Fabric cable doesn't have to disappear into the wall – as a visible element it's a design feature in its own right. For a plug-in light, the cable can be run entirely without a ceiling connection and without an electrician, because it's fixed to the surface rather than lying in a conduit.
The right fixings
Two systems have proven themselves: cable clips that stick or screw on (round, usually in painted metal or plastic, for one cable) and nail clips (a flat metal saddle with a pre-drilled hole for a small nail or screw, more discreet). On wallpaper and painted plaster, adhesive clips usually hold reliably if the wall is grease-free; on rough plaster or if the light is moved often, screwed clips or nail clips are the safer choice. For 2 x 0.75 mm² fabric cable, clips with an inner diameter of 6 to 8 mm fit. You'll find matching accessories under Cable hooks.
Spacing and routing
As a rule of thumb: one clip every 20 to 30 cm on straight runs, closer together (every 10 to 15 cm) just before and after every corner or change of direction so the cable doesn't sag there. Keep an even tension along the whole length – slightly taut looks neater than loosely sagging, but without pulling on the socket or ceiling rose. Before drilling or sticking, mark out the whole route with chalk or masking tape and check it from 2 to 3 metres away: small deviations from level are barely noticeable up close, but jump out immediately from a distance.
Corner guide
At inside corners (e.g. wall to ceiling), don't kink the cable sharply – run it with a clip right at the edge, so you get a clean 90-degree angle instead of a curve. At outside corners (e.g. around a projecting wall), place a clip on each side of the edge, not on the edge itself – the adhesive clip holds less well there, and over time the cable rubs against the plaster.
Pattern as a design element
Three tried-and-tested routes: vertically from the socket straight up to the light (the most discreet), at right angles along the edge of the wall to the corner of the room and then up (looks like a deliberate line in the room), or meandering with two to three changes of direction as a decorative element if the cable itself is a striking colour (e.g. a zigzag pattern or a bold shade). Rule of thumb: a discreet cable in the wall colour doesn't suit a meandering route (it looks like an installation mistake), whereas a coloured cable turns it into a deliberate pattern. For choosing a colour, see also Fabric cable cross-section and the colour combinations in our range under Fabric cable.
Plug-in light instead of a ceiling connection
Running cable along the wall is especially practical for plug-in lights: the cable runs visibly from the socket to the lamp holder, which hangs from a wall hook or a ceiling eyelet. That means no work at all on the 230 V household installation – connecting to the fixed ceiling wiring is a job for a qualified electrician anyway. How a set-up like this works in detail is explained in Plug-in light without a ceiling connection. For the cable length between socket and light, Calculating cable length helps if you also need to bridge a difference in height.
Small details that look neat
Leave at least 5 cm of cable free between the socket and the first clip, so the plug doesn't tear at the clip when you pull it out. If the cable ends at a lamp holder without a ceiling rose, add an extra clip directly under the lamp holder to carry the weight – otherwise the visible run will gradually pull crooked. And: in rented flats, nail-in clips with thin steel nails (1.2 to 1.6 mm) are usually less noticeable to remove than adhesive clips, which can take paint with them when peeled off.
Tools and time needed
For a typical run from socket to ceiling (2 to 3 m) you'll need: a spirit level or plumb-line app, pencil, masking tape, possibly a cordless drill with a fine bit (3 mm for nail clip plugs) or just a hammer for nail plugs, plus 8 to 12 clips or saddles spaced 20 to 30 cm apart. The mounting itself takes 20 to 30 minutes; most of the time goes on marking out neatly. On tiles or very smooth surfaces, normal adhesive clips often don't hold reliably – adhesive pads with stronger glue or a fine wall plug help there, if drilling is an option.
You can put together matching plug-in light components – cable, lamp holder, switch and plug – in the configurator, including a preview of the chosen cable colour against different wall colours.