Wall Light Height Guide - How High A Wall Light Should Be Hung

Most wall lights in an Australian home sit 1600 - 1800mm above the floor, measured to the centre of the fitting. At that height the light source is close to a standing adult's eye level, so the shade hides the globe from anyone walking through the room.

The rule works well in living rooms and hallways. Beside a bed, above a kitchen bench, on the stairs or at the front door, the height changes because the light is doing a different job.

Recommended Wall Light Heights by Room 

How high should a wall light be for each room? below is our recommended installation height per room.

Measure to the Centre of the Fitting

Every height in this guide is measured to the centre of the fitting. Many wall lights have their fixing point off-centre, near the top or bottom of the backplate, so check the product dimensions and work out where the fixing point lands once the centre is at the right height. That's the measurement your electrician needs before running the cable to the wall.

Where you measure from changes by room. Living areas, hallways and bathrooms are measured from the finished floor, after the tiles or floorboards go down. Bedside lights are measured from the top of the mattress, kitchen lights from the benchtop, and stair lights from the nosing line (the imaginary line running along the front edge of each tread).

Wall Light Heights For Living and Dining Rooms: 1600 - 1800mm

Living room wall lights usually frame something, like a fireplace or a large artwork, and add a softer layer under the downlights or pendant. Set the centre 1600 - 1800mm from the floor. The lower end suits rooms where people are mostly seated. The upper end suits taller ceilings and fittings that throw light upwards. Before the cable goes in, have someone hold the fitting in place while you sit on the sofa, and check that you can't see the globe.

When a pair flanks a fireplace, mirror or artwork, mount both at the same height and leave 150 - 300mm between each fitting and the edge of whatever it frames. Along a longer wall, space them 1800 - 2400mm apart. Browse our living room wall lights, and see our Wall Sconce Height Guide for how different sconce styles affect placement.

Dining rooms use the same range. The pendant over the table does most of the work, so wall lights either side of a sideboard or buffet are there for atmosphere. Wire them to a separate dimmer and you can turn them right down once everyone sits to eat. For the pendant itself, our Kitchen Pendant Light Height Guide covers hanging it 700 - 900mm above the table.

Wall Light Heights For Bedrooms: 750 - 900mm Above the Mattress

Bedside wall lights are reading lights, so measure from the top of the mattress instead of the floor. Set the centre 750 - 900mm above it, which puts the light a little above your shoulder when you're sitting up against the bedhead. With a mattress top 550 - 600mm off the floor, that's about 1300 - 1500mm. Australian beds run from about 400mm to 650mm to the top of the mattress, so measure your own first.

The easiest test is to sit up in bed with a book while someone holds the light against the wall. Mark the spot where it lights the page without shining in your eyes. If you and your partner are different heights, split the difference so both lights sit on the same line.

Centre each light over its bedside table, or 150 - 300mm out from the edge of the bed. A swing arm gives you more leeway because you can pull the light over the page, and a switch on the fitting means you can turn it off without getting up. If the bedside light is the last one off at night, ask your electrician to put it on a two-way switch so it also works from the door. Compare sizes and shades in our bedroom wall lights.

Wall Light Heights For Hallways and Entries: 1700 - 1800mm

Hallway lights sit higher because people walk past them. At 1700 - 1800mm, the fitting is above most people's eye line, so the light washes down the walls and nobody looks straight into it.

Space them 1800 - 2400mm apart and keep each one at least 150mm clear of door frames. Hallways in Australian homes usually run 1000 - 1200mm wide, and new homes built to the Livable Housing Design Standard keep at least 1000mm clear along the accessible path. In a hallway at the narrow end of that, or a tighter passage in a period home, choose a fitting that projects no more than about 100mm from the wall. When you browse our hallway wall lights, check the projection in each product's dimensions.

Wall Light Heights For Kitchens: At Least 600mm Above the Benchtop

Kitchen wall lights usually go where there are no overhead cupboards, such as over open shelving or above the sink. Measure from the benchtop and keep the bottom of the fitting at least 600mm above it. On a standard 900mm Australian bench, that puts the base of the light around 1500mm from the floor.

Above a window, keep the bottom of the fitting about 150mm above the top of the frame. Over open shelving, a light with an arm or an angled head lets you aim it down at the part of the bench you work on.

Keep wall lights well away from the cooktop, where heat and cooking grease collect on shades and finishes. For how wall lights sit alongside downlights, pendants and LED strips under the overhead cupboards, see our Kitchen Lighting Ideas guide.

Wall Light Heights For Bathrooms: 1500 - 1650mm at the Vanity

At the vanity, wall lights are there to light your face. Mount one either side of the mirror with the centres at 1500 - 1650mm, about face height, and 100 - 150mm out from the mirror's edge. Light from both sides fills in the shadows that a single fitting above the mirror casts under the eyes and chin. If the mirror runs wall to wall, one fitting above it works, with the bottom of the light 150 - 200mm above the top of the mirror.

Bathroom wall lights also have to comply with AS/NZS 3000:2018, known as the Wiring Rules, which divides the room into zones. Zone 0 is the inside of the bath or the shower base. Zone 1 is the space above it, and for a shower with no screen it also reaches 1.2m out from the shower's fixed plumbing connection. Zone 2 runs a further 600mm beyond Zone 1, up to 2.25m above the floor. In a home, a fitting in Zone 1 or Zone 2 needs at least IPX4, which means it's protected against splashing water. Outside the zones no rating is required, though IP44 suits a room that fills with steam every day.

The zone boundaries move with your layout. A fixed screen or barrier can limit Zone 1 to the area the screen encloses rather than the full 1.2m, which often frees up wall space beside the shower. The standard itself isn't published free, so have your electrician confirm the boundaries in your bathroom before you order a fitting. Our Bathroom Lighting Ideas guide has a full breakdown of each zone. If one of our bathroom wall lights doesn't list an IP rating, ask our team before you buy.

Wall Light Heights For Stairs: 1500 - 1700mm Above the Nosing Line

On a staircase the floor level changes with every step, so measure from the nosing line. Set the centre of each wall light 1500 - 1700mm above it and keep every fitting on a line parallel to the pitch of the stairs. The National Construction Code measures stair headroom from the same nosing line, so your builder already works to it. A single light can sit at the midpoint of a flight; on a longer run, space them no more than 1800mm apart. Landings are floors, so they take the hallway height of 1700 - 1800mm.

Keep the projection to about 100mm so nobody knocks the fitting on the way up. Low step lights are a separate layer, set 200 - 300mm above the tread where they light the step itself.

Wall Light Heights For Outdoors: 1500 - 1700mm Beside the Front Door

At the front door, a wall light needs to show a visitor's face and the keyhole. Set the centre 1500 - 1700mm above the ground and 150 - 300mm clear of the door frame. If there's room for only one, put it on the handle side.

Size the fitting to the door as well. A common rule is that each light in a pair should be about a quarter of the door's height, and a single light about a third. On a standard 2040mm Australian door, that's roughly 510mm and 680mm tall. Outdoor lights look smaller against the front of a house than they do in the box, so if you're torn between two sizes, choose the larger.

Beside a garage or carport, mount lights a little higher at 1700 - 1800mm to spread light across the driveway. On an alfresco or verandah wall, 1600 - 1700mm suits a seating area.

Check the IP rating before you settle on a height. No Australian standard sets outdoor IP ratings by position and suppliers differ, so treat this as a working rule: IP44 or higher under deep eaves or a verandah, IP54 - IP65 on a wall that faces the weather, and IP65 where the fitting is fully exposed or gets hosed down.

Salt air is the other half of the problem, and an IP rating says nothing about it. Lighting suppliers here treat 5km from the coast as the point where corrosion becomes a real risk, while AS 4312, the corrosion standard, puts the usual reach of salt at about a kilometre inland, further where strong onshore winds and flat ground carry it. Near the water, choose solid brass, copper or 316 marine grade stainless. The 304 stainless in budget fittings corrodes quickly by the sea, and even 316 tea stains without an occasional wash down. Brass darkens outdoors as it develops a patina, a surface change that doesn't affect how the light works.

Our exterior wall lights include coach lamps and bunker lights, and our guide to lumens for outdoor lighting covers how bright each area should be.

Wall Light Heights Compared

Adjusting for Higher Ceilings

The heights above assume a 2.4m ceiling, the National Construction Code minimum for habitable rooms other than kitchens, which along with bathrooms and hallways can drop to 2.1m. Most new homes now go higher: 2.55m is a low cost upgrade and 2.7m has become typical, especially on the ground floor. Period homes run higher again, commonly 3.0 - 3.6m.

In taller rooms, lift living room and hallway lights towards 1800 - 1900mm so they don't look as though they've slipped down the wall. Leave bedside, vanity, kitchen and stair lights where they are, because a taller ceiling doesn't change the bed, mirror, bench or steps they're set against.

What's Behind the Wall

Timber framed walls in Australia have studs at 450mm or 600mm centres with a row of noggins partway up, so the height you mark can land on hollow plasterboard or on solid timber. Neither stops the job, but the cable and any mounting block go in before the plaster does, so your electrician needs the height early rather than on the day the fitting turns up.

Solid double brick and lath and plaster walls, common in period homes, are slower to work with. The cable has to be chased into the wall or run in surface conduit, which makes moving a light later an expensive change of mind. Check the picture rail before you settle on a height, because a rail running around the room sets a line your wall lights either sit above or below.

The Wiring Rules also call for extra protection, or a 30mA safety switch, where a cable runs within 50mm of the wall surface. That's your electrician's call, and one more reason to fix the height before the wall is closed up.

Before Your Electrician Arrives

Mark each position on the wall with masking tape at the centre height and live with it for a day or two. Moving a strip of tape is a lot easier than moving a cable and patching the plasterboard.

When you brief them, hand over the lot in one go:

• the height to the centre of the fitting, and what it is measured from: finished floor, mattress top, benchtop or nosing line
• where the fitting's fixing point sits in relation to that centre
• spacing between fittings, and clearance from door frames, mirrors and artwork
• the IP rating the position needs, inside and out
• how each light is switched, including two way switching and dimmers

If you'd like a second opinion on fittings or heights, bring your plans and measurements to our Clifton Hill showroom at 400 Hoddle Street, where our team can talk you through the options. You can also browse our full range of wall lights online.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wall Light Height

How High Should a Wall Light Be From the Floor?

In most living rooms and hallways, 1600 - 1800mm from the floor to the centre of the fitting. Bedside, kitchen and stair lights are measured from the mattress, benchtop and nosing line instead, so check the table above for each room.

Do You Measure Wall Light Height to the Top or the Centre?

To the centre. The fixing point on many wall lights is off-centre, so once you know where the centre should sit, work out where the fixing point falls and give that measurement to your electrician.

Can I Put a Wall Light Above the Bath?

The space above a bath is Zone 1 under AS/NZS 3000, so a fitting there needs at least IPX4 and has to suit the zone. Many decorative wall lights don't, and your electrician can confirm what will pass before you buy.

What Height Suits a 2.7m Ceiling?

Lift living room and hallway lights to around 1800mm and leave bedside, vanity, kitchen and stair lights where they are. Above 3m, 1800 - 1900mm sits better again.

What IP Rating Does a Bathroom Wall Light Need?

IPX4 or higher if it sits in Zone 1 or Zone 2 under AS/NZS 3000, which covers the bath or shower area and a further 600mm out from it. Outside those zones there's no required rating, but IP44 suits a room that fills with steam.

How High Should Outdoor Wall Lights Be?

1500 - 1700mm to the centre beside a front door, 1700 - 1800mm beside a garage or carport and 1600 - 1700mm on an alfresco or verandah wall. Choose IP44 or higher under cover and IP55 or higher on exposed walls.

Can I Install a Wall Light Myself in Australia?

Not a hardwired one. Connecting a wall light to fixed wiring is licensed electrical work in every state and territory. A plug-in wall light that runs from a power point doesn't need an electrician.

Related Guides

More from our lighting guides:

• Wall Sconce Height Guide - how sconce styles change placement, with heights for bedrooms, hallways and living rooms
• Kitchen Pendant Light Height Guide - hanging heights above an island bench or dining table
• Standing Lamp Height Guide - floor lamp heights beside seating and reading chairs
• Chandelier Sizes and Dimensions Guide - sizing a chandelier to the room and the ceiling height
• Bathroom Lighting Ideas - a full breakdown of the wet area zones and IP ratings
• Kitchen Lighting Ideas - layering downlights, pendants and under cupboard strips
• Recommended Lumens Per Room - how much light each room needs
• How Many Lumens for Outdoor Lighting - brightness for entries, driveways and alfresco areas

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Browse the full range or jump straight to a category below.

• All Lighting - browse every lighting category in one place.
• Wall Lights - the full range of interior wall fittings.
• Sconces - wall mounted fittings for bedsides, hallways and vanities.
• Exterior Wall Lights - coach lamps and bunker lights for outside walls.
• Home Outdoor Lighting - post lamps, eave fittings and the rest of the exterior range.
• Pendant Lighting - hanging fittings where a wall light needs company.
• Ceiling Lights - downlights and flush fittings for ambient light.