How To Hang Wall Sconces

Wall sconces bring a touch of style to any room and can light a dark hallway without taking up floor or table space. The type of sconce you install depends on personal preference and your interior décor, but installing a new fixture — or replacing an outdated one — is straightforward when you have the right tools and approach. Here's how to choose and hang a wall sconce.

Choosing the right sconce

Find a sconce style that complements your room. Once you've chosen a fixture, decide on the best placement for both the light and its switch, and mark the wall with a pencil or painter's tape so everything aligns.

A few guidelines help you get it right:

Scale it to the space. Pick something that matches your style, but factor in the room's size, furniture, and décor. A fixture that's too big or too small for the wall will feel off no matter how nice it is on its own.

Mount at the right height. The typical placement for a wall sconce is roughly 66 to 72 inches (170 to 180 cm) from the floor, depending on ceiling height and the fixture. In pairs — flanking a bed, mirror, or fireplace — keep them level with each other.

Match the light to the purpose. A clear glass shade throws brighter, more open light; a darker or frosted shade gives a softer, more demure glow. Choose based on whether the sconce is doing real task lighting or setting a mood.

Keep it simple for a minimalist look. If a fixture is too ornate for the space, it can compete with the rest of the room. Single-finish sconces or simple square or round shades tend to read as intentional and calm.

Installing a new sconce

Hardwiring a sconce where there's no existing box is a job that involves cutting drywall, running electrical cable, and connecting to a switch. Because it ties into your home's wiring, this is work to approach carefully — and if you're not fully confident, it's the point to bring in a licensed electrician. The broad sequence looks like this:

1. Cut the power. Turn off the circuit at the breaker for the room you're working in, and confirm it's off before you touch anything.

2. Mark and cut the openings. Using a cut-in electrical box as a template, mark the holes for the sconces and the switch, then cut carefully with a drywall saw — shallow, to avoid pipes or existing wiring.

3. Run the wiring. Run electrical cable from the farthest sconce back to the switch and then the power source, using fish tape to pull it between openings.

4. Set the boxes and brackets. Secure the cut-in boxes into the openings, then attach each fixture's mounting bracket to its box.

5. Connect the wires. Match black to black (hot), white to white (neutral), and ground to ground, securing each with a wire connector. Tie grounds to the green grounding screw.

6. Mount and test. Hang each fixture on its bracket, add bulbs, restore power, and test.

Replacing an existing sconce

Swapping an old sconce for a new one is far simpler, because the box and wiring are already in place. Turn off the power at the breaker and confirm it's dead. Remove the old fixture's shade and bulb, unscrew the mounting nuts, and let the fixture hang free. Disconnect the wires — hot, then neutral, then ground — and remove the old mounting bracket. Install the new bracket, reconnect the wires (ground first, then neutral, then hot), tuck everything back into the box, and mount the new fixture. Add a bulb, restore power, and check your work.