Art Deco Lighting: Wall Sconces for a Hotel-Like Room

Art Deco lighting is built on bold geometry, symmetry and glamorous materials like brass, glass and stone. The easiest way to bring it home is with a pair of wall sconces. They give a bedroom or living room that calm, boutique-hotel look and free up your nightstands.

Below you'll find what the style looks like today, where to hang sconces, which bulbs to use and how to keep fixtures safe around pets.

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What is Art Deco lighting?

Art Deco comes from the 1920s and 30s. Its lighting uses stepped forms, arches, circles, fluted glass and polished metal, all arranged symmetrically. Neo Deco, the version I'm covering here, keeps that geometry but drops most of the ornament.

That makes modern art deco lighting easy to live with. Think of a milk-glass globe on a brushed brass rectangle, or a fluted glass rod on a matte black arm. You want a nod to the era, not a costume, so skip anything that looks like a movie prop. Integrated LEDs and finishes like unlacquered brass or polished nickel keep it current.

Why sconces are the best place to start

Art deco wall sconces do the work of a table lamp without the footprint. On a small nightstand, that space goes to a book, a glass of water and a phone charger instead.

They also suit homes with animals. A floor lamp can be knocked over in a zoomie session, and a dangling lamp cord is tempting to chew. A hardwired sconce has no cord to reach. If you rent and choose a plug-in, run the cord through a cord cover painted the wall color. For anything involving new wiring, hire a licensed electrician.

Fixtures with enclosed glass or metal are also easier to clean than fabric shades, which hold pet hair. A quick wipe is usually enough.

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How high should you hang wall sconces?

For sconces flanking a bed, a common range is about 55-60 inches from the floor to the center of the fixture. For reading, aim for the bottom of the shade to sit near eye level when you're sitting up against the headboard, roughly 30 inches above the mattress.

Two mistakes come up again and again:

• Hanging them too high, so they float on the wall with no relation to the furniture. Near a bed or sofa, lower feels more intimate.
• Ignoring scale. As a rule of thumb, a king bed can handle a fixture with a 12-18 inch drop, while a twin or full looks better with something under about 10 inches tall.

Over a picture, the light should be narrower than the frame, about half to two-thirds of its width. Beside a bathroom mirror, leave 2-3 inches between the mirror edge and the backplate. The same principle applies to an art deco light fixture in a bathroom: our Neo Deco bathroom ideas go further on vanity layouts.

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Which bulbs and dimmers work best?

Light affects how alert or relaxed we feel. The U.S. Department of Energy puts it this way: "Light plays a key role in setting and regulating the body's biological clock." That's why evening lighting deserves some thought.

As an architect, I recommend warm white LEDs, around 2700K, for bedrooms and living rooms, and I'd put every sconce on a dimmer. Color temperature is one of the main ways to describe how light looks, as the Department of Energy explains in its overview of color and spectrum. If you want help choosing, see how to choose bulb temperature for Neo Deco.

• Use the same color temperature in every bulb of the same fixture type.
• Test the low end of the dimmer. If the lights flicker, you probably need an LED-compatible dimmer.
• With clear glass, choose a low-output decorative bulb, or pick milk glass or alabaster to soften glare.

LEDs also last a long time. The Department of Energy says good-quality white LED products are expected to last 30,000 to 50,000 hours or even longer, so you won't be climbing a ladder often.

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Hardwired or plug-in?

Hardwired gives the cleanest hotel look because no wire shows. If you're renovating, ask your electrician to place the boxes before the drywall closes. For an existing wall, an old-work box clamps to the drywall, so a stud in the wrong spot is less of a problem.

Plug-in sconces are a good option for renters. Pull the cord taut, keep it vertical with a level and cover it. Painted the same color as the wall, the cover nearly disappears.

Which materials and finishes suit the style?

Contrast is the signature. Unlacquered brass with matte black bridges traditional warmth and modern crispness. Backplates in travertine, alabaster or marble add texture, and no two are quite alike.

Keep one main metal in the room, say brass hardware and curtain rods, then add a second metal in small doses. If the bed frame is already brass, a matte black sconce with a small brass detail will look less like a catalog set.

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Do sconces replace other lighting?

Usually not. Sconces are one layer of a plan, giving ambient or task light. You'll likely still want a ceiling fixture or lamps for cleaning and dark corners. If you want a bigger statement, a chandelier or pendant is the natural partner, as in these Neo Deco dining room ideas.

For the rest of the hotel effect, see how to make a guest room feel like a hotel and how to make a bed like a hotel.

Frequently asked questions