Return of the sconce

Some decorators like sconces because they can be mood setters.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
On occasion, Jim Ashjian of James Ashjian Lighting & amp; Home in Fresno, Calif., will get a customer who asks for "scones."
"They're pastries," he says.
What those customers meant were sconces, decorative wall brackets for holding lights or candles.
Wall sconces are accent pieces that can dramatically change how a room feels and looks. But to put them in their best light, you need to plan.
From alabaster to glass, wall sconces come in various looks. Besides alabaster and glass, they can be made of iron, faux alabaster or ceramic. Some fixtures have just a light bulb or two, while others have faux candles, which may come with shades.
"There are so many on the market now," said David Slater, 48, who has three sets of sconces in his home. "There are a lot more European styles and brushed metals that I didn't used to see. There's a lot more emphasis on decorative glasses. There are many for customers to choose from."
Anita King of Fresno has wall sconces throughout her home. In the formal dining room is a set of ornate iron sconces with gold and bronze leaves with two electric candlelights. The master bedroom, however, has two sconces with a contemporary feel with slick and sharp lines.
Setting a mood
"I've always liked wall sconces," King said. "They make the home look warm."
Slater has similar thoughts. "They set a warm and intimate mood," Slater said. Among his sconces is one set originally for candles that he had converted to electric.
Two sconces in Slater's living room, which are his favorites, have tassels and hand-painted scrolls on silk that he and his wife had commissioned from a store in Venice, Italy, during a trip about two years ago as a reminder of their visit.
"I think they're very unique and give a beautiful, creamy light, in addition to the way they project" light against the wall, he said.
Sconces come in all sizes, from small, dome-shaped fixtures to ones that can take up more than half the length of the wall.
"We're seeing larger and larger pieces as houses get larger, so they keep to scale," said Doug Beach, manager of Lamps Plus in Fresno.
Fixtures that were considered large at least five years ago are now thought of as medium, he said.
Ashjian Lighting & amp; Home has a set of sconces that look like vines that drop almost to the floor with cut-glass crystals. "They can be very big," Ashjian said.
Two varieties
Sconces come in two varieties: pin-up lights, which come with a cord and plug into the wall, or permanent fixtures, which must be hard-wired but are more popular.
Common pin-up lights are swing-arm lamps that people often attach next to beds for reading. Pin-up sconces sell for $40 to $144.
But what you'll see more of in stores and homes are sconces that require hardwiring. At Lamps Plus, these sconces cost $29 to $199. James Ashjian Lighting & amp; Home sells sconces for $30 to as much as $3,000.
"Sconces are a good way to add some light where there's a high ceiling, where hanging fixtures wouldn't be practical," Beach said.
If you want sconces, the best and easiest way is to plan for them, especially if you're building your home.
"If you have sconces, you don't need above lighting," Ashjian said, adding that you'll need the experience of an electrician to do the wiring.
Part of the plan
When King and her husband built their new home almost two years ago, they designed the house with sconces in mind.
The master bedroom, formal dining room, great room and even the bathrooms got at least one set. The only room lacking sconces is the media room.
As for how high to place sconces, it's up to the individual, Ashjian says. They're used more for indirect, rather than task, lighting.
But for the most part, "I like to think of sconces as ornaments or pictures," he says.
For average-height rooms, sconces placed 68 to 76 inches from the floor are typical.
If you want a simple way to change the mood of a room, Slater encourages using wall sconces.
They have the ability to make the room more intimate or seem smaller or bigger by dimming or brightening the light, he said.
"They're not that expensive for the effect that you get, compared to overhead lighting," he said.