Pics are needed.

Do you have a lighting outlet at desired location? You will need to turn light off/on from top and bottom of stairs. Will you be able to reach the fixture for the occasional light bulb change?

Ceramic wall lights from Justice Design Group look pretty cool. Many come in a paintable finish. They aim up, down, up/down.

If there is no existing wiring or outlet, there are battery operated sconces. Some are available with remote control.

I need to see pictures of the area, and also need to have some idea of your style.

You can install a fixture in the ceiling to illuminate the wall. I would not bother with changing the color of the light.

There is likely only one light color that will show the art off to its best appearance.

If you think the style of your home demands a sconce you have options.

You can use swing arm sconces to focus the light on the art.

You can use a linear light to illuminate the art

There are picture lights available in different sizes.

Show us the stairwell and answer the questions please . I do not find picture lights great for more than lighting pictures. We do not know your style or really any useful info .

The biggest consideration for choosing a fixture for a stairwell "sconce" (defined as being mounted at about head height) is you don't hit your head or moving furniture knocks it off the wall. That first determines style of fixture.

^^ Those are very important considerations @3onthetree. So OP should definitely keep those in mind- regarding the size, shape and overall design of the sconce.

Style is another matter- in terms of: does the sconce lean Industrial or MCM, Modern or Traditional, etc. - or is it black, or gold, or lime green. Etc. The OP had mentioned “milky glass cube or rattan” as two possible options; but they were not sure, and wanted feedback and ideas. And I have no idea, either... without having more info for context.

Just to note: OP says that they want a sconce

“to affix to the wall backing onto the stairwell. i.e. the wall I will be looking at as I walk down the stairs.”

I would need pictures- to be able to understand the available space, and overall setup.

I think the OP may be done here, though. It looks like they were happy with the suggestions @thinkof129 gave them. I went to the Justice Design Group‘s site and looked at their ceramic wall sconces; they have many interesting options.

Thanks to everyone for getting back to me. I'm sorry I did not respond before now. I had a very hectic day. I really appreciate all the ideas and help.

Maybe I'm using the wrong term. I want to put a light on the wall I face going down the stairs. You can see from the photo that it is very gloomy and depressing. I read that backlighting that wall might make it brighter and a more inviting space. It really gets me down.

I wasn't sure at first if I should go for some rattan shade around a light. I was concerned the light dispersal might be very odd. Perhaps a milky glass cube would produce nicer light? I was planning on putting a tunable white smart bulb in it to try different things out. I hadn't considered hanging a picture there. I'm considering it now.

Basically I want to make the place less dark and claustrophobic. Sorry again for the delay today. I really appreciate all the effort everyone went to. I have researched many potential solutions but feel like I'm getting nowhere and wanted fresh eyes.

I have spoken to and shown the space to an electrician who can wire a switch for it.

Thanks to everyone especially Beverly for all the amazing research.

Any other potential solutions to my lighting issue are very welcome now that you can actually see the issue.

Thank you for the picture, leviosa87. It is dark and difficult to see the stair wall you are referring to, etc.; but I definitely see why you want to install some lighting there. Is this your home or are you renting?

Is there any overhead lighting in the stairwell? It seems like you may need more than a sconce there.

I just saw your comment about the electrician, so maybe this is your house. You need more than a sconce. Beverly was probably not clear about your question, you do not need picture lights.

No art in this stairway. It will potentially be distracting; plus, picture lights are for lighting art, not stairs.

Do you currently have any lighting in this stairwell?

Not renting. It's mine.

I have an ugly yellow light at the other end that should probably be in the middle. It is very unnatural during the day. I am going to get tunable white recessed smart lights which I want to connect to Philips Hue Bridge and set to Natural Light to mimic circadian rhythm and change light temperature during the day.

I thought putting a light on the wall that looked nice and also had a smart light in it and was dimmable might be a nice feature and also create an extra lighting source. I have read in many places that having lighting at different levels and not just overhead is important and more effective.

Any improvements or other ideas or advice very welcome. Thank you.

I have a stairwell in my house that looks a lot like yours. There is a fuxture at top of stairs. It has a half-silvered bulb that keeps light out of our eyes as we come up the stairs.

You will want something that keeps light out of your eyes as you go down the stairs. An up-aiming wall light would work. The Sliver from Justice Design comes to mind.

I would ask you to take more pictures, but I do not want you fooling around on the stairs trying to take pictures.

It sounds like the ”ugly yellow light” may be a ceiling light? And if so, yes, it should likely be centered.

Get the electrician in and have him evaluate and make suggestions for improving the lighting in this stairwell.

Maybe deal with the entire area, from the bottom of the stairway to the top.

Is there a wall at the top of the stairs where you can put artwork with lighting above it. This would be a start to lighten things up.

If the light at top of stairs is just a bulb and socket maybe you can try a half-silvered bulb there. Most of the light would get thrown to the ceiling and walls. I have attached a picture of our bulb so you can see the light distribution. It's an led bulb. I think it is 40 watt equivalent. Got it from Amazon a few years ago.

I don't use it so much now because it attracts bugs. Instead I have an LED strip attached to the underside of the stair rail.

The existing fixture at top of stairs appears to light the stairwell, especially that back wall. I am guessing that you can control that light from top and bottom of stairs.

I see the yellow cast. Is that from the bulb or from material on the fixture shade? If it is the bulb you might try a bright white unit (3000-3500K). Paint color might also have an effect.

Not sure about the bridge and automatic color temp shift. Only one bulb shifting will look pretty weird. Changing all bulbs to hue will be costly.

The reason lights in stairwells, with a tall ceiling like yours, are placed near the top of stair is so you can change the 'bulb' without an extension ladder or making a scaffold platform.

Loads of stuff;

https://hometrendstudio.com/stairs-light-design/?pinId=eav2x8g795f3o2evp9tjrgsa&utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic

Yes, @3onthetree, that makes sense. It would be quite a feat to change any lightbulbs on the stairwell ceiling at my place. Very high ceiling in stairwell. High ceilings, throughout. 1940 house. Really would make no sense to try to install lighting on the actual stairwell ceiling.

Do you mean the wall at the bottom of the stairs like this?

It is hard to tell but Beverly's idea of one long hanging light would be good if possible . The pic is hard to get a feel for the space . Usually ugly yellow light is incandescent so I use LED 4000K buls almost everywhere in my home to eliminate the yellow cast , 3500K is a slow as you can go and still avoid the yellow

Pat, I didn't not depict a hanging light but 3D sculpture on the wall with a single downlight above.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Update: I am installing smart tunable white led GU10 recessed lights in the stair

and linking them with the Philips Hue bridge set to Natural Light to mimic the circadian rhythm color temperature.

I am also going to buy this wall light for the back of the box room backing on to the stairs.

https://www.lights.ie/p/lindby-hermine-wall-light-white-glass-height-30cm-e27-9620375.html

I will also put a smart white tunable led bulb in that to link to the bridge.

I am repainting the area in Dulux Timeless for its high LRV.

Then I will put a large gold framed mirror at the top of the stairs.

Does anyone have any thoughts on installing a sun tunnel there?

For an enclosed stairwell like this, I’d lean toward something that creates a soft glow on the wall rather than a fixture that feels purely functional. Since you’ll see it directly as you come down the stairs, it can also become a nice decorative feature. A moon-style wall light could work beautifully here — especially one with warm, diffused light.

I recently looked at several different moon-inspired lights, including wall-mounted options, and this might give you some ideas for the look:
https://youtu.be/g-R98L8EdII