In the best light

April 11, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Versatile sconces can work magic throughout the house

McClatchy Newspapers

Indoor sconces can perform many smart tricks. Just as theater sconces shunt light to the ceiling and floor to prevent glare and allow guests’ safe movement, lighting fixtures in the home can work similar magic.

The right wall sconces can bring comfort with warm, ambient light, can illuminate details with bright, radiant light or can stand alone as works of art.

Think of sconces as part of an overall lighting scheme, experts say. Layers of light, including overhead, table, task (say, over a kitchen counter) and sconces, blend comfort and practicality.

“Sconces are like a fireplace because they add warmth,” says Bobby Wilson of Wilson Lighting in Overland Park, Kan. “They have a magical draw.”

As an ambient light source, sconces can be especially effective when overhead lights are absent, dimmed or shut off.

“Light leaks from sconces,” says Shirley Allen, who owns the Light Shop in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo. “A sconce pushes light up and out so it’s flattering and intimate.”

And the aesthetic effects of the soft, muted light from sconces should not be underestimated, particularly in powder rooms and family rooms.

“Wall lighting has a nice feel because it makes us look more appealing,” says Terri Mott of Rensen House of Lights in Overland Park, Kan. Because sconces light from the walls and not overhead, they eliminate shadows from our faces, Mott notes.

On the other end of the spectrum, sconces can be useful for bright light. Whereas ambient light softens a powder room or a family room, radiant sconces can brighten the bathroom where homeowners groom, help visitors navigate a stairwell, or provide proper reading light in bed.

Apart from the light they emit, the fixtures themselves can take many forms. Sconces have been around for centuries, first illuminated by candles. Their evolution has culminated with style in many sizes, from almost undetectably small lights at the foot of stairwells and hallways to wall hangings that are as much about art as they are lighting.

Styles and materials also vary considerably, from stately crystal to fixtures with fabric-covered shades to artsy, contemporary free-form glass or metal.

“Lighting is a decorating tool that allows a homeowner to share personal tastes so that visitors get a sense of who you are,” Wilson says.

Sconces can influence the overall decorating theme, too. They can be fashioned to coordinate with pendant lights or chandeliers, and custom-made fixtures can match railings and door pulls.

Artisans can tie the pieces of a home together, says Jon Cale of Green Light in Overland Park. Plus, making the pieces to fit the homeowner’s style eliminates the hunt for the right fixtures, Cale says.