Between you, me and the wall, we’ve got the lowdown on wall lights…
Being serious now, wall lights are often overlooked when people create their lighting plan. They are therefore woefully underutilised in many homes and this is a real shame as nothing is as effective as wall lights at helping to bring the room to life. Most times the hard-wiring of wall light fixtures makes people think of the complications rather than the delightful effect that can be achieved with a well-positioned wall lamp.
The benefits of using wall mounted lights, reaches far beyond the obvious benefit of illuminating the space. Wall lighting brings ambience and changes the perception of the room. Small rooms can feel larger and more spacious, whilst larger rooms can be divided and zoned, using the light to bring focus and definition to functional areas.
- Wall Lights brighten a dull room
- Wall Lights make a boring flat wall look interesting
- Wall Lights highlight features in the room, such as a picture
- Wall Lighting are an obvious choice where ceiling light cannot be used
- Wall Lights can be used as task lamps such bedside reading lights
There’s plenty of style to choose from – for anyone looking to buy a wall light the choice is humongous!
- Hotel style bedroom wall mounted lights afford a guest the luxury of a flexible reading arm which focuses a narrow beam of light onto a page without dazzling other occupants. There is generally a soft shaded upper light which provides ambient light when guest are relaxing.
- Flush wall lights are perfect for corridors and small spaces as the take up little room, they don’t protrude too far into the space.
- Uplighters or wall washers throw light towards the ceiling giving a gentle glow of reflected light, this glare free lighting option is most effective when you have a white colour on the ceiling.
- Up and Down lights, are a favourite for modern wall lights. They throw glare free light up and down a wall this is very effective. Often the creative designers utilise these in volumes for hospitality sectors. Dramatic visuals can be achieved – it’s almost painting a picture with light.
- Dimmable wall lights are super useful in lounge, bedroom or dinning situations as dimming the lights makes the room more intimate for relaxing.
- Switched wall lights with pull cords, rocker switches or rotary dimmer switches are good for bedside applications and lounges.
- Bathroom Wall lights either side or above a mirror cast light on the face, for shaving or make up application. Wall lights installed in bathrooms may not have a switch if they do they should be a pull cord variety as there are fairly strict regulations regarding light fixtures for bathroom the bathroom lighting blog will explain this fully well worth a read for anyone doing a bathroom up.
For full and comprehensive bathroom lighting advise, read our complete bathroom lighting guide.
- Double Insulated Wall Lights, these are slightly niche and designed especially for homes without earth cable, sometimes referred to as class 11, or class 2.
- Picture Lighting a style of wall light directs light back towards the artwork below it on the wall.
- Tiffany Wall Lights bring a period feel to a home, there’s a plentiful array of colourful style from deco, geometric to vibrant flora stained glass gems.
- Industrial metal wall lights and spotlights bring a retro element the majority throw light forwards but some swan neck style wall light have a slanted cowl to direct light backwards, on a side note these are super effective above kitchen cabinets.
- Plug in wall lights are great for those who are not allowed change things for example rented homes or those who just don’t want the upheaval of channeling out walls.
Some homeowners are lucky and inherit wall lights when they buy the home. Often a quick change of style is all that’s needed. For renovators of a property this is a great chance to re-wire or adapt the wiring to accommodate lamps mounted on the wall. It seems to be only the far sited or the perfectionists that consider installing wall fixture after the room has been decorated. Table lamps of course bring a good solution but nothing truly feels as luxurious as a picture perfect wall light.
Most times wall lights are only considered an option to overcome a problem. For example:
- A low ceilings in a cottage means not enough ceiling height for hanging lights- use a wall light!
- Not enough room for a lamp on a bedside table- use a wall light! Whilst we absolutely agree a wall mounted light at the side of the bed is a great choice, convenient, practical and with so many hotel style wall lights available, it’s a no-brainer.
For me I consider wall lights little artworks. When I bought my first home at the tender age of nineteen (yes that was a while ago!), I must confess to wanting wall lights myself but not fully understanding what I’d need to do to install them, I was talked out of it. instead I opted for a decorative wall sconce that held wax candles that could never be lit, utterly useless and not that pretty; a quick fix that never really fulfilled the potential.
I know better now. I can empathise with the lack of understanding many of our customers feel. I’ve taken the easy route myself and for some people there can only ever be a temporary fix. For those looking for a wall light that needn’t be wired into the wall, you’ll be delighted there are many more options available to you than to that nineteen year old making her first home. Explore the range of plug in wall lights which come with the added convenience of switches.
Come and see our huge range of wall lights for all styles and settings!