Modern & Decorative Wall Sconces for Living Room

As a starting point, mount the center of most sconces 60-70 inches from the floor - a little lower at the bedside, at eye level for a mirror. For a flanking pair, space them roughly the width of the bed, mirror or mantel plus 12-24 inches; for a hallway run, space fixtures every 6-8 feet. For exact numbers based on your own measurements, use our wall sconce placement guide and calculator.

For ambient and decorative use, 400 to 800 lumens per sconce is right — enough to lift a wall without competing with the main ceiling fixture. A sconce intended for reading in bed needs 600 to 900 lumens directed downward, ideally on an adjustable or swing-arm body so you can aim it at the page rather than at your partner. Stay at 2700K to 3000K warm white in living rooms and bedrooms. Pairs of sconces on a dimmer give the most flexible result.

Scale the sconce to what it sits beside. Flanking a mirror or headboard, the fixture should be about one quarter to one third of that object's height — most fall between 10 and 16 inches tall. Projection matters as much as height: in a hallway or beside a door, keep the fixture within 4 to 5 inches of the wall so nobody catches a shoulder on it, while a living room wall can carry 6 to 8 inches of projection. Beside a bed, mount the sconce 20 to 24 inches above the mattress top.

The majority are hardwired and mount to a standard wall junction box, which gives the cleanest result and lets you switch them from the wall. If you are adding sconces where no box exists, an electrician can usually run a spur, or you can choose a plug-in model and route the cord through a discreet cover. Selected designs in this collection are cordless and rechargeable, mounting with a bracket or adhesive plate and running 6 to 20 hours per charge — useful for rented homes and masonry walls.