The Lighting On The Wall

The other week I wrote about how Mark and I got rid of a 5 amp lighting circuit in the old house, only to put one into the new house. And I’ve got a similar story today, this time about wall lights.

To be fair to us, the wall lights we took out (from the sitting room) could not have been more eighties. They were plaster sconces which I think were meant to be painted the colour of the wall but hadn’t been. They looked kind of clumsy and threw the light straight upward rather than helpfully outwards – rather like the bar in an airport hotel (or the stairwell at work).

By contrast, in each of the four places we’ve used wall lights here, it’s been to a particular purpose. We’ve also made sure that they hold their own as decorative items. The Artemide Teti lights (with Tala Porcelain 1 bulbs) in the kitchen are a neat way to light the dining area without obstructing the skylights. They’re on a separate circuit to the lights for the cooking zone – so that we can control the mood. I had originally wanted something bigger and more dramatic but being toward the end of the project money was tight – and I think that actually pushed me in the right direction.

Also in the kitchen is a wall mounted Anglepoise spot. Again this is on a separate circuit and controlled by an integral switch. It was a particular bargain – picked up in the clearance section at John Lewis Stratford City for a third of list price.*

It means we can just light our window nook – either to curl up on the sofa for a read, or to provide a gentle residual glow from the kitchen while we’re in the sitting room next door.

By contrast the wall light in our loft dressing room is one of the least bargainy things in the house – a full price Riddle light from Bert Frank which I fell in love with the first time I saw it in an interiors mag. I was happy to splash out because it does an important job – providing a moody light for bathing when you don’t want the glare of the spots. I’ve never really liked candles so this suits my aesthetic much better.

Finally to the spare room where Made.com Cohen wall lights offer an affordable and practical way of minimising bedside clutter. And not a sconce amongst them.

* This is a top tip if you live in East London and are hunting for bargain lights – there often seem to be good quality lights on discount in this section – I assume they’re customer returns which they’ve decided not to return to the depot.