Killing the Mood Wall Sconce in Ceramic
by Studio AOAO · Amsterdam, Netherlands

A sconce is a light fixture mounted on a wall rather than standing on a surface or hanging from the ceiling. The word originally described a bracket holding a candle or torch against a wall, which is why candle sconces still exist alongside electric ones. Today it covers any wall-mounted light: hardwired, corded or non-electric.

In practice, very little — the terms are used interchangeably, and most makers use whichever suits the piece. Where a distinction is drawn, "sconce" tends to describe a decorative fixture sitting close to the wall, while "wall lamp" is the broader term that also covers picture lights, swing-arm reading lights and larger projecting fixtures.

150–165 cm from the floor to the center of the fixture for general wall positions — approximately standing eye level. The exception is any sconce you will use while seated or lying down, which should be considerably lower. If the bulb is visible from where you normally stand or sit, the sconce is too high or too shallow.

100–120 cm from the floor, roughly 60–75 cm above the mattress, and 15–25 cm out from the side of the bed. Sit up in bed before committing: light should fall on the page without the source entering your eyeline, and the switch should be reachable without leaning out.

Flanking it, in a pair, with the centers at about 165 cm and 75–100 cm apart, so light crosses the face evenly from both sides. This is the arrangement that eliminates shadows under the eyes and chin — a single fixture above a mirror does the opposite.

Some pieces are supplied with a visible cord intended to run to a socket, which is the usual solution for renters and for walls that cannot be chased. Most, however, are designed to be hardwired. The wiring method is stated on the product page — ask us before buying if a corded version is essential, as it is not something every studio offers.

Very few, and none as a standard feature of this collection. Cordless wall lighting is dominated by mass-produced fixtures, whereas these are handmade pieces built around a wired light source. If you need a genuinely cordless solution, a rechargeable table lamp on a shelf or a wall-mounted candle sconce will serve you better than adapting a hardwired piece.

No. Adhesive mounting is only viable for very light, hollow fixtures, and these pieces are made in stoneware, glass, brass and solid wood — they need a fixing appropriate to their weight and to your wall type. Product pages list weight; check it against your fixings, especially on plasterboard.

A small number of designers make non-electric wall pieces for candles, which need no wiring at all and can go anywhere a fixing will hold. They give a very different light from an electric sconce and suit dining walls, entrances and fireplaces. Our candleholders collection includes related wall and tabletop pieces.

Only with an IP rating appropriate to the zone, and the rules differ by country — the area around a bath or shower has stricter requirements than the wall beside a mirror in a well-ventilated room. These are handmade decorative fixtures intended for dry interior use, so ask our curation team before specifying anything for a bathroom.

It depends on the piece. Hardwired sconces are typically operated from the room's wall switch, which means planning the circuit in advance. Some designs include an integrated switch on the body or an inline switch on the cord — worth confirming if you want to control the sconce independently, particularly beside a bed.

A few designs pivot or rotate, which is useful for reading in bed or lighting artwork precisely. Most pieces here are fixed, since the form is the point — the light direction is set by the shape of the shade rather than by a mechanism. Filter by piece and check the description, or ask us for the currently available adjustable designs.