Scandinavian wall lights: soft, low and warm
Quick answer
Scandinavian wall lights are simple, soft and low. They use pale or natural materials, hide the bulb, and are placed to make several small pools of warm light rather than one bright ceiling light. Choose rounded or plain shapes in white, pale wood or matt plaster, use warm bulbs on dimmers, and add candles.
Long, dark winters have shaped how Scandinavians light their homes. Daylight is precious, so rooms have big plain windows and pale surfaces; evenings are long, so artificial light has to feel warm and calm. In Denmark this is bound up with hygge, and Meik Wiking puts candlelight at the heart of it [1]. In Sweden the word lagom, which Visit Sweden translates as just the right amount, describes the same balance [2]. Read our Scandinavian style guide for the wider look.
Why do Scandinavian homes use so many small lights?
A single ceiling light makes a room flat and bright in the middle and dark in the corners. Several small, low lights, from wall lights, lamps and candles, make pools of warmth that feel cosy. Danish design has long cared about glare: Poul Henningsen's PH lamp of about 1927 was designed to diffuse and direct light while hiding the glare of the bulb itself [4]. Our article on Poul Henningsen and the PH lamp tells that story.
Where did the Scandinavian look begin?
One much-loved starting point is the home of the Swedish painter Carl Larsson and his wife Karin at Sundborn. The house museum describes rooms filled with light, bright colour, simple furniture and Japanese influences, and quotes the writer Ellen Key in 1899 praising a home that achieved so much with simple means [3]. That idea, beauty from simple means, still runs through Scandinavian design.
- 1A wall light beside the reading chair: light where you need it, not from the ceiling.
- 2A comfortable chair with wool or sheepskin: texture adds warmth.
- 3A second, lower light on another wall: several small pools beat one bright light.
- 4Simple art and white walls bounce light around.
- 5Pale wood floors and furniture reflect light upwards.
Which wall lights suit a Scandinavian room?
Look for soft, rounded or plain shapes with no ornament, in white, pale grey or natural tones. Matt plaster is a natural fit: it diffuses light softly and can be left white or painted to match the wall.
These simple shapes from our Shrewsbury studio work in a Nordic scheme. Each comes as shade only, battery LED with a remote, or UK mains hardwired.
Where should Scandinavian wall lights go?
- Beside a reading chair or sofa, so the light is at the level you sit.
- Either side of the bed, in place of bedside lamps; see our bedroom wall lights guide.
- In a dark corner or alcove, to stop it falling into shadow.
- Along a hall or stair at a low height; see lighting hallways and stairs.
Mix heights: one light at sitting height and another a little higher makes a room feel layered. Layered lighting in a living room and wall light height and spacing explain how.
This short video explains how hygge shapes Scandinavian interiors, and shows the role that soft, low light plays in a cosy room [7].
Video: Balance + Rhythm, “Hygge In Scandinavian Interior Design”, via YouTube.
Which bulbs give a hygge glow?
Use the warmest bulbs you can, about 2700K or lower, and choose them by lumens; the Energy Saving Trust explains how to compare bulbs this way [5]. Put wall lights on dimmers and turn them down as the evening goes on. Battery wall lights are useful for a rented flat or a wall with no wiring; hardwired lights should be fitted by a registered electrician, as notifiable work falls under Part P of the Building Regulations [6]. See plug-in, battery or hardwired wall lights.
Hygge
Meik Wiking's Little Book of Hygge brings the Danish idea of cosiness to a wide audience [1].
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Hygge | A Danish word for cosiness and comfort, often with candlelight [1]. |
| Lagom | Swedish for just the right amount [2]. |
| Glare | Harsh light from a bare bulb in your eyes; Scandinavian lights hide the bulb [4]. |
| Pool of light | A small area lit by a low lamp, leaving the rest of the room softer. |
| Warm white | Bulbs of about 2700K, closest to old incandescent light [5]. |
Good to know
Common questions
What is Scandinavian lighting?
Soft, warm light from several low sources such as wall lights, lamps and candles, with simple shades that hide the bulb.
What colour wall lights suit a Scandinavian room?
White, pale grey, natural wood tones or matt plaster, often painted to match the wall.
How high should wall lights be in a Scandinavian room?
Lower than you might expect: near sitting height beside chairs and beds, so the light makes a cosy pool.
What is hygge lighting?
Warm, dim, low light from candles and lamps that makes a room feel cosy and calm.
Sources
References and further reading
Harvard style. Web pages were checked on the access date shown.
- Wiking, M. (2016) The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well. London: Penguin Life.
- Visit Sweden (n.d.) Swedish lagom lifestyle. Available at: visitsweden.com/about-sweden/swedish-lagom-lifestyle/ (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
- Carl Larsson-gården (n.d.) The interior. Available at: carllarsson.se/en/?p=10488 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
- Trope, C. (n.d.) PH lamp, Poul Henningsen [Object of the Day], Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Available at: www.cooperhewitt.org/?p=33959 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
- Energy Saving Trust (n.d.) Energy saving light bulbs and lighting. Available at: energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/lighting/ (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2013) Electrical safety: Approved Document P. Available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-appr... (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- Balance + Rhythm (n.d.) Hygge In Scandinavian Interior Design [Video]. YouTube. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa8E0O0lwSQ (Accessed: 10 November 2026).
How to cite this article
van Locke, J. (2026) ‘Scandinavian wall lights: soft, low and warm’, The Flare Journal. Flare Studio UK. Available at: https://flarestudio.uk/blogs/journal/scandinavian-wall-lights-guide (Accessed: 12 November 2026).
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