Table of Contents
Wall lighting trends are ever-shifting, providing new ways for you to illuminate your space in a stylish way. Long wall light fixtures are one of many taking over interior lighting design. Here, we’ll discuss what a long wall light fixture is and how to incorporate them into your space.
Why Use Long Wall Lights For Interior Lighting?
When it comes to wall lights, long and short fixtures alike are both known as sconces. Long wall sconces are lights that attach to the wall and have a much greater length than most. A long wall light can also be referred to as a linear light due to their bar design.
There are many reasons one might incorporate long wall lights into their homes. One of the most popular draws of this lighting style is its space-saving design. These lights save floor room by attaching directly to the wall. A wall light, long and thin as such bar lights are, also takes up minimal room on the wall itself.
The appearance of the sconce is another big driving factor for the popularity of the long wall light. With its lengthy, thin look, it brings a minimalistic appeal to the space it is placed in. These lights are particularly useful for urban, modern and even vintage style spaces.
They are also well-suited for use as decorative wall lighting to create interesting lighting designs. When placed appropriately, they can be used for washing the walls behind them, or above and below them instead.
If you are looking to get more practical use out of a long wall lamp, these fixtures are generally bright enough to serve as ambient lighting as well. They are versatile in this way, capable of serving their purpose as any layer of light–ambient, task or accent.
What Long Wall Lights Can You Use For Exterior Lighting?
Wall mounted lighting is one of the most popular types of outdoor wall lighting styles. Long outdoor wall lights are particularly so. This is especially true with wall washer style lights in walls.
Most frequently, you will see these lights used in commercial applications, such as hotels, offices, warehouses and retail stores. That said, they can also be used on the outside of larger homes. They work well as a security measure and ensure that the area surrounding the home is well lit.
Long wall sconce lighting, of course, has the benefit of being linear. Its lengthy design means more light output over a greater area. Illumination that shines back onto the wall provides a larger wash of light across a larger wash of space. Wider coverage makes it easy to light up the facade of a building, allowing you to:
- draw attention to unique features on the building’s exterior
- enhance the view of signage
- create dramatic aesthetics by using light and shadows together
- make entryways safer to navigate and approach
Ways To Use Long Wall Lights For Vanity Lighting
As mentioned, a long sconce wall light can serve well as task lighting. In bathrooms and dressing areas, it can easily illuminate the mirrors you rely on each day.
Hanging a linear wall light over the mirror can provide ample illumination for grooming tasks. The length of this light can ensure plenty of light for you to complete grooming tasks by.
You can also use a long vertical wall sconce on either side of a mirror to provide even lighting over the entire body of it. This is especially good for larger mirrors, such as mirrors mounted to walls and doors.
What is CCT And How Does it Apply To Wall Light Fixtures?
When selecting your long LED wall lights, you have the benefit of getting specific with the kind of lighting you use. One of the elements you can customise is a light’s CCT.
What does CCT mean?
CCT is an abbreviation that stands for color correlated temperature. This is another way to refer to the colour temperature of a light.
The CCT of a light indicates how cool or how warm any given light may be. It is measured in degrees Kelvin and exists on a spectrum.
On this spectrum, lights range from 1,000K to 10,000K. Warmer, gentler lighting is always on the lower end of the spectrum, while cooler lights exist at the upper end.
What Colour is Best for interior wall lighting?
Different colour temperatures have their places in different settings. When it comes to domestic uses, warmer lights in the 3000K-3300K range tend to be preferred.
Why LED’s Are The Best Choice For Wall LightingÂ
LED bulbs are rapidly replacing halogen lights all across the world, and for good reason. LEDs offer a number of benefits unique to only them that put them a step above traditional light sources. These include:
- Energy efficient. LED bulbs consume far less electricity than halogen bulbs. 80 percent of an LED bulb’s energy is put toward generating light. This can help cut costs on your electric bill over time.
- Eco-friendly. Since they require and consume very little energy, they are easier on the environment and can help you reduce the size of your carbon footprint. They are also made from recyclable materials, so they don’t end up cluttering landfills.
- Long life. LED bulbs are rated to last tens of thousands of hours. Compare that to the 1,000 hours or so halogen bulbs promise. With a longer life, you will have to replace them far less often. This can save you time, effort, and money.
- Variety. With so many colour temperatures and lumen counts to choose from, you stay in control over the appearance of your LED light.
- Instant-on. This type of light turns on automatically instead of needing a few seconds to flicker to life like some other bulbs do.
- No heat output. Safe to the touch, LED bulbs generate minimal to no heat. This not only makes them safer for households with children, but can help keep the temperature cooler in the room in which they are placed.
How To Use Long Wall Lights With Other Lighting in a Room
Long wall lights can be incorporated into rooms with any existing lighting scheme. You can attach each light source to its own switch to control them individually as well. This will allow you to play with different light levels and effects in each room. Furthermore, you could also put dimmer switches on them to customise their brightness throughout the day.
Beyond that, their versatility allows them to serve as ambient, task, accent or even decorative lighting.
Task Lights
Place a linear wall light above a desk or other work surface to make the space easier to see while you do your work. When paired with table lamps, you can ensure the entire area is well-lit. Floor lamps can also provide additional illumination in reading nooks and areas with a similar purpose.
Ambient Light
Using multiple bar lights, you can shine general lighting across the entire room and supplement it with other light sources. One way to do this is to incorporate pendant lighting with the bar lights. Stringing them up across the ceiling can bring light down to the floor the same way wall sconces move light from side to side.
Accent Lighting
You can provide indirect lighting with these wall sconces by placing them out of the way. Think behind bookshelves, in darker corners and other oft-overlooked locations. These work well as accent lights when used in tandem with recessed spotlights as well. Spotlights can highlight specific elements in a room with support from the wall sconces.
Decorative Lighting
Get creative with the placement of the linear light and work the fixtures themselves into the decor. Play with their orientation to incorporate them in an artistic way.
How Long Wall Lights Can Create Ambience In a Room
Long wall lights can be used to provide overall illumination, but when placed correctly, they can also make the space moodier and more atmospheric.
If you use linear lights as backlights, you can create a soft and indirect glow from behind furnishings and mantels. You can also pair them with other wall sconces that shine a dimmer light than overhead lighting and use all of that indirect light as mood lighting in the evening.
To achieve true mood lighting, you’ll need to be sure not to over-light the area. Atmospheric lighting works best when there are plenty of shadows creating a dramatic mood.
Long Wall Lighting IdeasÂ
With its up and down wall washing effects, the Leon 20 Watt 600mm Wide Brushed Silver LED Wall Light works well as decorative and accent lighting. That said, its bright 1600 lumen output makes it a viable source of task and ambient lighting as well. It shines 3000k warm white light that is filtered through opal acrylic diffusers to make it even more pleasant on the eyes. This fixture is built to last from high quality aluminium with a brushed finish. Overall, it measures 600 millimeters by 70 millimeters by 80 millimeters.
Turn your lighting into decorations themselves with the LWA243 Black 10 Watt LED Wall Light. This wall light features a long, thin arm that can be oriented vertically or horizontally. 1000 lumens of 3000k warm white light shines back on the wall on either side of it. With its black finish, it is subtle enough to be worked into rooms with any colour scheme. It measures 900 millimeters by 160 millimeters with a 100 millimeter projection from the wall.
Provide beautiful accent lighting outdoors with the 24 Watt 1000mm Long IP65 Linear LED Wall Washer. This long light measures 1,000 millimeters in length and can light up any facade. It is built to withstand exposure to the elements with an aluminium body and a weatherproof IP65 rating. This fixture shines your choice of 3000k or 6000k light at a 30 degree beam angle, outputting an ultra bright 2800 lumens of light. It is finished in a sleek silver and measures 1000 millimeters by 40 millimeters by 28 millimeters in size.
Light up your vanity beautifully with the LWA196 12 Watt Black LED Mirror Light. This bar light looks best when placed over a long mirror, shining light across the entirety of it. The bulb generates 840 lumens of flattering 3200k warm white light that washes the area below it. Fashioned out of durable aluminium with an opal acrylic diffuser, it is a hardwearing, long lasting option. The sturdy body is finished in anodized black, making it neutral enough for placement anywhere. It measures 590 millimeters by 50 millimeters in size.
