Corten steel wall lights

Prices for Solan, Nérite and Angle Dièdre are UK prices in our signature patina, the base finish; Eos and Aura are sold only with the varnish, which is included in their price (even varnished, a sconce can still stain a pale wall or floor, so protect the area below it). Dimensions are width × depth × height in millimetres, and weights are the indicative figures from each product page.

Eos also comes at 150 × 35 × 600 mm (about 4 kg, £1,790), and Aura at 400 × 80 × 400 mm (about 7 kg, £2,090) and 500 × 90 × 500 mm (about 9 kg, £2,390).

An outdoor Corten wall light is chosen first by where it will be fixed: a stretch of façade, either side of the front door, a garden wall or the outside corner of the house. None of our wall lights shows its source: the light is thrown back by the wall, so the brick, stone or render behind matters as much as the steel in front.

• Stone, brick, timber cladding or textured render: Solan, with light grazing out on both sides of the bar, brings out the relief; on smooth render you get two crisper bands of light instead.
• Porch or entrance seen from the street: Nérite draws a glowing slanted line between two folded panels, visible from the gate like a beacon.
• Corner of the house, edge of an extension or garden room: Angle Dièdre folds over the arris and lights both faces at once, where a flat wall light would only catch one side.
• Landing, bedhead, inside the front door: Eos lets a vertical line of light through its slit; Aura, a square frame with an open centre, paints a square of light above a console table.

For a front door, fit a pair of Solan or Nérite either side of the frame, the same distance from the opening, and line the tops up with the lintel. The H600 is plenty beside a back or side door; the H900 or H1200 is in proportion with a wide front door, double doors or a driveway gate. Angle Dièdre sits high enough on the corner to wash both walls without dazzling anyone walking past.

In a row along a façade or boundary wall, keep the spacing even and the lights all the same height. Before anyone drills, try it at night with a torch held where each light will go: set too close, the pools of light merge into one wash; set too far apart, they leave dark gaps between them.

Our wall lights arrive ready to install and we do not fit them on site: the wiring and fixing are for a qualified electrician, who will check the light suits its spot (an exposed façade, a porch or an indoor room). If you are re-rendering or re-cladding, have the cable run in first so the finished wall does not need opening up again.

Weights stay modest but range from 2 kg (Eos H400) to 16 kg (Nérite H1200). On external wall insulation, timber cladding or a stud partition, ask for fixings suited to that surface, since it is the wall that carries the piece.

Each piece is made to order, with an indicative lead time of 2 to 5 weeks, and delivery is free. See how we make and deliver for the steps.

A wall light is fixed to the wall, so rain running over the Corten carries some patina with it and can leave an orange streak on render, pale stone or the paving at the foot of the façade, especially in the first months. On white or light render, plan from the start for a gravel strip or dark paving beneath the lights, and wipe off any run-off as soon as you see it.

For Solan, Nérite and Angle Dièdre, our protective varnish is an option at extra cost: £1,990 instead of £1,790 for a Solan H600, £1,890 instead of £1,790 for the smallest Angle Dièdre, £2,190 instead of £1,990 for a Nérite H600. It seals the patina and greatly reduces rust run-off, but does not rule it out: even varnished, a wall light can still stain a wall, a floor or a patio below, especially a pale or porous one, so protect that area all the same. Eos and Aura always come varnished, and a Nérite fitted in an entrance hall must have the varnish too: the same care applies indoors, with nothing pale or porous left unprotected beneath the light.

Our protective varnish page explains what it does (even varnished, Corten can still stain a pale wall or paving, so keep a gravel strip or dark paving below), and our guide to Corten steel care and rust stains covers cleaning up marks.

A wall light lights a wall and, through it, the doorstep or the façade. To mark out a path at ground level, the Luminus bollard houses a warm LED in a Corten post; for a real flame with no wiring at all, choose a lantern from our full range of Corten steel lights and lanterns. For the two indoor sconces alongside our floor lamp and pendants, see indoor Corten lights.