Why interior designers love candle sconces
As winter draws ever nearer and daylight seems to end at 3.30pm, our thoughts turn ever more to how to bring light to our evenings. We're all for lamps, love a scented candle and cosying up by the fire but there's one decorating trick that interior designers have long employed that may be all too overlooked: the candle sconce. Available in many designs and materials, think of candle sconces as the original lighting, before electricity. These wall-mounted, often metal candle holders are the best way of adding soft light to a room, and a touch of warmth too.
Once you notice them, you'll see them in rooms across the House & Garden archive, from bathrooms to bedrooms, living rooms to hallways. For a while, antique brass Swedish sconces were all the rage – and they still are – for their decorative impact when not in use as well as the reflective quality that casts a golden glow around the room. Wooden designs, such as a new Rowen & Wren rustic sconce, are back and Lucy Williams has just collaborated with Feldspar on a delicate porcelain sconce that would frame a dining table wonderfully.
That's the best way to use sconces: to frame something. You'll often see them above a mantlepiece, either side of a painting. Another lovely placement for them is above a console table, framing a mirror in a hallway; just imagine coming home or arriving at a party to an inky hallway illuminated by flickering candlelight – it's so cosy. As for why interior designers like them, “unique lighting, such as sourced sconces bring life into a space,” opines Jake Arnold, while for Duncan Campbell, “including pieces within hanging schemes that have a bit more physicality can bring a wall to life – pairs of candle sconces, decorative giltwood brackets or mounted Imari plates are all a good bet”. And as Martin Brudnizki neatly puts it, “think of lighting a room in four zones: low-level floor lighting, mid-level wall lights and sconces and statement overhead lighting, like chandeliers. Finally, add in your cosy lighting options like table lamps and candle light. It’s all about creating the right mood.”
Mood is precisely what a candle sconce adds to an interior and below are some of our favourites to shop now, plus the best examples of how interior designers have used them in houses.
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