Traditional Wall Lights

What traditional means here

Traditional wall lights follow forms that predate modern design rather than reacting against it: a candle arm rising from a backplate, a swan neck carrying a small shade, a half-lantern in brass and glass. Finishes are warm and softened, so aged brass, antique bronze, pewter and old nickel. Called wall sconces in the US, they are the most forgiving wall fitting in a period room.

Candle arms, shades and half-lanterns

A candle-arm fitting holds one or more small lamps on curved arms, often with a candle tube and a small shade, and reads formally in a dining room or hallway. A shaded bracket with a fabric shade is softer and suits a sitting room, where a bare candle lamp at eye level would glare. A half-lantern mounts a glazed lantern flat against the wall and works indoors in a hallway or outdoors by a door when IP-rated, which makes it the usual way to carry one look from the front step into the hall.

Matching a chandelier or ceiling fitting

Traditional ranges usually run across several fitting types, so a wall light can match the chandelier in the same room down to the finish and the shade. That is the simplest way to make a period scheme look deliberate rather than assembled, and it is the main practical advantage traditional lighting has over the other styles we stock. Where an exact match is not available, keeping the finish and the shade material consistent across the room is enough; matching the metal matters more than matching the shape.

Placement and height

Fit wall lights around 1.6 to 1.8 metres from the floor for general light, and lower where the light needs to fall on a page or a work surface. In a dining room, a pair flanking a fireplace or sideboard balances the central fitting and stops the room lighting from collapsing onto one point. Along a hallway, space them evenly rather than centring them on doors, since doors are rarely spaced regularly and following them makes the run look accidental. Keep the projection short in a narrow passage.

Bulbs and warmth

Candle bulbs in warm white, around 2700K, suit these fittings and keep the light gentle. Where the fitting has a fabric shade the bulb is hidden, so choose on output rather than appearance. Clear candle lamps look right on open arms. Check the cap on the product page, as most traditional fittings take E14 rather than E27.

How many a room needs

Wall lights work in numbers rather than alone. A single fitting on a long wall looks stranded; a pair or a run reads as intended. In a sitting room, two either side of a chimney breast plus a central fitting covers most evenings. Along a hallway, one every 2.5 to 3 metres keeps the light even without hot spots. In a dining room, a pair on the wall behind the table softens the shadows a central chandelier casts on faces, which is the practical reason period rooms used both.

Outdoor versions and upkeep

Half-lanterns and coach-style wall lights are often IP-rated for a porch or a front door. IP44 suits a sheltered position under a canopy and IP65 an exposed wall that takes driving rain. Indoors, dust aged finishes with a dry cloth and leave the patina alone, as it is part of what you bought. Fabric shades can be brushed gently with a soft brush rather than wiped; glass panels in a lantern lift or unscrew for cleaning, and it is worth checking the seal on an outdoor lantern each year, since a perished gasket is the usual reason water gets in.