22 Renter-Friendly Sconces, According to Interior Designers and Home-Décor Obsessives

Digital creator and interior designerCorey Staleyhas two of these small, affordable lights mounted on her recessed media wall. “I just wanted something simple and minimal without a large visual footprint,” she says. “These aren’t an eye sore and don’t compete with the room but rather easily integrate.” Unlike most other picks on this list, these sconces aren’t screwed in with hardware but rather stuck up with adhesive. Staley has had them for two and a half years, and they’re still sitting perfectly secure. They’re lit by a rechargeable battery (compatible with a standard C-port charger) and last about 12 to 15 hours at the highest of three settings — though Staley has them on only in the evenings, and at a lower light level, so she just needs to charge them every four or five days. In her case, they’re more to set the mood, “perfect for movie nights when I don’t want to just have the television as my source of light.” A big plus: They sit on a magnetic ball and can be rotated all the way around for whatever suits your space best.

“These are great if you want to add light in a dark hallway, add warmth above a nightstand, or create a little pool of light in an entryway,” says Ming Thompson, co-founder ofAtelier Cho Thompson. “The fact that they’re removable means you can experiment with placement until you find something that works.” While the design is simple, there are eight color options, so you can tailor them to your space. They install quickly, Thompson says, and are USB-C rechargeable with a battery that lasts nine hours from a full charge.

Interior designerNina Takeshrecommends these battery-operated sconces, which require no hardware (though there is a way to screw them in for extra insurance, should you prefer that). Otherwise, the circular back plates have a peel-and-stick design much like Command strips. You operate the lamps with a remote control that lets you adjust warmth and brightness, as well as set a timer to turn them on and off.

As we’venoted before, you can often find really good furniture and décor in the kids’ sections of certain retailers — and such is the case with this sweet scallop-edged number from Pottery Barn Kids. Despite its designation, I find it quite grown-up-looking — especially since it’s a rechargeable version with no cord in sight.

Danielle Arps, founder of the design firmDani Arps, recommends a picture light, which she points out works not only above a framed print, but also a mirror, or even a small shelf. “It creates a focal point without needing new furniture or construction, and it makes even inexpensive art feel intentional,” she says.

Jordan Slocum, half of the design, restoration, and renovation team theBrownstone Boysalso likes a picture light, which he says can make a space feel a bit more grown-up. His choice is this battery-operated one from Etsy, which comes in four finish options (antique bronze, black, gold, and silver) and three width options. His reasoning for adding this style of light is similar to Saft’s: “With a picture light, I actually don’t want it to be the star. I want it to do its job, look good, and let the art have the moment. So I like them to feel neat and tailored,” he says. “At night especially, that kind of glow is so good because it makes the room feel layered and more deliberate.”

Vakkerlight also makes this rechargeable swivel sconce, which rotates 350 degrees. It operates on and off via touch sensor, and you can dim it by pressing and holding your finger down.

This Pooky sconce as well as the one below are completely cordless. They operate with the brand’sGenesis Rechargeable Cell, which stays illuminated for nine to 17 hours at a time, depending on the light level (it’s fully dimmable using a remote). The Elbow model is a favorite of Barry Bordelon, the other half of theBrownstone Boys. “Cordless can sometimes veer gadget-y, but this still reads like a proper sconce,” he says. “The antique brass helps, and the elbow shape gives it a little architecture.” He also appreciates the scale: “It has enough presence that it feels intentional once it’s on the wall, but it’s not so large that it starts bossing the room around,” he says.

Digital creator and decoratorMadeline Scalzi’s rechargeable Pooky pick is the Swan Neck model, which lives in her entryway,a dark and outletless corner of her home. She liked the idea of bringing in some shine with the antique brass, the curve of the neck, and a patterned shade to catch the eye. Plus she can easily change out said shade for a new look if so inclined. One warning: “It’s sturdy, but it juts out from the wall a little bit farther than I initially expected — about 12 inches with the lampshade on,” she says.

For a more visually substantial pick around the same price point, Scalzi recommends these plug-in sconces. She has three around her New York City apartment: one on each side of the bed and another above built-in cabinets in her dining room area. “I love that the adjustable arm provides greater flexibility for positioning and styling as well as extending to light over my shoulder when I am reading in bed,” she says. Instillation was easy, the on/off switch is easy to access, and the cord is transparent.

“The swoop of this fixture makes it for me,” says Slocum. “It starts from a classic place, which I’m always drawn to, but then the curve softens it and gives it a little playfulness. It doesn’t feel overly proper.” The light itself is bright enough to be practical, with a rotary dimmer switch so you can turn it down as needed, too. But Slocum likes that it adds something intentional to a wall even when turned off. “The fixture itself isn’t enormous, but it still creates a presence. I want something that adds interest through shape rather than sheer scale,” he says.

Two of these plug-in sconces live in recipe developer and cookbook authorDan Pelosi’s guest bedroom in his Hudson Valley home. He was initially drawn to them because of the ash-wood and rope-cord details that perfectly match the headboard they flank (with lots of other colors in the room, he assures that it’s nottoomatchy-matchy). Turns out, it’s also a great light functionally. The arm is long, in a way that allows it to become a feature of the room, especially when extended. “I love the adjustability, and the way the cord interacts with the accordion motion,” Pelosi says. “It’s easy to pull close to you while in bed or to push back toward the wall. And the shade is a warm neutral, which casts the perfect glow for reading.” It was a breeze to install with molly bolts, now sitting securely in the old plaster walls.

If you like the look of that Zara Home extendable lamp, here’s one with a similar concept from Greenrow. The arm is made from metal with an antique brass finish and has three cloth shade options printed with various floral patterns (that have to be purchased separately).

Two of these frame Pelosi’s own bed. At first, he was searching for an extendable model like the one above, since his boyfriend reads in bed every night — but aesthetically, these were too perfect for the space to pass up. Luckily, they cast enough glowy light to work. “The shades are clean white, and they illuminate both up and down on the walls. We have an overhead light and a lamp on a dresser and as soon as we put these sconces up, we needed no other light,” Pelosi says. Still, they’re dimmable, which sets more of a mood when desired. Pelosi does warn that they were challenging to install; you have to mount a bracket first, then the light, with quite a few somewhat-confusing holes — and yet he loves them enough that he’d recommend them in a heartbeat, he says. Just be prepared to do a bit of work on the front end.

I’ve been eyeing this plug-in sconce (which also comes in a subtler ochre stripe) from Emma Chamberlain’s West Elm collection since it came out earlier this year. I think it manages to be sophisticated but still playful.

This is another kids’ pick that would work perfectly well anywhere: a tulip-inspired plug-in sconce. West Elm offers a similarrattan version, too, but I like the cloth, which looks like it produces a soft, muted glow.

And one more from the West Elm kids’ department: Though this sconce only comes in yellow, it’s an especially appealing shade. The material is iron, but it looks like classic enamel, especially with the white rim, which I love. And the head pivots so you can get directional light.

Jason Saft, founder ofStaged to Sell Home, describes this plug-in sconce as clean and sharp but not boring. “It has a nice tailored look, and the shape feels a little architectural,” he says. “It’s also versatile, which I always appreciate.” Indeed, it can be pointed down for a more direct task light or up to add an overall layer of light to a given room. Either way, the perforation around the edge of the shade casts a cool-looking glow against the wall. “For me, the biggest thing is placement,” Saft says. “Once you get the height right and make the cord look clean, it feels thoughtful instead of temporary.”

And Saft is yet another designer who thinks a picture light is an easy way to make a room feel more layered and considered, especially if the space doesn’t have much built-in character. This one is a plug-in version. “It draws the eye, adds warmth, and gives one area of the room a little more importance,” he says. “This is more about mood and emphasis than flooding with light. It highlights a specific object, but it also gives off a soft glow.” He likes that this particular one is simple, slim, and understated — not trying to dominate the room. Still, it has intrigue and texture thanks to the woven grasscloth covering.

It took Strategist writerKatherine Gillespieyears to design the lighting in her living room, which lacks anything hardwired overhead and doesn’t get a lot of natural sun. She mounted two of these sconces, a classic industrial Ikea design that the company has been making for decades, on different walls. “They look super-neutral and throw bright light in two directions,” she says. “The light boxes themselves are made of powder-coated aluminum, which I like. They don’t look cheap at all but are lightweight enough to mount with a single nail or even Command strip. And the generously long cords are woven, which is also an elevated touch. They give ‘Soho loft’ to me, even as I languish in Prospect–Lefferts Gardens.”

Strategist senior writerMichael Zhaohas Pooky lights on either side of his bed — though his are plug-in. While he finds the arms a bit long for his space, he appreciates that they can swivel in any direction, depending on the exact area he wants to illuminate. Also, with Pooky, “you’re in it for the shades,” he says. “I loved being able to order six different kinds to try them out and returning the ones that didn’t work for a reasonable fee.”

This is the most expensive pick on our list but a worthwhile investment, according to interior designer andinteriors Substack writerTalia Mayden. She actually has theclip-on model of this lampattached to her desk, but many of the qualities she loves about it translate to the plug-in wall-lamp version. “It’s a highly functional light, the likes of which you might see in an architect’s studio,” she says. “While beautiful in an austere, Scandi way, it’s pretty utilitarian. Because the shade is opaque, the light is directional and crisp. It’s perfect for reading, working, or sketching and is less about an ambient mood.” Mayden recommends the long-armed version so it’s more articulating, though there is a shorter iteration if that better suits your space. As for the cord? “It’s all about the cord,” she says. “Battery-operated sconces always feel impermanent to me; I can’t describe it, but you can just tell. The quality of this light here is more natural, and there’s no annoying hum. People get fussy about cords, but I think they’re cool. Let ’em hang!”