Small Wall Sconce for a Narrow Wall: How Much Width You Need

A small wall sconce fits a strip of wall between a door and a window when the flat wall is at least as wide as the backplate, and the wall box behind it is covered with room to spare. For Houseland's globe sconce, the most compact shape, the Disc, is 5.9 x 5.5 in (15 x 14 cm), so 5.9 in (15 cm) of flat wall between the casing and the window trim is the floor, and a little more looks better.

Width is only the first check. The backplate also has to hide a wall box, the door has to swing past it, and in a tight passage the globe sticks out from the wall. The table and steps below cover all 4.

How narrow a wall can take a small wall sconce?

Measure the flat wall between the trim, then compare it with the backplate's widest side. Casing and window trim are not usable wall: a backplate cannot sit on a molding profile, so measure from the edge of one trim to the edge of the other. All 4 designs share the same frosted globe, about 4.7 in (12 cm) across, so the backplate sets the width:

The Disc figure uses its larger side, 5.9 in, since you may not know which way it will sit on your box. At exactly the minimum, the plate touches the trim on both sides; that can look built-in, but most walls look calmer with a visible gap of wall around the plate. The Bar is for a wall, not a strip.

Recommended for this use case: the reader with a strip of about 6 to 8 in of flat wall and a wall box already in it should choose the Disc, in Disc Beige for a cream or wood room or Disc Black for contrast, because it is the most compact of the 4 designs; the trade-off is that it is hardwired, so a strip with no box needs a plug-in or battery light instead.

From the shop

Globe Wall Sconce with Switch, Pull Chain Glass Wall Lamp, 4 Shapes 4 Colors

Best for a narrow strip beside a door or window with a wall box in place; Disc backplate 5.9 x 5.5 in (15 x 14 cm) with a 4.7 in (12 cm) frosted opal globe; hardwired, so it needs a box in the strip.

View the pull-chain globe sconce — 17 colorways & current price

Will the backplate cover the wall box on a narrow strip?

Yes, if the backplate is about 1.5 to 2 in bigger than the hole behind it. Wall lights usually mount on a 4 in round or octagonal box, and the hole for it is cut slightly larger than the box. A home-repair guide gives a general rule that the canopy should be at least 1.5 to 2 in bigger than the hole so it overlaps evenly on every side.

• Disc: its smaller side is 5.5 in, which is 4 + 1.5, so it meets the rule for a neatly cut 4 in hole with no room for a ragged cut.
• Square and Pebble: 6.3 in each way is 4 + 2.3, the most overlap of the 4 designs.
• Bar: only 4.7 in tall, so it overlaps a 4 in hole by 0.35 in at the top and bottom. Check the hole before choosing it.

Position matters as much as size. The box has to sit inside the strip, with the backplate centered on it; if an old box sits off-center or too close to the casing, the plate will run into the trim no matter how small it is. For a hole that is already too big for the plate, see what to do when a sconce backplate is too small for the hole.

How do you measure the strip between a door and a window?

Use a paper template of the actual backplate, taped where the light will go:

1. Measure trim edge to trim edge at the height you plan to mount, since casings and window aprons are not always parallel.
2. Mark the center of the wall box. The Houseland sconce is AC hardwired to a standard wall box, so the plate has to center on it.
3. Cut a template: 5.9 x 5.5 in for the Disc, 6.3 x 6.3 in for the Square or Pebble, 11.8 x 4.7 in for the Bar.
4. Swing the door through its full travel and turn the handle; nothing should touch the template, and remember the globe will stand out from it.
5. Check the pull chain. The beaded chain with its wood teardrop hangs below the plate, so make sure a hand can reach it without catching a curtain or the door.

A template on the wall shows in a minute what a product photo cannot: how the plate sits against your trim and whether a door lever comes close to the glass.

Is projection a problem on a narrow wall by a door?

It can be, because the globe sticks out from the wall even when the backplate fits. The US Access Board's guide to the ADA Standards limits wall-mounted objects along circulation paths to 4 in of projection when their leading edge is above 27 in (cane-sweep height) and below 80 in (the minimum headroom). Those rules cover public and commercial buildings, not your home, but the reasoning applies to any narrow passage people walk close to the wall.

This sconce's globe alone is about 4.7 in (12 cm) across and sits in front of the plate, so expect the installed light to stand out more than 4 in. On a strip beside a door you walk through every day, or in a narrow hall, that is a shoulder-bump risk; measure the delivered fixture front to back before you choose the spot, and mount it where people are not brushing the wall.

Beside a bed, a reading chair or a window that nobody walks past, projection matters much less, and the listing names bedside areas, kids bedrooms, nurseries and reading corners as the best rooms for it.

When should you skip a hardwired sconce on a narrow wall?

Choose a plug-in or battery light when the strip is narrower than 5.9 in, has no wall box, or you rent. The globe sconce is hardwired: the backplate wires into a standard wall box and the pull chain switches it on and off at the fixture, so it needs a box exactly where the strip is.

Adding a box in that strip is electrical work, and the Electrical Safety Foundation strongly recommends a qualified, licensed electrician for any electrical work in the home. For the trade-offs, see hardwired vs plug-in wall sconces and putting a sconce where there is no junction box, or compare other shapes in the wall lamps collection.

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