Art Deco wall lights: how to choose them for a 1930s home

Art Deco takes its name from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925, where the style was first shown on a grand scale ^[2][1]. It became a major style across western Europe and the United States in the 1930s, which is why so many British semis, flats and cinemas built between the wars still carry its shapes ^[2]. This guide explains how to choose Art Deco wall lights that look right in those homes, and in modern ones too.

What makes a wall light Art Deco?

Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Art Deco as a style of simple, clean shapes, often streamlined, with geometric or stylised ornament such as sun rays and conventionalised foliage ^[2]. It drew on Cubism, the Bauhaus and Egyptian sources, and on an admiration for machines and machine-made things ^[2]. In a wall light that translates into four shapes you will see again and again: the fan, the stepped tier, the sunburst and the streamlined band.

Materials mattered too. Designers of the period used chrome, glass and new plastics such as Bakelite alongside luxurious natural materials ^[2]. Plaster belongs to the same story: it was the material of Deco ceilings and cornices, and it takes crisp geometric edges well. Our Art Deco motifs glossary explains each motif in more detail.

Which Art Deco shape suits which room?

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1. 1Stepped top: each tier steps back, the ziggurat profile borrowed from 1930s architecture.
2. 2The edges of the steps catch the light and throw fine bands of shadow.
3. 3A matt plaster face diffuses light softly and takes ordinary emulsion.
4. 4A deep wall colour, here a dark green, makes white plaster stand out.
5. 5Keep the console below uncluttered so the light has somewhere to land.

These are our own Art Deco wall lights, hand-cast in plaster in Shrewsbury. Each comes as shade only, battery LED with a remote, or UK mains hardwired.

Ritz Stepped Wall LightFrom £130.00Fan Wall LightFrom £76.00Sunrise Sunburst Wall LightFrom £72.00Manhattan Streamline Wall LightFrom £104.00

How high should Art Deco wall lights go?

A common starting point is around 1.6 to 1.8 metres from the floor to the centre of the fitting, which keeps the light above the eye line of people sitting down ^[7]. In a pair, set both at exactly the same height and centre them on the feature between them, whether that is a fireplace, a mirror or a bed. Our guide to wall light height and spacing goes into the details, room by room.

Uplighting shapes need space above them. Leave at least a hand's width between the top of a fan or sunburst and the cornice or ceiling, so the glow can spread instead of pooling in a hot spot.

Battery or hardwired: which should you choose?

Battery LED versions need no wiring, which makes them a good fit for rented homes, for walls with no cable in the right place, and for trying a position before you commit. Mains versions are permanent and can go on a wall switch or a dimmer. In England and Wales, new lighting circuits and other notifiable electrical work fall under Part P of the Building Regulations, so hardwired fittings should be installed by a registered electrician ^[5]. We compare the options in plug-in, battery or hardwired wall lights.

What bulb and colour temperature suit Art Deco lighting?

Warm white is the closest match to the glow of the 1930s. The Energy Saving Trust describes very warm white bulbs, about 2700K, as suiting living rooms and bedrooms, and recommends judging brightness in lumens rather than watts ^[4]. About 470 lumens replaces an old 40-watt bulb and 800 lumens a 60-watt ^[4]. For more, see what bulb to use in a plaster wall light.

How should you paint an Art Deco wall light?

Leave it chalk white against a deep wall for maximum contrast, or paint it the wall colour so only the shape and its shadows show. Period schemes leaned towards cream, pale green, peach and soft gold, set against darker woodwork. Our pieces arrive as natural plaster: seal with a thinned mist coat, then use ordinary matt emulsion. Choosing the best paint for plaster details explains why matt keeps the edges crisp.

If you want to understand how Art Deco light and ornament worked in a real 1930s house, this episode of The Country House Podcast is about Eltham Palace, the Courtaulds' London home ^[6].

Video: The Country House Podcast, “Eltham Palace: An Art Deco icon | The Country House Podcast | Ep. 70”, via YouTube.

Where can you see Art Deco lighting in Britain?

Eltham Palace in south-east London is the best place to start. The Courtaulds leased the site in 1933 and built a modern house beside the medieval great hall, full of the latest technology, from mains-regulated clocks to a loudspeaker system for playing records ^[3]. English Heritage has been restoring the 1930s interiors since it took over the site in 1995 ^[3]. For a wider tour, read our guides to Art Deco buildings in Britain and Odeon cinemas.