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Art Deco Wall Lights

We stock Art Deco wall lights that bring the strong lines and symmetry of the nineteen-twenties and thirties to a wall, in brass, gold, silver, bronze and black. Most use glass, and some use alabaster or crystal. Most suit a living room, bedroom or dining room, many are twin-light fittings, and many carry an IP44 rating for the bathroom.

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How to recognise an Art Deco wall light

Art Deco grew up in the nineteen-twenties and thirties, when designers took their cue from machines, skyscrapers and speed. On a wall light, look for geometry: stepped edges, fans, sunbursts, chevrons, fluted glass and strict symmetry about a centre line. Then check that the geometry carries through, so that any stepping continues into the backplate and ribs line up where glass meets metal.

Art Deco wall lights in a modern room or a period house

Deco was the modern style of its day and is now a period one, so most of our Art Deco wall lights also suit a modern scheme, and many sit as well in a traditional one. In a plain, contemporary room, a crisp outline in one material reads as design rather than as a period prop. In a house with cornicing, picture rails or panelling, fluted glass and warm brass sit comfortably with the original detail. A house or flat built in the thirties suits them best of all.

Glass, alabaster or crystal in an Art Deco wall light

Most of our Art Deco wall lights use glass, and its type decides the light you get. Frosted and opal glass hide the lamp and glow as one even shape, the effect the style was built around. Ribbed glass, which we stock in a few designs, breaks the light into bright lines along each rib. Clear glass shows the lamp, so choose the bulb with care.

We also stock designs in alabaster and in crystal. Alabaster gives a warmer, softer glow and is a quieter way into the period look. Crystal brings the cocktail-bar glamour of the thirties, scattering points of light across the wall, and suits a bedroom better than a busy hall.

Choosing the metal finish of an Art Deco wall light

Brass and gold are the finishes the style is best known for, and we stock many of each; they warm the light and sit well with deep green or blue walls. Silver and nickel tones recall the chrome of the period's cinemas and ocean liners, and look sharper beside white tiles, marble and grey. Black gives the strongest outline against a pale wall, and bronze is the calmer choice where polished brass would feel too bright.

Symmetry: does an Art Deco wall light need a partner?

Symmetry runs through Deco design, so a Deco fitting looks right when it sits on a centre line. Most of ours are single lights, which usually want a partner: a pair either side of a fireplace, mirror, bed or sideboard looks deliberate, while one fitting off to the side looks unfinished. Many of ours have two lights, and a fitting with a light either side of its centre is symmetrical in itself, so it can stand alone above a mirror or a picture.

Which bulb does an Art Deco wall light take?

Many of our Art Deco wall lights take a smaller cap than a household bulb: E14 for a candle lamp, or G9 for a tiny capsule. Many others take a full-size E27, and many have a built-in LED with no lamp to change. Check the cap and maximum wattage on the product page, and choose a lamp small enough to sit clear of the glass. Warm white flatters brass and gold, where cooler light makes them look flat. Many of the range are dimmable, so the light can drop to a glow at dinner or bedtime.

Art Deco wall lights near a bath or shower

The thirties bathroom of black and white tiles, chrome and glass is Deco at its purest. Many of our Art Deco wall lights are rated IP44, the rating a fitting needs near water, and a few are rated IP65; many others are IP20 and belong in dry rooms only. Check the rating on the product page, and have a qualified electrician confirm the zone and fit the light: in England and Wales, work near a bath or shower is notifiable under Part P.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of our Art Deco wall lights would suit a dining room?
Most of our Art Deco wall lights suit a dining room, and we stock many with a vintage look if you want the room to feel older. Choose glass or alabaster that hides the lamp, so nobody at the table looks into a bare bulb, and a dimmable design, so the light can sink low once the meal starts. A genuine period original usually needs rewiring before it is safe, so a well-made revival is often the better buy for a room used every day.

Does leaded stained glass make a wall light Art Deco?
Usually not. Lamps of leaded, coloured glass in flower and dragonfly patterns belong to Art Nouveau, the style built on the curves of nature around the turn of the twentieth century. Art Deco came after it, in the nineteen-twenties, and swapped those curves for geometry, symmetry and polished metal, so look for steps, fans and straight lines rather than petals.

Will an Art Deco wall light give enough light to read by?
Not on its own, as a rule. Almost all of ours are ambient fittings, made to glow and wash the wall rather than throw a beam onto a page, so add a table or floor lamp where you read. A few are accent lights for picking out a picture or a shelf.

Does an Art Deco wall light take an ordinary household bulb?
Some take the full-size E27 or B22 cap of a household bulb, but many take a smaller E14 candle lamp or a G9 capsule, and many have a built-in LED with nothing to replace. Look up the cap on the product page before you buy lamps.

Which Art Deco wall lights can go near a bath or shower?
Only those rated IP44 or higher. Many of ours carry IP44 and a few carry IP65, while many others are IP20 and should stay in dry rooms, so check the rating against the zone your electrician gives you.

Is a polished brass or gold Deco finish hard to keep clean?
It shows fingerprints more readily than an aged finish, but it is simple to look after: dust with a soft dry cloth, and use a soft brush in the steps and grooves. Keep metal polish away from a lacquered finish, because it eats through the clear coat and leaves patchy tarnish that is harder to put right than the dullness you started with.

How do I judge the size of an Art Deco wall light before buying?
Take the width, height and projection from the product page and tape a paper cut-out of that size to the wall where the light will go. Many of ours are small and many are medium, and a few are large, for a wide chimney breast or a tall stairwell.

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