A round wall light is read as a shape before it is read as a light source, which is why diameter matters more here than on a typical sconce. These circles run 14 to 39 inches across and sit close to the wall, so the mark they make in daylight matters as much as the halo after dark.

Four circles, four jobs

Four LED circle lights, all in black, all specifying CRI 90, all running LED strips or bands rather than replaceable bulbs. The Gleam outdoor light offers three color temperatures and 0 to 100 percent dimming from an included remote, at 14, 24 or 31 inches across. Luna (Outdoor) and Terra sit just 1.8 inches off the wall at 24, 31 or 39 inches across, Luna in warm white 3000K, Terra in cool white 6000K. Valley is the stainless steel design where the other three are iron.

Sizing, height and output

Size against the wall rather than the room: a corridor takes the smallest circle, an open living room or entry the largest. Mount to the center of the light, roughly 60 to 65 inches from the floor indoors, and 66 to 72 inches outside a door so the source clears the eyeline. At their largest sizes these draw 47 to 60 watts for around 3,300 lumens, bright enough to carry an entry on their own.

Indoors, outdoors and what sits beside them

Three of the four are rated IP65 for exposed walls, so entries, patios and facades come first: a lit circle flanking a door gives the frontage a mark you can read from the street. The one IP20 design stays inside, where the halo works as ambient lighting, indirect illumination for long flat hallways and stairwells. If a line suits the wall better than a ring, the long strip wall light range is the counterpart; outdoor wall sconces carry more traditional silhouettes, and indoor wall lights cover the rest of the house.

Measure the wall, then settle the diameter. At this scale one circular light usually carries a wall on its own.