How to Get the Library Glow with Picture Lights, Lamps & Sconces

There’s a specific quality of light in a room I want to live in — warm, layered, directional in places, ambient in others, and never [EVER. EVER!] coming only from the ceiling.

In the rooms that make me feel … like I’m LIVING RIGHT … whether its a room in a home or a good hotel, there’s almost always a picture light shining, a lamp doing something useful in a corner, and a sconce or two that are more decorative – more about the feeling – than functional. The story they all tell together makes a room feel cohesive.

My take?

The picture light is the toughest component to solve for in that equation.

A lamp you can move; a sconce you can wire. But a picture light makes you commit — to a piece of art, to a wall or shelf location, and in my house, to a mounting solution that doesn’t destroy plaster or require a call to the electrician.

I have a few pieces of art with picture lighting at Rosemont. The Situ art lights I use are spendy, so I need to be sure of the placement and the art itself before I commit.

Adding library lights to our living room built in shelves is on my (loooong) project list. Getting those in will finish the lighting in that room, acting as the final layer to an already layered lighting story.

New construction gives you the option to wire everything in a way that makes sense. I have no idea what that experience is like, but I imagine it’s pretty terrific. And maybe boring?

But in an older house with original plaster walls and lath behind them, adding wiring to a new location is a project, not a simple “let’s do it!” decision.

There’s also the unexpected craziness of wiring that’s “grown up” over the last 50 to 80 years. Old wiring that connects seemingly unrelated rooms, new wiring that’s tied into old wiring.

It’s a puzzle that comes with every old house

Unless you open up the whole house and rewire completely. In our house, it’s a project that gets tackled over time.

But fear not! Plug-in and rechargeable picture lights exist for exactly this reason. Not all of them are worth using — the cord management on plug-in lights can create an “ugly wire” problem, and rechargeable lights vary widely in battery life, light quality, and color temperature.

The other old-house-specific issue: scale.

Picture lights designed for contemporary minimal spaces often look too small and too slight next to art hung in a room with 9-foot ceilings and substantial molding.

A light that would be perfectly sized in a modern apartment can disappear entirely in a period room.

A good table lamp in the right spot is the difference between a room that works after dark and one you abandon for somewhere brighter. The lamp doesn’t have to be precious — it just has to be in the right place, at the right height, with a shade that diffuses rather than directs.

In an older house, look for bases with some weight and history to them — ceramic, turned wood, aged brass. A linen or cotton shade in a warm white. I’m a huge fan of lights in front of windows, so my home at night gives off a golden glow inside and out.

Jump to task and table lamp sources

And sconces? They’re the pure drama we invite into our house

A sconce in a library, office, or living room isn’t doing the same job as a sconce in a bathroom. You’re not lighting a task. You’re adding drama — something that makes the room feel lived in when the overhead is off (OR DIMMED! AS IT SHOULD BE!) and the picture light is doing its work.

The ones that are most at home in an older house: swing-arm sconces on a visible arm (not floating), plug-in where wiring isn’t practical, warm brass or aged bronze, with a shade that throws light where you want the eye to flow.

Our living room sconces bring a modern moment to the room, and are handmade by Blueprint lighting (similar style here).

Jump to sconce sources

Whether your library is a library (and, if it is…CONGRATULATIONS!) or an office or living room. Even a hallway.

Some practical guidance you can use:

• Size to the art, not the wall. A picture light should span roughly 50–75% of the painting’s width. Most stock sizes run 12″, 18″, 24″ — match accordingly.
• Color temperature matters more here than anywhere. A 4000K picture light on a warm oil painting is a real problem. Stay at 2700K–3000K (I wrote more on lighting temperature here).
• Rechargeable lighting has gotten genuinely good. The best rechargeable lights now run 8–12 hours on a charge and are indistinguishable from hardwired at normal viewing distance.
• Cord covers exist and work. For plug-in lights, paintable cord covers eliminate most of the visual problem.
• And don’t hold back on table lamps and sconces that create a vibe. A small lamp on a table in the evening giving off a just-right glow is an invitation to use that space.
• Facebook Marketplace and vintage markets are rich with cool old lights. Rewiring kits are inexpensive and available on Amazon (and other sources)
• Don’t like the finish on an inexpensive lamp or sconce? That’s why they make Rub n’ Buff, spray paint, and gold leaf! I have so many “altered” finishes in my house. It’s another EASY DIY way to spend less and get the look you want.