Decor Debate: Interior Sconces
With the old ceiling tiles, pink walls, and wall to wall brown carpeting the sconces didn’t really stand out much. With freshly painted walls, a new ceiling, and refinished wood floors, they do. I now feel like those sconces, which you can’t see very well in this photo, have become complete eyesores. The problem? I’ve never really paid attention to sconces. Oh, and we’re on a limited budget. Help.
This photo was taking during our home inspection.
So now, what to choose for scones? Should they face up or down? The current ones face up and I think I like that, but most of the pictures of sconces I like show them facing down. Hmmm.
Sconces from Pottery Barn
The four sconces above are from Pottery Barn. None of them are listed in the “bath” category, but when I click to view more pictures most are shown in bathrooms. Argh! I want to see them on a mantle! I love the one in the bottom-right corner, but feel it lends itself better to a bedroom than a fireplace. Wouldn’t it look weird to have something sticking that far out on the fireplace? Tell me immediately if you don’t think so, because these long-armed sconces seem to be the kind I’m drawn to the most.
Top two sconces from West Elm, bottom-left from Crate & Barrel, bottom-right from Restoration Hardware
First of all, before you freak out, saying, “I thought this girl was on a budget!?! Why is she showing us something from Restoration Hardware?!” Calm yourself down. That is one of the best values at $95 a fixture and it includes the special filament bulb. I like that one, but perhaps a shade would be best? The two from West Elm also pose the shade problem. Plus, while I do really like the glass surround on the one on the left, I think the base looks almost too basic, like it should be made of plastic. The one on the right is pretty cool – but how would it look in a room? Shame on you, West Elm, for not providing me with inspiration photos! And the one from Crate & Barrel is white with clean lines, which feels fresh. However, it also reminds me a bit of a blah hotel room. Plus, the fixture needs to be hardwire not plug-in – a cord hanging down over the mantle wouldn’t improve the eyesore situation.
Wall Sconces from SchoolHouse Electric
Speaking of budget, Target has a surprisingly disappointing collection of wall sconces at the moment. The ones at Home Depot generally look like they belong in a builder’s grade bathroom. And all the sconces at Ikea are plug-in. Sigh. If I want to up my budget a bit, the wall sconces from SchoolHouse Electric are phenomenal (note that the price does not include the bulb or shade). Full of character and vintage-y looking, I think they would fit right in with our house. Maybe I’ll get an unexpected bonus soon? (x Fingers Crossed x).
Clockwise from top left, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Rejuvenation, Shades of Light, and PBTeen
A few more options, just in case I haven’t shown you enough yet. I like the sparkle factor in the top left one, the vintage feel of the top right, the bohemian chic look of the one from PB Teen, and the classic lines of the one from Shades of Light.
Which is your favorite? Is there some amazing source I should know about?
So tricky! I think all the second set minus blah crate and barrel. I think the open bulb helps solve your problem a little of liking face down but not wanting two big spotlights shooting to the top of your mantel.
I also love the pbteen one. Seems very living roomy and fits the style of house. What colors your living now? Did I read over it?
Thanks for your input PennSea (can that be your new nickname?). I probably should have said more of what it looks like now, I forget that you can’t see it! 3 of the walls are a light grey and then the wall behind the mantle is painted a darker, charcoal grey. I think I want to go for a bit of an eclectic, bohemian vibe in there (although our matching plaid armchairs don’t really scream bohemian), so your choices would definitely work well with that!
Couple ideas: almost any sconce can be flipped up or down depending on how you attach it to the wall so don’t let that thought limit you and consider going for a shadeless sconce–you can always get a great shade to add to it later when it gets old. I think Edison bulbs are so fun to look at all on their own these days.
Ok I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I think I like the Pottery Barn ones the best. I love the glass shade (exposed bulb) one and I think that would create a nice ambient light too. I didn’t realize how many tough decisions you’d have to make in this whole process!! I’m sure whatever you do will look fab
I like the pottery barn ones too. Generally, I’m a fan of the swing arm sconces. You just want to make sure the scale of the arm is proportion to the space since they are close to the windows. Whatever you go with, look into dimmer switches. I hear that it’s an easy fix from a regular switch and will make the lighting that much more versatile.
Ooh I loved the bottom right Pottery Barn option even before I read that paragraph! I think they are a lovely neutral to go with gray walls (and can look totally different depending on the items on the mantle itself).