Entryway & Hallway Lighting

The entryway is the only room in a house that exists to be passed through. Nobody sits in it, which is exactly why it gets ignored — and why a dark hallway makes an entire house feel smaller and older than it is.

Hallways: space them, don't centre one

A single fixture in the middle of a hallway lights the middle of the hallway and leaves both ends in shadow. That's what makes a corridor feel like a tunnel.

Ceiling fixtures: 8 to 10 feet apart along the run. Two small fixtures beat one large one in almost every hallway.

Sconces: 8 to 10 feet apart at 60 to 66 inches high. Sconces do more for a hallway than ceiling fixtures because light at eye level makes the walls read as surfaces rather than a channel.

Entryways: the height question

The main variable is ceiling height, and it splits cleanly:

8-foot ceiling — flush or semi-flush mount. A pendant becomes a head hazard, particularly with a door swinging.

9 to 10 feet — semi-flush or a small pendant, with a minimum of 7 feet of clearance from the floor.

Two-storey foyer — a long-drop pendant or chandelier hung so the bottom sits roughly at the level of the second-floor landing, or about two-thirds up the space. This is the one spot in a house where a dramatic fixture is unarguably correct.

Sizing: about one-quarter the width of the entry, or in a foyer, the room's length plus width in feet as a diameter in inches.

The Canadian entryway problem

Between November and April, this is where wet boots, coats and bags land — and where you're looking for keys in the dark at 5pm. It needs to be genuinely bright, not atmospheric.

A useful setup: an overhead fixture on a switch by the door for arriving, plus a small lamp or sconce on a console left on low in the evening. The second one is what makes a house feel occupied when you walk up to it.

Colour temperature

2700K–3000K. Entryways and hallways connect living spaces, so matching their warmth keeps the house reading as one house. A cool white hallway between two warm rooms is jarring in a way people notice without identifying.

From a Canadian company that has looked for keys in a dark entryway in February.

Frequently asked questions

How far apart should hallway lights be?

8 to 10 feet, whether ceiling fixtures or sconces. Two smaller fixtures spaced along the run beat one large one in the middle.

What height for hallway sconces?

60 to 66 inches from the floor to the centre of the fixture, spaced 8 to 10 feet apart.

Can I use a pendant in an entryway with an 8-foot ceiling?

Not usually — it becomes a head hazard, especially near a door swing. Choose a flush or semi-flush mount instead.

How low should a foyer chandelier hang in a two-storey entry?

Roughly level with the second-floor landing, or about two-thirds up the space, with at least 7 feet of clearance from the floor.

What size entryway light do I need?

About one-quarter the width of the entry. For a larger foyer, add the room's length and width in feet and use that as the diameter in inches.