I want to put a wall sconce in the landing going down to my basement. Thee was a light there and it had it's own switch for off and on but my new wall sconce does not. What would be my best way of adding it:

1) There is a switch already at the top of the stairs that operates the light at the bottom of the stairs. Can I just wire the light into that switch?

2) The old light has it's own junction box wired live. Should I add a second switch to operate the sconce?

What I would really like to do is operate the sconce and the light at the bottom of the stairs from the same switch and put a 3-way switchs in so it can be turned off at the bottom of the stairs too.

The junction box for the sconce light has a black and white wire in it.

The wall switch at the top of the stairs has two white wires two black wires, one red wire and a black pig tail wire going to the switch. The white wires are tied together with a marette, the two black wires are tied together with a marette and the black pigtail wire is coming out from the two black wires to the switch. The red wire is also going to the switch.

 

The simplest way to connect this up is as follows. Run a 14/2 cable from the sconce to the existing light fixture. Connect the black and white wires to the black and white wire the existing light are connected to. Leave everything else alone in the box.

To add a 3 run a 14/3 cable from the existing switch to the location of your new switch. Remove the 2 wires from the existing single pole switch. Connect one of the wires to the common of the new 3 way switch. Connect the other wire to the black from the new 14/3 cable. Connect the red and white from 14/3 to the other 2 screws on the 3 way. At the new 3 way box connect the black to the common screw and the red and white to the other 2 screws.

 

The 2-wire cable in the O-B where you plan on connecting the sconce MAY be a "Feed-Out" cable from the switch-box to the wall-sconce box.

Good Luck & Enjoy the Experience!!!!