Month: December 2019

Experienced designers know that lighting is an essential ingredient for a well-appointed room and not the afterthought many people consider it. And homeowners tempted to spend their time agonizing over floorplans and furnishings, need to remember that lighting transforms a space – not just by brightening up dark corners but also by setting the mood. 

Light is powerful. The right light lifts spirits, inspires tranquility, and influences productivity. In our homes, the light brightens simple moments like our morning routines or the time we spend with family and friends

In contrast to many other lighting fixtures, wall sconces are appropriate in nearly every room in your home. From the patio to the bedroom, the entryway to the laundry room, wall-mounted workhorses elevate the style and beauty of a space. 

The consensus among designers (our team included) is that you need multiple light sources in a room. Layered illumination is essential: each room needs a mixture of lighting, including accent, task, and overhead lights. 

In the living room, start by hanging a decorative ceiling fixture like a pendant or chandelier near the room’s center. From there, look to the outer edges for downlighting to gently wash walls, art, and window treatments with warm and functional illumination. You can achieve this through valance lighting, soffits, or even floor lamps that bounce light off the ceiling. 

And, depending on your room’s layout, accent light can be used to accentuate artwork, with table lamps placed beside seating for an additional layer of light. The goal is to create a contrast between light at the room’s center and the perimeter and brighten the dark spaces in between. The subtle interplay between dark and light creates appeal in your living spaces.

Don’t hold back in the kitchen. 

Forget ambiance; in the kitchen, it’s all about bright light. 

Install recessed lights or high-hats along the edge of your kitchen ceiling to flood the space with light. And hang pendants over the island for comfortable illumination that doesn’t take up counter space. You’ll see guests without looking around a hanging fixture as long as you don’t position them too low. 

Don’t forget under-cabinet lighting. Run LED light strips beneath your upper cabinets to create an evenly lighted counter space for cooking and food preparation.

Think about the orientation of your room. 

North-facing rooms without direct sunlight require more thought. Spread horizontal light throughout the space by installing recessed fixtures at the perimeter of a north-facing living room with a decorative pendant at the room’s center. From there, use table lamps to illuminate dark corners and wall sconces to highlight the art or architectural features. 

Use a similar strategy in dark bedrooms, combining a central hanging pendant or chandelier with subtle up-lights in the room’s corners, bedside lamps for reading, and wall sconces where it makes sense for extra style and illumination.

Get rid of lousy bathroom lighting. 

Too many bathrooms use recessed fixtures over the sink that cast unflattering shadows. Instead, choose wall-mounted sconces to cast even illumination across your face in the mirror. 

And create a sense of spa-like luxury and intimacy with a sculptural pendant lamp over the tub. Also, consider using LED strip lighting beneath floating shelves to cast a warm glow over your bathroom floor.

Brighten up the corners. 

It’s easy to use an oversized floor lamp to brighten up an empty and dark corner. The trick, however, is finding a lamp in a finish and material that complements the surrounding space, turning your lonely corner into a polished and intentional part of the overall room design.

Go light on the overheads. 

Excessive overhead lighting generates spots and undesirable shadows – use this style of lighting sparingly. Instead, hang a large chandelier or pendant in common areas, and in the kitchen use globe fixtures for even lighting that leaves countertops open. Try floor lamps and wall sconces in living rooms, and hang a sculptural centerpiece above the table to create functionality and depth in a dining room.

Use ambiance to your advantage. 

A simple way to adjust the light in a room throughout the day is by using a dimmer on each fixture as opposed to replacing wall switches with a dimmer to change every light at once. And in the bedroom, use a bedside light with both a dimmer and movable shade for extra flexibility.

Choose your bulbs wisely. 

For inviting and warm light, choose your bulbs carefully. Stick with a range of 2,700 to 3,000 kelvin, usually advertised as “warm white.” As you approach the upper reaches of the color-temperature range, more blue is introduced, giving your home the harsh look of a warehouse. Use bulbs advertised as “daylight” in utilitarian spaces like your garage. 

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There’s nothing like great lighting to spruce up a dull (or dreary) room. Lighting, often overlooked by homeowners and newbie designers, is a defining factor that can make or break your home’s interior. While the ever-popular pendant lamp (we mean no disrespect to pendant lamps – they are popular for a reason) gets most of the attention these days, the oft-overlooked wall sconce offers a delicate balance between form and function and demands very little. 

In contrast to many other lighting fixtures, wall sconces are appropriate in nearly every room in your home. From the patio to the bedroom, the entryway to the laundry room, wall-mounted workhorses elevate the style and beauty of a space. 

1. Upgrade the ambiance.

Using layers of illumination in the right way is the secret to perfect lighting. Flooding a space with too much light kills the warm and inviting vibe of a room, and too little light is dull, uninspired, and inefficient. Wall sconces used alongside recessed lights and pendant lamps, provide the perfect balance of luminosity. And wall sconce lighting used as a source of ambient light is ideal for sprawling corridors and high-ceilinged living spaces.  

2. Smart accent lighting. 

Medieval and tiki torches informed the design of the original wall sconces. While modern wall sconce lighting has evolved from its primitive origins, there’s still a hint of their former function in today’s fixtures. Wall sconces used as accent lighting to highlight artwork or architectural features, get the task of accent lighting done with effortless grace and style – not unlike the warm glow of a tiki torch or the lazy flicker of an oil lamp.

3. Easy task lighting. 

Wall sconces do as good a job of providing task light as any other fixture. But the placement has to be spot-on to get the job done right. For example, to create a comfortable reading nook, your wall sconce, and the area you want to be illuminated have to be in alignment to avoid shadows or dullness. Most modern wall sconces have flexible hands that move, making them ideal for task lighting and easing the burden of perfect placement.

4. Save Space. 

Wall sconce lighting maximizes floor space, making them an attractive solution for smaller rooms. Wall sconces simply stay out of the way. While floor or pendant lighting and even bedside table lamps take up a lot of space, wall-mounted lighting frees-up room for other tasks. It’s easy to understand why wall sconce lighting is a popular solution in the bedroom, but wall lighting also works in home offices where they help to keep your desktop free from clutter, leaving you to do your best work.

5. There are many shapes, sizes, and styles from which to choose. 

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to wall sconce lighting. The shapes, sizes, and styles are endless, ranging from mid-century and contemporary to traditional and unconventional. Before you make a purchase, however, you must consider the size, style (of course), and placement of the sconce. While larger wall sconces are great for accent lighting, task and ambient applications require more simple and focused illumination. 

6. Shadowplay. 

When it comes to wall sconce lighting, shadows make as much of a difference as the quality of light and the style of the fixture. Make sure the direction of light and pattern is appropriate for the application in your space. Many sconces offer exciting and dramatic shapes and shadows that have an exaggerated impact on the overall appearance and feel of the room.

7. Make an entrance. 

There are a handful of places in your home that could benefit from a wall sconce as a strictly decorative feature. An entryway is one of them. Most homes with a dedicated entryway also have a good primary light source nearby. Adding a wall sconce to one of the entryway walls creates a warm entry and is a perfect way to welcome guests into your home.

Wall sconce lighting is a versatile solution for every home. 

Three primary lighting styles work in concert to create balance and functionality in a room: task, ambient, and accent. Depending on where they are placed, wall sconce lighting can fit into all three categories. Visit one of our two convenient metro Denver showrooms to learn more about how these versatile fixtures can make your home sparkle! 

Get in touch with the experts at Galleria Lighting and beautify your space with wall sconce lighting.