Mid-Century Modern Wall Sconce Ideas

A mid-century nightstand is a small thing. The one in the walnut bedroom here is twenty inches across on round legs, which leaves room for a book, a glass of water and very little else. Put a lamp on it and the top is gone. That is the practical case for a light on the wall in a room like this, and the reason I would plan the sconces before choosing the nightstands, not after. Browse the mid century modern nightstands with that in mind: the smaller the top, the stronger the case.

Where the light points

Period wall lights come in three basic directions, and the search data follows them. A cone throws its light down and slightly out, a narrow beam for a page; cone fixtures are among the fastest-rising shapes people look for, roughly doubling over the year. A globe or pebble glows all the way round, softer and wider, a light to sit near rather than read by. An arm reaches, so you can pull the light toward the pillow and push it back to the wall afterwards. In this mid century modern wall sconce gallery the Stein pebble hangs in the walnut room, while matte black fixtures by Noir hang in the oak and bamboo rooms. The wall sconces can be sorted the same three ways.

Mid century modern wall sconce pictures, sorted by what you do in bed

If you read in bed, you want the cone or the arm, mounted so the lower edge of the shade sits a little above your shoulder when you sit up. If you only want a glow before sleep, the pebble is kinder, and it can hang a touch higher and wider of the headboard. Couples who do one each can mix them: a directed light on the reader's side, a soft one on the other, matched in finish so the two still read as a pair. Keep the mid-century modern bedroom furniture around them low and plain.

Mid century modern wall sconce photos and the switch you can reach

Whatever the shape, find the switch before you buy. In bed you want to turn the light off without sitting up, which means a switch on the fixture, on the arm, or on a cord hanging within reach. Plug-in models draw a large share of the searches in this category, often because the wall cannot be opened, and many carry their switch on the cord, which suits a bedside well. Battery versions are climbing as well, though most are made for a glow rather than a reading light. The wall sconce ideas page covers the same question in other rooms.

Enamel, brass and black

Originals were very often enameled metal or brass. Today brass is the finish gaining ground in search, while the looks here lean on matte black, with a single stone and silver exception. Black draws a crisp graphic line against a pale wall and nearly disappears on a dark one. Brass does the opposite, warming the wood below it, so on a walnut headboard it can make the whole wall look lamplit with the bulb still off. Pick one and repeat it once, lower down, in a piece from the mid-century modern lamps, so the sconce is not the only metal in the room.

Hang them to the pillow, not the nightstand

The common error is centering each fixture over its nightstand. The nightstand is not where your head is. Mount the lights over the outer edge of the pillows instead, a few inches inside the corners of the mattress, and the beam lands on the book rather than the alarm clock. Measure the height from the top of the mattress, not from the floor, and it will come out right on any bed. Compare your spacing with the bedrooms in the Dark Luxury Lookbook.

Beyond the bed

Most mid century modern wall sconce ideas travel well. In a bathroom, a pair either side of the mirror at eye level keeps shadows off the face, and a globe is gentler there than a cone. Outside the front door, a cone pointing down lights the step and keeps glare out of the street. For the bedroom version in other styles, see the bedroom wall sconce ideas.

A pair and a bare wall

The finished wall is almost nothing: two small fixtures, a headboard, perhaps one painting and perhaps none. Leave enough empty plaster around the lights for their shadows to fall on, because in a mid-century room the shadow shape is half the design, and it is the half most mid century modern wall sconce inspiration crops away.