In the land our family comes from, some of the oldest homes ever built were lit from the walls. Small clay lamps sat in niches at about shoulder height, throwing a soft glow across rooms where people cooked, ate and talked late into the night. Thousands of years later, open plan homes across Australia are coming back to the same idea.
Ceilings are getting cleaner and downlight grids are falling out of favour. The wall has become one of the most useful places in the house to put light. But in an open plan space, choosing wall lighting is harder than it looks. The kitchen, dining and living areas all share one view, so a fitting that looks perfect in one corner can feel out of place from across the room.
This guide walks you through each zone, so you can go into your next meeting with your designer knowing what to ask for.
Start with the whole space, not a single room
Before you choose a single fitting, stand at your front door or in the middle of the kitchen and look at everything you can see at once. That view is the room you're really lighting.
Three decisions should be made for the whole open-plan area before you narrow down to individual zones.
Colour temperature: Pick one and stick with it. For most Australian homes, 2700K (a warm golden glow) or 3000K (a slightly crisper warm white) is the right choice. Mixing 3000K in the kitchen with 4000K in the living room is one of the most common mistakes we see, and it makes a connected space feel patchy.
Finish family: You don't need every fitting to match, but they should look related. Black with brass, or white with natural timber, gives you room to play without the space feeling random.
The job of the light. Every wall piece in your home does one of three jobs. It washes light onto the ceiling or wall to brighten the room, it lights a task, or it acts as a feature in its own right. Knowing which job each fitting is doing makes choosing much easier.
The main types of wall light, in plain terms
Uplights throw light towards the ceiling, where it bounces back down softly. These are the workhorses of large rooms.
Up and down lights send light both ways. They're great in hallways and beside doorways, because they light the floor and add interest to the wall.
Sconces are decorative fittings, often with a shade or glass, that give off a gentle glow. Think of them as jewellery for the wall.
Picture and shelf lights are narrow fittings that aim light at artwork, books or displayed pieces.
Statement pieces are fittings designed to be looked at as much as looked by. Our Modern Minimalist LED Wall Clock is one of these. It's a working clock, a light source and a focal point all in one.
Now let's go room by room.
The kitchen
In the kitchen, wall lights play a supporting role. Pendants and good task lighting under cabinets or along shelves do most of the work. Wall pieces soften the space and stop it feeling like a showroom.
What to choose: Sconces or shelf lights with a simple, clean profile. Kitchens collect grease and steam, so pick finishes that are easy to wipe down.
How many: Usually two. A pair framing the window over the sink or sitting either side of the rangehood looks balanced and intentional.
Height: 1700 to 1800mm from the finished floor. Over open shelving, mount them about 150 to 200mm above the top shelf so light falls across what you've displayed.
Colour temperature: 3000K, with a CRI of 90 or above if possible so food and stone look true to colour.
Over the island, pendants should hang about 750 to 900mm above the benchtop. Our Anamesis Light is a 3000K warm white pendant, so it sits comfortably over a kitchen island without fighting the warmer living zone next to it.
The dining area
The dining area is where the evening slows down, and the lighting should follow suit.
What to choose: Sconces with glass or fabric diffusers that hide the light source. Nobody wants to look straight into a bare LED while they eat.
How many: Two, placed symmetrically either side of a sideboard, a mirror or a large artwork on the nearest wall.
Height: 1600 to 1700mm. Seated guests see the wall from a lower angle, so dropping the fittings slightly keeps the glare out of their eyes.
Colour temperature: Match your living zone, and make sure every fitting is dimmable.
Hang your main pendant about 750mm above the tabletop. That's close enough to feel intimate and high enough to see across the table.
The living room
This is the zone where wall lighting really earns its place, and where it can do the most for lighting in large rooms. A few well placed uplights can replace a whole grid of downlights and give you a softer, more even glow.
What to choose: Uplights for general light, and one statement piece for character. If you're hanging a feature piece like our Clock Light, centre it at about 1500 to 1600mm so it reads nicely from the sofa, and keep other fittings at least a metre away so it isn't crowded.
How many: Roughly one wall light for every 2.5 to 3 metres of wall you want to light. A 6 metre feature wall usually needs two or three. A smaller living nook might only need a pair either side of the television or fireplace.
Height: 1700 to 1800mm for standard 2.4 to 2.7 metre ceilings. With raked or high ceilings above 3 metres, lift uplights to around 1900 to 2100mm so the light has room to spread.
Colour temperature: 2700K. The living room is where warmth matters most.
Pair your wall lights with a floor or table lamp, such as our Diskovery lamp, and you'll have three layers of light that can change with the time of day.
The hallway and entry
Hallways link the open plan zones to the rest of the house. Because you repeat the same fitting along a length of wall, it's the best place to create rhythm.
What to choose: Up and down lights are ideal. They light the floor for safety and add a gentle wash to walls with artwork or family photos.
How many: One every 2.5 to 3 metres, with the first and last about 1 metre in from each end. A 7 metre hallway usually takes three.
Height: 1700 to 1800mm, with every fitting at exactly the same height. Even a small difference is easy to spot down a long wall.
Colour temperature: 2700K, so the hallway feels calm when you walk through at night.
For families with young children or anyone who gets up during the night, ask about a separate run of low level lights about 300mm above the floor on a motion sensor.
Four things to sort out before the walls are sheeted
Noggins. Ask your builder to add solid timber in the wall frame at each mounting height. It costs almost nothing during framing and saves a lot of patching later.
Switching. Group lights by mood, not just by room. Living and dining wall lights on one dimmer makes evening entertaining very easy.
Dimmer compatibility. LED fittings need matching dimmers, usually trailing edge types. Your electrician should check this against every product.
Licensed installation. All hardwired fittings must be installed by a licensed electrician, and most warranties depend on it.
Bring your floor plan, we'll bring the ideas
Open plan homes don't need more light. They need the right light in the right places. Choose one colour temperature, give each fitting a clear job, and work through your home one zone at a time. Do that and your open plan space will feel like a set of connected rooms, each with its own mood.
We're a small family business, and we'd love to help you get it right. Send us your plans, your designer's notes or just a photo of the wall you're stuck on.
Book a free lighting consultation →
Visit us at www.nlir33.com