Mood lighting, task lighting and full-on daylight illuminations. All types of lighting are important in interior design. Lighting can be the key element that turns a house into a home, and makes a space feel cosy and comfortable. I’ve spotted a shift in lighting trends over recent months towards a new type of light fitting – wall lights. If you associate wall lights with your grandparents’ house it may be time to think again. Where dated glass lamps and tasselled shades were once fitted, nowadays wall lights are pretty darn cool, and I want to prove it to you today..!
As homes evolved over the years, electric lights began to replace the old oil lamps and candle scones of days gone by. So, in later years, it became a rather outdated trend to see lights on walls rather than in ceilings. They seemed to scream ‘requires renovation’ and became something that homeowners were keen to rip out rather than put in. Even the 90s trend for painted uplighters (made popular by Linda Barker and co on Changing Rooms!) wasn’t enough to make wall lights cool – they were simply covering up something that no-one really wanted anyway. But all that has changed in 2016. Wall lights are making a comeback.
Interior designers are starting to embrace the wall light as an important part of home décor. Not only does it give rooms an ambience that the ‘big lights’ in the ceiling just can’t achieve (no matter how low the wattage) but it also provides great task lighting. Plus, the design of wall lamps has also moved on in recent years. You’re much more likely to find white glass globes (such as these above from A Beautiful Mess) in bathrooms than recessed LEDs. And industrial-inspired designs are everywhere, making wall lights a must-have item for the first time in years.
If you choose well, your wall lights can actually provide excellent lighting for tasks such as reading, writing, sewing and cooking. Mount an angle-poise wall lamp behind an armchair and you’ve got a cosy reading nook. If you fit a pair of lamps either side of your bed, you’re giving yourself more space on the bedside tables. And it looks pretty fabulous too! Wherever you put them, wall lights do the same job as lamps, but without taking up space on your bookcase, sideboard, desk or floor. I’ve found some industrial-looking pose-able wall lights in antique brass at Homebase (below)and I quite fancy having them in my own living room when I start to decorate.
Of course, it’s much easier to fit a modern wall light where an old fixture once hung in the past, as all the electrical wires are already in place and it’s a simple enough task to swap them over. Just make sure you cut all the power to the home and get the advice of an electrician first! But even if you haven’t inherited ancient wall lights in your home, you can get the same effect by hanging plug-in bulbs down the walls. Simply string up the flex wherever you need the wall light to be and plug into the socket.
What do you think of the latest trend for wall lights? Would you hang some in your house? Let me know by leaving me a comment below or tag me in a photo of your lighting projects at home on Instagram @Cassiefairy.
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