A wall sconce with a shade is a wall light whose bulb sits inside a fabric, paper, glass or ceramic cover rather than in the open. The shade decides almost everything: how soft the light is, which way it travels, how much colour it adds to the wall and how far the sconce stands out into the room. This guide sorts the shaded sconces we sell by shade material, gives their real sizes in centimetres and inches from our product pages, and ends with a short guide to choosing one for a bedside, a hallway or a living room. You can see them all in our wall lights collection.
Four shade materials and what each one does to the light
Fabric shades: an even, warm glow
Fabric is the classic choice. The Classic Fabric Wall Sconce puts a white fabric shade on a slim curved arm in brushed brass or matte black; its product page notes that the shade glows warm and sends light both up and down the wall. The Mid Century Fabric Drum Wall Sconce uses a small tapered drum with contrast piping, in dark brown, orange-red, blue or light coffee, on a dark bronze-tone arm. The Knitted Shade Wood Wall Sconce has a hand-knitted fabric shade on a turned solid wood body and gives a warm, low light.
Paper and slatted shades: a lantern glow
The Japanese Kraft Paper Cube Wall Lamp is a kraft paper cube with stitched twine edges: the whole cube glows gently through the paper, with a soft halo on the wall around it. The Japanese Louvered Slat Wall Lamp is made of stacked white slats (PLA plastic on an iron frame) that let light escape between the louvers. For more paper lighting, read our paper lantern lamp guide.
Glass shades: colour on the wall
A glass shade glows in its own colour. The Ribbed Tulip Glass Wall Sconce has a ribbed tulip in green, pink, milky white, amber or clear on a slim brass-finish arm. The Vintage Brass Flower Wall Sconce offers an amber frosted flower, a clear ribbed tulip or a white frosted flower shade on a scrolled arm in an antique brass finish. The Fluted Glass Sunburst Wall Sconce casts fine rays of light across the wall in amber, smoke grey or milky white. Our glass wall sconce guide compares the glass types.
Ceramic shades: light upward only
An opaque shade sends all the light out of its opening. On the Pleated Glazed Ceramic Wall Sconce, light leaves only through the open top and washes up the wall, while the glazed shade stays rich in colour (olive green, rust orange, off-white or burgundy).
Real sizes of our wall sconces with shades
All figures come from our product pages. The lighting area is the manufacturer's guide for one sconce on its own.
| Sconce | Shade | Size | Projection | Light | Lighting area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Fabric | White fabric, Ø 17 cm (6.7 in) at the bottom | H 23 cm (9.1 in) | 25 cm (9.8 in) | Up and down | 3–5 m² |
| Mid Century Fabric Drum | Tapered fabric drum with piping | Not stated | Not stated | Fabric glows | 3–5 m² |
| Knitted Shade Wood | Hand-knitted fabric, 15 cm (5.9 in) at base, 9.5 cm (3.7 in) at top | H 38 cm (15 in) | Not stated | Glow through the knit | 3–5 m² |
| Kraft Paper Cube | Kraft paper with twine | W 20 × H 23 cm (7.9 × 9.1 in) | Not stated | Whole cube glows | 5–10 m² |
| Louvered Slat | White slats | Small W 18.5 × H 17 cm (7.3 × 6.7 in); Wide W 20 × H 24 cm (7.9 × 9.4 in) | 12.5 cm (4.9 in) | Between the slats | 3–5 m² |
| Ribbed Tulip Glass | Ribbed glass, 12 cm (4.7 in) wide | Total H 42 cm (16.5 in) | Not stated | Whole tulip glows | Not stated |
| Vintage Brass Flower | Glass flower or tulip | H 25 cm (9.8 in) | 25 cm (9.8 in) | Flower glows | 3–5 m² |
| Fluted Glass Sunburst | Fluted glass | Ø 24 × H 24 cm (9.4 × 9.4 in) | Not stated | Rays across the wall | 5–10 m² |
| Pleated Glazed Ceramic | Glazed ceramic, opaque | W 25 × H 27 cm (9.8 × 10.6 in); burgundy Ø 35 × H 38.5 cm (13.8 × 15.2 in) | 13 cm (5.1 in) | Up only | 5–10 m² |
Mini-guide: choosing a shaded sconce by room
Beside the bed. To read, the light should reach the page: an arm helps. The Classic Fabric and the Vintage Brass Flower both project 25 cm (9.8 in) from the wall. Two Classic Fabric sconces cover 6–10 m² in total (2 × 3–5 m²), enough for the bed area of a 12 m² bedroom but not the whole room, so keep a ceiling light. Mounting height is covered in bedside sconce height.
In a narrow hallway. A common benchmark for a walkway is a projection of about 10 cm (4 in) (see what is a sconce). Among the shaded sconces with a stated projection, the Louvered Slat is the shallowest at 12.5 cm, then the ceramic sconce at 13 cm; sconces with an arm stand out 25 cm. In a corridor under about 100 cm wide, put the deeper ones on an end wall. Our hallway lighting ideas give the spacing.
In a living room of 20 m². Divide the area by the lighting area of one sconce: with the Fluted Glass Sunburst or the Kraft Paper Cube (5–10 m² each), 2 to 4 sconces; with a fabric sconce (3–5 m² each), 4 to 7, usually alongside a floor or table lamp. Placement beside a fireplace or a sofa is covered in wall sconces for the living room.
Light colour. Fabric and paper shades already warm the light. The Knitted Shade Wood offers 3000K, 4000K, 6000K or a 3-in-1 option, the Kraft Paper Cube 3000K, 4500K or 6000K. Our guide warm white vs cool white explains the numbers. Prefer a sconce without a shade? See modern wall sconces in stone, plaster and crystal.
Frequently asked questions
Which shade gives the softest light?
Fabric and paper. The product pages describe the Classic Fabric shade as glowing warm and the Kraft Paper Cube as glowing gently through the paper. Coloured glass tints the wall, and the ceramic shade sends light upward only.
Are these sconces plug-in or hardwired?
None of our wall sconces is sold as plug-in. Those whose product page states the installation, such as the Knitted Shade Wood and the Fluted Glass Sunburst, are hardwired, so have them installed by a qualified electrician. The voltage range listed (85–260 V or 90–260 V, 100–245 V for the Louvered Slat) covers 120 V and 230 V homes.
How do I clean a fabric or paper shade?
Switch off and let the sconce cool, then dust the shade gently; avoid soaking paper. Our guide on how to clean lamp shades covers fabric, paper and glass step by step.
See all our wall lights, our glass wall sconces and our guide to types of lamp shades.
