Accentuate Your Wall Decor With Candle Sconces
Not sure how to liven up your walls and enhance the 2-D art you’ve already hung? It’s time to invest in the tried and true elegance of traditional candle sconces!
I have quite the soft spot for vintage and antique candle sconces in brass, gilt, pewter, or toleware. I just adore the sculptural details and warmth they bring to a room.
A pair of candle sconces are the perfect bracketing pair to a painting or mirror that needs a dose of drama and emphasis. They work wonders in a dining room for dinner parties adding that flickering rosy glow. They add sculptural interest to your walls, and play up that old world elegance as candle sconces are staples in the classic interior.
Shopping for Candle Sconces
The variety in styles is truly endless and just a bit of hunting online or in your local antique shop is sure to turn up the right look for your space. Here’s some keywords to try searching for a traditional look:
French
Italian
Gilt
Toleware
Colonial
Federal
Regency
Placing & Hanging Candle Sconces
When I’m hanging candle sconces with a painting or mirror I center them vertically with the piece and space them between 3 – 10 inches from the frame. Be sure to consider the width of the candle arm and where that will hit in relation to the 2-D work. You don’t want to space them too far away from the 2-D work because then the relationship between the two lessens and they stop being an accent to it.
Most vintage and antique sconces tend to be heavy when made from brass, so use an anchor and screw in the wall to ensure the sconce and candles won’t fall down. What a disaster that would be if your candles were lit!
Solos & Stars
Unfortunately, antique pairs of sconces get separated or damaged overtime, and you will find solos that are gorgeous and so worthy of use. Try a single sconce surrounded by plates for a unique sculptural wall decoration.
Or let a pair or a single candle sconce be the star of the show! If it is sculpturally beautiful and interesting, hang it by itself to make a statement.
A Modern Pop
Use brightly colored tapered candles that coordinate with the room for a pretty modern pop. Also look for interestingly shaped candles like twists or branches.
Here are some examples of decorating with candle sconces that caught my eye:
I love the singular sconce sandwiched between two small prints and surrounded by oyster plates!
James Farmer Design via Flower Mag
These pear sconces are killer!
Photographed by Douglas Friedman. Image via the Glam Pad
The layering of lattice and sconce here is brilliant!
If you are hunting for the perfect pair of sconces, don’t miss my Instagram flash sales and website collection drops. I regularly offer gorgeous vintage and antique ones like the Italian one below! In the meantime, here are some beauties for accentuating your walls from around the web:
