So my husband hung this with the opening up, but I liked it so we left it that way. You definitely need a pretty light bulb - a plain ol standard bulb doesnt do the fixture justice. Another bit - this sconce replaced one with a thick translucent glass shade. The same wattage bulb with the clear glass sconce was way too bright at 60W so we went down to 25W equivalent LED. Big potential glare problem if you need a higher watt bulb and its at eye level.