Wall lighting has traditionally been notoriously difficult to shop for. Before the industrial and vintage lighting boom of the 21st Century there was little choice beyond some uninspiring modern fittings or perhaps some pretty drab Victorian or Edwardian repro versions. Many gave up the hunt and ended up resorting to the functional but ubiquitous white ‘Half Moon’ uplighter.
We’ve very much enjoyed playing our part in transforming the wall lighting market.
Over the years we’ve salvaged and given new life to a galaxy of vintage and industrial wall lights, from old articulated engineering lamps, to ex Romanian military scissor-action wall fixtures, to antique prismatic glass Holophane church lights.
Along the way we’ve developed our own manufactured range of wall lights, all based on vintage or industrial classics. We’ve been particularly inspired by communist-era design and now offer a faithfully remade range of glass and porcelain lights straight out of the Eastern Bloc style manual. There’s no longer any need to resort to the generic where wall lighting is concerned.
You can now be bolder and more stylish, be it vintage or remade wall lights that you go for.
What kind of wall lights do Trainspotters sell?
We sell reclaimed vintage wall lights alongside our own range of wall lights based on historic classics. These roughly break down into two camps, either ambient or directional.
Ambient wall lights are used to provide an overall wash of light to a space, in much the same way as a central glass pendant might give general light to a whole room.
Directional or task wall lighting allows you to light specific areas, and it can be articulated, extendable or adjustable, so you can be flexible with where you want the light directed. Some wall lights are mounted to the wall on an arm or bracket, others are mounted flush to the wall.
Where are wall lights most commonly used?
Ceiling height can be a big factor in the use of wall lighting.
Many old cottages for example simply don’t have the headroom to allow for any meaningful use of pendant lights, so wall fixtures are the only option. Or sometimes wall lights are required at a height to provide task lighting over a specific area, for example as kitchen counter lighting. Wall lights are also commonly used as bedside lights, where they would be directional and articulated to provide a small field of light for reading.
What about the wiring?
All of our wall lights are supplied ready for your electrician to install.
Some wall lights are supplied wired and tested, others are ready to be wired directly into the mains cabling provided on the wall by your electrician. Our whole range, including vintage and industrial wall lights, comply to CE & BSEN standards. We use the best quality components, bespoke where necessary, and have a very experienced workshop team wiring and assembling our wall lights. On request we can wire to US or alternative smart systems.
Are wall lights dimmable?
This is a question we regularly get in relation to both wall and pendant lights. It’s not actually the light itself that determines dimmability.
The key is to make sure that the electrician has installed a dimming cable to the light you want to dim. If this is the case you just need to make sure that you use a dimmable bulb. Even if you don’t have a light on a dimming cable it is still possible to buy smart bulbs that dim on a Bluetooth or wifi connection.
Can I use LED bulbs?
Yes, absolutely. And we would positively recommend it. The LED bulb has come a long way in the last few years, to the extent that it has now completely eclipsed any need to use the old carbon filament version.
The latest LED bulbs are available fully dimmable and in a range of colour
temperatures, so there’s no need to worry anymore about the slightly clinical glare that the early versions gave off. It is now easy to create pretty much the full range of lighting ambience using pure LED.
We supply a small range of high quality dimmable TALA bulbs in a warm colour temperature. You can add these on to your order when buying any light.
LED bulbs are a win-win.
Can I fit a wall light myself?
We wouldn’t advise it. You’ll need a qualified electrician to do the installation and also make the decision as to what fixings are the best to use in each case. We’d urge you to resist the temptation to have a go at it yourself – we’ve seen a few horror stories over the years.
What do I do about ongoing maintenance for a wall light?
At Trainspotters we go out of our way to provide high quality wall light fixtures that will last for many years to come. Future maintenance on our wall lights should be limited to the occasional bulb change and perhaps the odd dusting or wipe down with a slightly damp cloth.
If LED bulbs are used then it could be many years before a bulb change is required. Please just make sure that all lights are turned off when bulb changing or cleaning.