How to choose wall lights for your home

Asha Bogenfuerst Asha Bogenfuerst
Living Room, Shreya Bhimani Designs Shreya Bhimani Designs Modern corridor, hallway & stairs
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There are several factors to consider before choosing a wall light for your home. Firstly, you should ask yourself what the purpose of the lights are. Wall lights can be functional, decorative or both. However, it's best to base your decision on the purpose of the lights.

If your purpose is to provide light for a hallway or living room, what you need is ambient lighting. To achieve this purpose, we recommend translucent lamps which will nicely diffuse the light so that it creates a cosy atmosphere. On the other hand, if you need task lighting for work areas in the kitchen or in the home office, wall sconces with a direct spotlight effect might be best.

Choose wall lights according to the room’s style

Make sure the wall lights don't look out of place with the style or decor of the rest of the room, because wall lights are part of the decoration as well and they should blend in and create harmony with everything else.


How much light do you need in the room?

Considering all the other light sources in the room, how bright do you actually need the wall lights to be? For example, if it's a dining room, how many wall lights do you think you will need so that you can see your food properly, yet still maintain a cosy atmosphere?

Using a variety of different light installations is a clever design tip which most interior designers suggest. This is because it gives you plenty of choice for having less or more light in order to create just the right mood for the occasion. Another great idea is to install lights which can be dimmed.


Pair up wall lights to make it brighter

Wall lights can be paired in many ways to create more symmetry and cohesiveness in the design of the room. Pictured here, we can see that wall lights are paired in between two framed pictures, bringing attention to the focal wall in the bedroom at the head of the bed. Keep in mind that the further you place the wall lights apart, the less intense the brightness will be.

Use multiple wall lights to brighten up a corridor

This is an excellent idea for dark, long or narrow corridors. It's best to use the same kind of wall lights in a row to create a more balanced outcome. Also make sure you space out the wall lights evenly. The recommended space in between the lights is 30 to 300 cm.


Use wall lights instead of bedside lamps

Bedside lamps are old-fashioned and boring. Why not opt for some modern wall lights instead? Not only does it look chic, it will also save you lots of space on the bedside table.

For more inspiration, here are more lighting ideas.


Match wall lights with the other lights

Create a wholesome design by matching the wall lights with the other lights in the room. This way, the room will look more balanced and harmonious.

We hope the ideas here have been inspiring. For more ideas, have a look at this article.

What else would you like to know about lighting? 

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