Swing Arm Lamps – DIY In the Wall Pin-up Kits

We finally got the swing arm lamps next to the bed. Here’s how Cliff installed them.

We had to wait to put up the swing arm lamps, because we had to know exactly where the bed was going to be. We had to select and buy the bedside tables to be sure. And by then I couldn’t find the box with the lamps in it.

I did not want the wires hanging down the wall. But Cliff did not want to run wire. He told me that the lamps had to be directly over the outlets because it is impossible to cross studs with wires once the drywall is up. Which I know is so not true, because I have hired electricians before and they have put up sconces wherever I wrote an X on the wall.
But, a husband is not as reasonable as electricians.

So we came up with this strange compromise. He made a kind of pin-up kit inside the wall.

First Cliff found where the studs are. The lamps came with a template. He marked and cut out for the boxes he bought. Which are round.

He cut the hole and pulled the drywall out.

It is an exterior wall, so there is a lot of insulation.

He pushed fish tape through the hole. Fish tape is kinda flexible, but rigid enough to push down the wall. The insulation made it hard to push through, so there was a lot of grumbling about pin-up kits.

He made holes directly below the hole for the box and pulled the fish tape through. Then, taped a cut off piece of extension cord to the fish tape.

He had threaded this piece gasket onto the cut-off extension cord. It is a knockout wire clamp.

Then, he pulled the wire up through the wall.

He pulled the wires through the box and installed the box in the drywall.

He screwed the cross bar that came with the swing-arm wall lamps onto the electric box.

Then he wired the lamps with the provided wire nuts, pushed the wires through into the blue box, threaded the sconce back onto the bolts sticking out and attached the nuts.

This is what comes out of the wall behind the bedside tables. Strange, but nice and neat.

Here is the installed wall sconce. It works like a pin-up kit, but the wires are in the wall.

I love it! It looks just the way I want!

I have wanted these Holtkotter lamps for a really long time. They are really, really good.

It can put a lot of light out, but with the dimmer you can control exactly how much. The glass is white inside, so most of the light goes down.
The diffuser prevents glare and hot spots. The limited light through the red shade is flattering.

The knob is a dimmer. The sconces we used to have were 3-way. Great, but to turn it off, you have to go through bright and brighter first.
With these, you turn it on just bright enough, then you can turn it back off. Love it!

Holtkotter 9426 Swing Arm Wall Sconces come in a lot of different finishes and glass choices. Ours are in Polished Brass finish with Magma glass. I found them on Amazon. They were seriously discounted because they were returns. They weren’t my original choice. I didn’t think I would like the red as much as I do. The light is so flattering!