Wall Sconces and Wall Lights

A wall light — a wall sconce in North American usage — is fixed to the wall instead of hung from the ceiling, and it does something a ceiling light cannot: it puts light where people walk, read or look, without a fitting overhead. We make wall lights in hardwired, plug-in and rechargeable builds, in the same Shenzhen factory as our picture lights.

Wall sconce or wall light: one fitting, two words

Buyers in the United States and Canada ask for a sconce; buyers in the United Kingdom and the European Union ask for a wall light; catalogues in both markets use both words. The fitting is the same, so this page uses the two words for the same thing — and a purchase order in either market is written against the model number rather than the word.

Mounting height

The height is set by what the light is for. A wall light in a corridor or on a stair is usually mounted with the fitting above shoulder height, so the light comes over a walking person rather than into their eyes; a light beside a bed or over a reading chair sits lower, at the height of the person using it. Where two are stacked — a pair beside a mirror, for instance — the pair is centred on the object rather than on the floor. These are conventions, and the drawing for each project fixes the final height.

Spacing and the rhythm of a run

On a long corridor or a stair wall, wall lights read as a sequence: evenly spaced, at one height, with the pools of light meeting rather than overlapping. Spacing is decided on site against the wall length and the ceiling height, because a run divided evenly looks deliberate while an odd one looks unfinished.

Up, down or both

An uplight washes the wall above the fitting and gives a soft background; a downlight gives a pool of light and shapes the fixture itself; a fitting with both gives the halo effect seen most often in hotel corridors. A stair wall usually wants light downward to mark the step, while a long hotel corridor usually wants both.

Voltage, dimming and the market you sell in

Mains voltage differs by market: 120 V in the United States and Canada, 230 V in the European Union and the United Kingdom. The driver, the plug, the mounting and the compliance documents follow the market rather than the model, so the market belongs in the enquiry. Dimming belongs to the driver and the control rather than to the fitting, so a dimming requirement is quoted with the model and confirmed in writing. This website prints no certification marks and claims no certification status.

The wall behind the fitting

A wall light has to be fixed to something: masonry, a stud wall, a backbox in a dry-lined wall. The backplate has to cover the opening behind it, and the supply has to reach that point. Where the wall cannot be opened, a rechargeable or plug-in build avoids the problem altogether — the same three builds described on the picture light range page.

Where wall lights are used

Hallways, stair walls, living rooms, hotel corridors and restaurant interiors. The applications pages describe what changes between a hotel, a gallery and a home; the picture light range covers the fittings that light a single framed work.

What we need to quote

Send the models you are considering, the quantities, the finish, the build, the dimming requirement and the target market. Standard terms are a 100 pcs MOQ, a 3–4 week production lead time, EXW or FOB, and a quotation valid for 15 days; a specific project can differ, and it is confirmed in writing. For a requirement outside the catalogue, the OEM / ODM page explains private label and custom development. To start, send the enquiry.