Modern Wall Lights

Which kind of modern wall light suits your home?

Modern is a broad label, and many of the modern wall lights we stock also lean industrial, Scandinavian, mid-century or art deco. Start with what the room already has. With pale timber, white walls and linen, try a white or brass fitting with a fabric or opal glass diffuser. Dark joinery, exposed brick and concrete take black metal and a sharper outline. Curved sofas, arched alcoves and soft upholstery sit best beside rounded glass or alabaster.

On a plain modern wall a fitting reads as one shape, so echo a shape already in the room: round near a round mirror, long above a long sideboard. Keep to one family of shapes and the scheme looks planned.

Metal, glass or alabaster in modern wall lights

Most of our modern wall lights are made with metal, and many use glass, alabaster, fabric or crystal. The material decides where the light goes. A metal shade open at the top or bottom stays dark and sends light up or down the wall in a defined beam. Opal glass and alabaster glow right through, so the shade itself becomes the light, and fabric gives a warmer, more even glow. Clear glass leaves the bulb on show, so pick a bulb whose shape you are happy to see. Crystal breaks light into points, for a modern room that wants sparkle without a chandelier.

In a modern room with little ornament, the light on the wall does the decorating. Textured plaster, painted brick and panelling catch a beam that grazes them, while a smooth wall shows a crisp edge of light. We also stock up-and-down designs for a tall wall that wants light both ways.

Should modern wall lights stand out or blend in?

Decide this before you choose a finish. We stock many in white, and a white fitting on a white wall nearly disappears, so you notice the light rather than the fitting, which suits small rooms and minimal schemes where clutter shows. Black draws a sharp outline against pale paint and picks up black window frames and door handles. Brass and gold bring warmth to grey and white rooms and sit well with oak and walnut, while chrome, silver and nickel suit cooler schemes of glass, stone and stainless steel. We stock some in bold colours too.

Whichever finish you pick, repeat it. A modern room looks deliberate when one or two metals run through the switch plates, handles, taps and lights, and restless when the metals multiply. On a plain wall, scale shows as clearly as finish, so tape up a paper cut-out the size of the fitting before you order.

Do modern wall lights need cool white light?

No. Modern describes the shape, not the colour of the light, and many of our modern wall lights give warm white. Warm white flatters skin, timber, brass and alabaster, and suits living rooms and bedrooms in the evening. Some give cool white, which reads crisp against chrome, white gloss and concrete and suits a study or a desk wall. Some have an adjustable colour temperature, for a room that does both jobs. Watch grey walls, so common in modern homes: under cool white a soft grey can turn blue and flat, while warm white keeps it gentle.

Where a fitting takes a G9, E14, E27 or GU10 bulb, you choose the white by the bulb you buy. Keep one white across the room's lights, ceiling included, because a mismatch shows at once on a plain wall.

Modern wall lights in a period home

A modern fitting can suit a Victorian terrace, and many of the modern wall lights we stock sit between modern and traditional. The trick is to let the house keep its ornament. Choose a simple form so the cornicing, panelling or fireplace keeps the attention, and pick a material the house already knows: brass, opal glass, alabaster or a fabric shade. A pair either side of a chimney breast respects the symmetry the room was built around; a single off-centre fitting can look like an afterthought.

In an older house, reusing existing wall points saves chasing cable through original plaster, so ask your electrician what the walls allow before you settle on positions.

What to check before you buy modern wall lights

Replacing an older fitting? Compare the patch of wall it covers with the replacement's backplate, as a smaller modern plate can leave old holes and unpainted wall on show. Check the dimming too: many of ours are dimmable and many are not, and a dimmable built-in LED fitting needs a dimmer made for LED loads. Hardwired fittings should be connected by a qualified electrician, whose work in England and Wales must meet Part P of the Building Regulations.

Check the IP rating against the room. Many of ours are rated IP20, for indoor use away from water, while many carry IP44 and some are rated IP65; near a bath, shower or basin, choose IP44 or above and match it to the zone. Where no cable runs to the wall, we stock a few plug-in designs and a few rechargeable ones.