Corten steel wall lights and sconces

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

Eos also comes in 150 × 35 × 600 mm (5.9 × 1.4 × 24 in, about 4 kg or 9 lb, $6,690), and Aura in 400 × 80 × 400 mm (16 × 3.1 × 16 in, about 7 kg or 15 lb, $6,990) and 500 × 90 × 500 mm (20 × 3.5 × 20 in, about 9 kg or 20 lb, $7,390).

An outdoor Corten steel wall light starts with where it will be mounted: a section of the facade, either side of the front door, a garden wall or the outside corner of the house. None of our sconces shows its light source: the light bounces off the wall, so the brick, stone, siding or stucco behind it matters as much as the steel in front.

• Stone, brick, wood siding or textured stucco: Solan, with light grazing out on both sides of the bar, brings out every bit of relief; on smooth stucco it draws two sharper bands of light instead.
• Front porch or entry seen from the street: Nérite traces a glowing angled line between two folded panels, visible from the sidewalk like a beacon.
• Corner of the house, garage or addition: Angle Dièdre folds over the edge and lights both faces at once, where a flat sconce would only catch one side.
• Hallway, above the bed, inside the entry: Eos lets a vertical line of light through its slit; Aura, a square frame with an open center, casts a square of light above a console table.

For a front door, mount a pair of Solan or Nérite on either side of the trim, the same distance from the opening, and line the tops up with the header. The H600 (24 in) is plenty next to a side or back door; the H900 (35 in) or H1200 (47 in) holds its own beside a wide front door, French doors or a driveway gate. Angle Dièdre goes high enough on the corner to wash both walls without glare for anyone walking by.

In a row along a facade or a garden wall, keep the spacing even and all the lights at the same height. Before anyone drills, test it after dark with a flashlight held where each light will go: too close and the pools of light run together; too far apart and you get dark gaps in between.

Our wall lights arrive ready to install and we do not install on site: have a licensed electrician handle the wiring and mounting and confirm the fixture suits its location (an exposed exterior wall, a covered porch or a living space). If you are re-siding or re-stuccoing, have the wiring run first so the finished wall does not need to be opened up again.

Weights are moderate but range from 2 kg (4 lb) for Eos H400 to 16 kg (35 lb) for Nérite H1200. On exterior insulation, wood siding or drywall, ask for anchors matched to that surface, since the wall is what 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 sconce is fixed to the wall, so rain running over the Corten carries some patina with it and can leave an orange streak on stucco, light stone or the pavers at the foot of the wall, especially in the first months. On white or light stucco, plan from day one for a gravel strip or dark pavers below the lights, and wipe off any runoff as soon as you spot it.

For Solan, Nérite and Angle Dièdre, our protective varnish is an extra-cost option: $6,890 instead of $6,490 for a Solan H600, $6,990 instead of $6,590 for the smallest Angle Dièdre, $7,290 instead of $6,890 for a Nérite H600. It seals the patina and greatly reduces rust runoff, but does not rule it out: even varnished, a wall light can still stain a wall, a floor or a patio below, especially a light-colored or porous one, so protect that area anyway. Eos and Aura always come varnished, and a Nérite mounted in an entry hall requires varnish too: take the same care indoors, with nothing light-colored or porous left unprotected below the fixture.

Our protective varnish page explains what it does (even varnished, Corten can still stain light-colored stucco or pavers, so keep a gravel strip or dark pavers 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 front steps or the facade. To mark 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 next to our floor lamp and pendants, see indoor Corten steel lights.