Entryway Lighting Ideas: One Big Fixture, One Small Accent

The simplest entryway lighting formula is one big fixture overhead and one small accent at eye level. The big light gives general illumination and the personality. The small one, a lamp or sconce, gives a softer pool of light where you actually stand.

I'll use a "glitchy glam" look as the example: polished chrome, iridescent glass and slightly distorted shapes. The sizing, clearance and placement rules work just as well if your taste runs more classic.

Save

What is glitchy glam lighting?

It's glam with the symmetry removed. Instead of a tidy crystal chandelier, you get a fixture that looks like it's melting or bursting outward. Materials do the work: high-polish chrome, dichroic glass that shifts color as you move, and acrylic that glows.

Because these pieces are loud, the rest of the entry should stay quiet. That's the reason for the one-big, one-small rule. It keeps the space from turning into a carnival. If you want the same attitude on a wall, see this DIY glitchy glam accent wall.

How big should the main entryway fixture be?

A common sizing rule: add the room's length and width in feet, and read the total as inches of fixture diameter. A 5 by 8 foot entry gives 13 inches. Most people buy too small, and the ceiling ends up looking lower for it.

For an open, glassy fixture I'd go a bit larger, around 16 to 18 inches in that same entry. Open structures and transparent parts carry less visual weight than a solid drum shade, so they can be bigger without crowding the room. A modern entryway pendant light with an airy frame is a good fit here.

How much clearance do you need?

Keep the bottom of any hanging fixture at least 7 feet above the floor. With standard 8-foot ceilings that leaves about 12 inches of drop, so choose a semi-flush mount that spreads wide instead of hanging long. A long pendant in a low hallway is a head-bump waiting to happen.

With entryway light fixtures for a high ceiling, you have room for a longer drop or a tiered chandelier. Keep the lowest point well above head height and clear of the door swing. For more fixture shapes, the opera-style entryway lighting post covers grander options.

Save

Which small accent works best?

Pick a table lamp on a console or one of the entryway wall sconces. Don't match it to the overhead light. If the ceiling piece is round and organic, choose something sharp or square. If the ceiling piece is spiky, a smooth sphere calms it down. Keep the finish similar, say chrome with chrome, and vary the shape.

Buying a matched chandelier-and-sconce set tends to read as a showroom. Mixing collections looks collected.

Place the light source at roughly eye level. That pulls the eye down from the ceiling to something more intimate.

Small entryway lighting ideas and console sizing

In a narrow entry, under about 4 feet wide, choose a shallow console, around 10 to 12 inches deep, so you aren't bumping it with grocery bags. Keep the lamp's widest point no wider than the table depth. As a rule of thumb, aim for the lamp's top to land around 58 to 64 inches from the floor, which puts the bulb near eye level without glare.

A mirror behind the console reflects the lamp and doubles its glow. Frameless or irregular shapes suit this look.

Save

No electrician? Plug-in options for renters

Plug-in sconces add a wall light without opening drywall. Mount the bulb about 60 to 66 inches from the floor and keep the cord tidy, either on show or tucked into a cord cover. If you love a hardwired sconce, you can mount it for looks and use a battery-powered LED inside, though it will be dimmer. Anything involving a junction box or new wiring is a job for a licensed electrician.

Renters who can't change the ceiling light can put their effort into a sculptural lamp instead and let it draw attention away from a dull fixture.

Bulb color, dimmers and finishes

Correlated color temperature (CCT) is one of the primary metrics used to describe the visual appearance of light, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In practice, choose one CCT for every bulb in the entry. I recommend about 3000K, which keeps chrome crisp without turning clinical. Mixed whites look accidental.

Skip yellow vintage filament bulbs in chrome and glass fixtures, since they fight the finish. Frosted LEDs are a safer choice. LEDs also last: the Department of Energy says good-quality white LED products are expected to last 30,000 to 50,000 hours or longer, so you won't be climbing a ladder often.

Put the overhead fixture on a dimmer rated for LEDs. Glass and chrome can be harsh at full power, and dimming to about half turns glare into shimmer. At night, less light is often better: the Illuminating Engineering Society and International Dark Skies Association advocate using the minimum amount of light necessary and careful selection of color temperature.

Save

Entryway lighting and a mail station

A console that holds the lamp can also hold a small tray for keys and a slot for mail. Put the lamp on the side away from where you sort mail, so the shade doesn't block your hands or the mirror. A concrete or marble tray gives a solid contrast to shiny fixtures. Aim the accent light so it falls on the tray, since reading an envelope in shadow is no fun.

If the lamp cord runs behind a console leg, a few Velcro ties keep it out of sight.

Styling the rest of the entry

Choose a large-scale or abstract runner, and leave about 4 to 6 inches of bare floor around it. For walls, a flat or eggshell finish in a cool white or deep charcoal is safer than high-gloss paint, which shows every wall flaw. If you have a dog, check that cords sit out of chewing reach, and wipe chrome now and then, because nose prints show on it.

Want the look elsewhere? The room-by-room glitchy glam guide carries the same ideas through the house, and these mid-century lighting ideas suit a calmer entry.

A quick order of operations

1. Measure the ceiling height. Under 8 feet, shop flush and semi-flush mounts only.
2. Pick the overhead fixture first.
3. Choose a simple console, such as acrylic or lacquered wood.
4. Find an accent lamp that looks like sculpture even when it's off.
5. Install an LED-compatible dimmer.
6. Switch both lights on at night and confirm the whites match.

Save

Frequently asked questions