For centuries, candle sconces were one of the most common ways of lighting a room. A sconce consists of a wall plaque with an arm or arms extended to hold a lighting fixture. Obviously in the case of candles, it's important to hold the flame far enough away from the wall that even a strong draft will not cause the flame to ignite anything.

Hurricane Candle Sconces

One way to alleviate this concern is to get a hurricane candle sconce. Instead of having a candle with an exposed flame, your candle will be sheltered within a glass casing. Usually this is beautifully blown or poured glass with a narrow column and a wider lip at the top so that soot does not collect inside the case. You can find all kinds of beautiful colors and designs that can draw the eye even when the candles are not lit.

The plaque or back of the sconce can also be a work of art in and of itself. Elaborate wood carvings, brass antique replicas, or iron and crystal backs all have a place in different decorative schemes. Often people buy them in pairs and use sconces to frame other dramatic decorative elements like a mantle, a large mirror, or a favorite painting.

People love the unique long shadows cast by hurricane candle sconces. They can be quite gothic and mysterious, and are particularly effective at creating atmosphere in a hallway. Generally speaking sconces would not be used as a primary source of light or of focused hard light--but for creating a sense of glamour and elegance, they are almost unparalleled as soft lighting fixtures.