How High Should Wall Lights Be?

Most wall lights sit between 1.5m and 1.7m from the floor — roughly eye level for someone standing. That single measurement covers the majority of rooms, and the rest of this is when to move away from it.

Why eye level works

A wall light at 1.6m puts the brightest part of the fitting just below a standing person's sightline. High enough that the bulb isn't staring back at you, low enough that the light reaches the floor rather than washing the ceiling.

Go much higher and the fitting reads as an afterthought near the cornice. Much lower and it catches your eye every time you walk past.

Either side of a mirror

Centre the fittings at about 1.6m, which puts them level with the face of most adults. Space them 75cm to 90cm apart — wide enough to clear the mirror, close enough to light both sides of the face evenly.

This is the one position where height matters more than looks. Lights set above a mirror throw shadows downward, under the eyes and chin. Lights at face height don't.

A bathroom position also needs a fitting rated for it. The Sheraton is IP44 rated and designed for the wall beside a basin, which is the combination worth checking before you settle on a height.

Hallways and landings

Keep to 1.6m to 1.7m and space them 2.5m to 3m apart. A hallway with one wall light at one end and darkness at the other feels longer and narrower than it is.

On a staircase, measure from the tread directly beneath each fitting rather than from the floor below, or the heights will stagger.

Beside a bed

Lower than everywhere else — around 1.5m, or roughly 60cm above the mattress. You want the light falling onto a book, not across the room. Swing-arm fittings give you the adjustment if the bed ever moves.

Outside a door

1.7m to 1.8m, above head height, so nobody walks into it and the light covers the step and the lock. A fitting either side of a wide door looks deliberate; a single one is usually better placed on the handle side.

Ceiling height changes the answer

The measurements above assume a standard ceiling of around 2.4m. In a room with 3m ceilings, lift everything by 10cm to 15cm so the proportions hold. In a cottage with low beams, drop it — and check the projection, since a fitting that extends 20cm from the wall in a narrow hallway becomes something you walk into.

Before you drill

Hold the fitting against the wall at the height you're considering and live with it for a day. Wall lights are one of the few things in a room you notice at eye level constantly, and 5cm makes more difference than it sounds like it should.

Bathroom and outdoor positions carry an IP rating requirement as well as a height one — worth checking the fitting is rated for the zone before you commit to a position.

Our full range of wall lights covers brass, glass and ceramic fittings for hallways, bedsides and living rooms. For damp locations, the bathroom lights and outdoor wall lights collections are filtered to fittings rated for those positions.