When do you find yourself thinking about wall sconces? Well, it could be that you are in the process of designing your dream house. Or perhaps you are redecorating a favorite room?

Whatever it is, you know that nothing makes a room or interior space look warm and inviting like the right kind of lighting. Wall sconces are a way of bringing light into your home in a way that’s varied and delightful, creating an ambiance that will be the envy of friends and neighbors alike.

Basically, a wall sconce is a wall-mounted light fixture. They come in any number of styles – there are Colonial American sconces, Victorian sconces, and even Art Deco. No matter what kind of home décor you are partial to, there’s going to be a wall sconce that will fit your needs.

Early wall sconces were essentially candles jammed into rock outcroppings or cracks in caves. This freed up both hands for more important work like tending to cooking or sharpening tools. While we’ve made a lot of progress since them, the function of the wall sconce hasn’t changed a great deal.

You can still find wrought iron candle sconces, for example. It’s a lovely way of allowing soft candle light to fill up a room. While most sconces are electric – and are used with electric light bulbs of various sizes and shapes – there is still room for a natural approach to light.

The nice thing about wall-mounted lights is that they tend to shed more light over a larger amount of space. In this regard, they literally can outshine floor lamps and table lamps. This also frees up a lot of floor space for other furniture, or simply to create a sparse effect.

When you are deciding where to hang wall sconces and, just as importantly, how to hang wall sconces, you want to keep a few tips in mind.

First, take a look at the space they’ll be lighting and the wall on which they’re going to hang. Decide how many sconces you’ll need. Most people prefer to hang sconces in pairs. If you fell unsure of the best approach, consider talking to a professional interior lighting consultant. They can help you maximize your living space.

Next, remember that the number of wall scones you end up hanging off the wall is in part contingent upon their size. Large sconces can quickly overwhelm a room, where as a smaller, more refined sconce might do well with four or five similar sconces hung nearby. This is a question of what else you intend to hang on the wall and how the room is going to be decorated. You want to avoid creating a crowded affect, or too bright a space.

Remember as well that if you want each individual wall sconce appreciated for its own design and appearance, they will tend to stand out better in smaller bunches.

Wall sconces should be approximately five to six feet off the ground and separated by approximately six to eight feet. Remember, the goal is both to create an effect but to shed light – they have a practical as well as an aesthetic purpose. Also, you don’t want to install your wall sconces so high that changing out a light bulb requires a small stepladder.

Finally, when it comes to installation, do it right. If you’re not sure how to do it, or you’ve never tried before, consider hiring a qualified electrician or lighting installation expert. You’re better off getting it done efficiently and thoroughly the first time, rather than botching it.

And it never pays to play with electricity if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

Approach wall sconces the way you approach every other issue of home design and décor. Think about the effect you want to create, and then do some research. There are hundreds of online and brick-and-mortar retailers out there. If you take your time, you’re sure to end up with wall sconces that will delight you for many years.

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