finish 
• Industrial - offering five models in various finishes and looks
• Luxe - provides one model using a Palladian gold finish
• Mediterranean - has one model in a native bronze finish
• Mid-Century Modern - offers three models in three different finishes (brushed bronze, olde bronze, and brushed nickel)
• Modern - has two models, both utilizing a dramatic deep midnight black finish
• Modern Farmhouse - delivers four models, with various bronze and black finishes
• Moroccan - provides one model in an antique silver finish 
• Quatrefoil Cube - offers one model with a soft creme finish
• Rustic - delivers four models, each with a unique finish
• Shabby Chic - provides two models in two different antique finishes (black or silver)
• Transitional - gives you three models, one with a bronze finish and two with midnight black finishes 
• Vintage - offers you four models, two with estate bronze finishes and two with polished chrome finishes
• Vintage Electric - gives you one model with a stainless steel rectangular frame

As we said before, you will delight in the many indoor wall light choices we have on offer for our valued clients. All are produced by reputable and recognized manufacturers and are designed to add value and taste to any interior living space.

Sizing Wall Lights for Various Areas

Depending on which room you are attempting to size for modern indoor wall lights, you may use different methods for determining where to place the fixtures on your wall.

Bathrooms

When using indoor wall lights for the vanity area in a bathroom, there are several considerations. For those bathrooms with mirrors above double sinks, consider wall lights flanking both ends of the mirrors with a centered wall light separating the mirrors and sinks. A bathroom with one sink does well with wall lights installed on each side of the mirror above the sink.

Mount the luxury wall sconces at about 65 inches above the floor (eye level for the typical adult). If flanking a mirror, a proper distance between wall lights is 3 to 3 1/2 feet apart from each other. If you are working with an average-sized bathroom, use fixtures no larger than 18 inches tall; for larger bathrooms, consider even larger sconces.

Bedrooms

Using a wall light instead of a table lamp is so much easier, more efficient, and less likely to end up on the floor. Measuring where to place a wall light next to your bed is easy if you have a friend nearby and measuring tape. Sit at the head of your bed as you usually do when reading or watching something, and have your friend measure the height from floor to the top of your shoulder. Placing a wall light at that level gives you perfect illumination where you want it.

Hallways

Normally a narrow passageway, you want to use wall sconces which do not stick out too far from the wall. This makes it easier not only for human traffic, but when moving large items through the hall. You are also better served to stick with wall lights with some type of shade or covering, as direct glaring light in hallways just doesn't work.

Living Rooms

Even though you have lots of lighting choices (overhead, table lamps, floor lamps) in your living room area, the proper use of high-end wall lighting is ideal for accenting certain spots or wall hangings. Just as you flank mirrors in a bathroom, a work of art bordered on each side with wall lights can be the perfect way to emphasize particular pieces. If used in this manner, your luxury bathroom sconces should be horizontally centered with the hung work, with at least 4 inches of space between the edge of the artwork and the center of the sconce.

For this area, you can use the standard "eye-level" guide when placing wall lights, but if your artistic inspiration guides you towards other placements, follow that instinct. Wall lights placed at levels not normally expected can produce a delightful effect which radiates throughout the living room. 

Staircases

For best illumination when climbing stairs, you want to place your modern indoor wall sconces about three-quarters of the way up the wall, so just measure your ceiling height (in inches) and multiply by 0.75 to determine the precise position of your sconces. Too much glare in a stairwell can be as unsafe as insufficient light, so think about choosing wall lights enclosed with shades to soften the brightness. 

Because stairways are usually narrow passages, stick with models that remain flush to the wall.

Appropriate Light and Direction

As you examine the various types of indoor wall lights, you have two major factors which demand the greatest consideration:

Intensity

As with any wall light fixture, your options concerning the intensity of the light vary according to your needs. Even when using shades as part of your indoor wall lights, too strong of an intensity can be bothersome or distracting.

Consider the following as a simplified guide for light intensity in different areas of your home:

• Bathrooms - this is the area where you are prepping for the day and need full bright lighting to see clearly
• Bedrooms - usually used for late evenings and bedtime, medium intensity lighting works best
• Hallways - used for getting from point A to point B, mild intensity is sufficient for this area
• Living Room - this room may have uses for mild, medium, and/or high intensity lighting, depending upon situations and desires
• Staircases - similar to hallways, less is best, so stay with mild intensity lighting here

Direction

Since you can find wall lights where the bulb is installed pointing either up or down, you can consider each lighting situation and determine which position works best for each place you want indoor wall lights.

Again, we offer you a simple guide for determining lighting direction:

• Bathrooms - light should be projected downward
• Bedrooms - light should be projected downward
• Hallways - light should be projected upward
• Living Room - as with intensity, direction can be either upward or downward (or vary in different areas of the room)
• Staircases - light should be projected upward
  
  

Installing an Indoor Wall Light

In most areas, there will already be wiring in place, often with an existing wall lighting fixture installed. Whenever you are working with electrical wiring, extreme caution must be taken, but the instructions for removing an existing fixture and replacing it with a new one is quite easy and safe.

Removing an Existing Wall Light Fixture

1. Turn Off Power - be sure to test the fixture you're replacing to make sure it's off before continuing
2. Remove Extras - take out the bulbs, remove the globe, and any other pieces not part of the main fixture
3. Remove Nuts and Screws - detach the fixture from the wall mount, freeing the fixture 
4. Pull Fixture from Wall - carefully remove the old fixture (if really old, you may need to pry it away from the wall)
5. Disconnect Wires - if a heavy fixture, have someone hold it while you do this (or use twine to suspend it during this phase)

Installing a New Wall Light Fixture

Power should still be off if continuing from the last instructions. If not, kill the power and continue...

1. Strip Insulation - take off 1/4 of an inch of insulation of the tips of the wire
2. Twist and Connect - connect fixture wires to wall wires, matching colors (white to white, black to black, and copper to copper)
3. Cap Wires - each connection should have a wire cap twisted on top of it, then all wires should be folded into the junction box
4. Attach Fixture - place fixture onto cover plate and attach to wall per light fixture installation instructions
5. Install Accessories and Bulbs - add shades, globes, or other accessories, and install light bulb
6. Test for Success - switch on your power and try your new indoor wall lights; if it lights up, congratulations

If you don't get illumination on the flip of your switch, be sure to turn off power before any troubleshooting. Then remove the fixture and double-check your connections.

If you want to install a high-end wall sconce where there is no existing wall light fixture, you can install a new indoor wall light fixture in just five easy steps and a couple of hours. 

Indoor Wall Light Care and Maintenance

Taking good care of your new indoor wall lights is easy; all you have to do is add it to part of your weekly cleaning routine. Through regular care and maintenance, your wall lights will retain their new look and function as good as new for years on into the future.

Keep in mind that, when purchasing your indoor wall lighting through Urban Ambiance, you are acquiring the best-made lighting fixtures found in America today. This means the only the highest-grade materials are used in the production of these fixtures, so be sure to follow these care guidelines:

• Lights Off - prior to examining and cleaning your wall lights, turn them off and let them cool down
• Hand Wash - remove any glass you can and hand wash and dry them
• Dry Polish and Dusting - you can remove most dust and dirt with a dry microfiber cloth
• No Ammonia or Abrasives - harsh chemicals do not belong on fine light fixtures

By following these four guidelines on a weekly basis, you will find your modern indoor wall lights lasting for years while looking as if you just installed them!

Looking for more great high-end wall sconces ideas and tips for making the lights in your home shine with perfection? Then contact us today or check out our blog for more great ideas!