Illuminated wall decor: six ideas

We think first of the light falling from the ceiling, then of the lamps. The wall is often forgotten. Yet it is at its height that we live in the evening: seated, at the table, in an armchair. A light set on a wall lights the room from the side, without glare, and gives it depth.

1. Illuminated wall art

A framed piece, lit from behind: by day, an image; in the evening, a source of light that colours the wall around it. It is the most present of the six ideas, the one that can hold a large wall on its own. Our light paintings come in 55 and 80 cm square.

2. A wall light

A wall light directs its light upwards, downwards, or both ways. In pairs, wall lights frame a bed, a mirror or a fireplace. Plan the wiring with an electrician before painting: that is what keeps them discreet.

3. A picture light

A slim bar fixed above a canvas or a photograph lets its light glide over the image. It turns a work you no longer saw in the evening into a focal point of the room. Choose one a little narrower than the frame.

4. A lit shelf or niche

A light strip hidden under a shelf, at the back of a niche or in a bookcase gives an indirect light that reveals objects without showing its source. Stay with a warm white, around 2700 K, so that it remains soft.

5. A lamp against the wall

Set on a console, a lamp with a wide shade draws a halo on the wall behind it. Horizon and its oval shade, or Équinoxe and its metal disc that casts the light downwards, find their place there: the lamp lights the console, the wall extends its light.

6. A floor lamp in a corner

In a corner, a floor lamp lights two walls at once and makes the room feel larger in the evening. The large pleated fabric disc of Solstice suits it well, near an armchair or a sofa.

One main light per wall: the others accompany it.

Composing a wall of light

Choose one main light per wall: illuminated wall art, a pair of wall lights or a picture light. Accompany it with one or two lower sources, at different heights. Finally, keep similar colour temperatures from one lamp to the next, so that the room does not feel out of tune; our pointers in Warm or cool light.

For height and fixing, see Where to hang a light painting.