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Pendant Lights

Pendant Lights

Home › Lighting › Lights › Pendant Lights

Pendant lights make the most sense in homes with a bit of ceiling height to spare and a spot that genuinely wants a focal point, an island, a dining table, an entryway with nothing else going on overhead. If your ceilings sit low, say under eight feet, or that room already has a ceiling fan doing the real work, I'd think twice, kindly, because a pendant hanging at eye level just means everyone ducks around it at dinner, and nobody wants to explain that to a guest.

Where it goes wrong is usually the same handful of ways. Don't put one near a ceiling fan, they'll fight for the same stretch of air and the fan will look like it's trying to eat the light. Don't hang one low over a walkway, a hallway, anywhere people move through quickly, I learned that one the hard way helping a friend hang hers over a kitchen peninsula that doubled as the path to the back door, Ernesto still brings it up. The honest limit is that one pendant over an island almost never lights the whole kitchen on its own, you still need something under the cabinets for actual chopping and reading recipes, the pendant is doing mood, not labor. Glass shades show every fingerprint and every dead bug that finds its way in, and open bottomed metal ones collect dust like it's their job, so before you buy, run a hand along the inside, if it's rough or pitted it'll hold grime forever. Over a few years, lacquered finishes wear thin right at the top where heat sits, unlacquered brass develops a real patina I happen to like, though Lupe took one look at my kitchen's and asked if it needed polishing, which from her is basically an insult. A pendant that needs three ladder trips a year just to stay dust free isn't lighting, it's a part time job. Cords can yellow, especially fabric covered ones near a sunny window, so check the length is actually adjustable before installation, not just long, and make sure the canopy at the ceiling fully covers the hole it's hiding, a gap there looks cheap no matter how nice the shade is.

Looked after, cleaned every couple of months and hung where it can't get knocked, a good pendant will outlast a couple of kitchen repaints without blinking. When you're next standing under one in a shop, pick it up if you can and feel the weight, a flimsy, rattly fixture never settles down once it's installed, it just rattles quietly forever over your dinner table.

Picked by Rosa. More in Lights.

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  • Living Room
    • Sofas
    • Armchairs
    • Coffee Tables
    • Side Tables
    • TV Cabinets
    • Throw Pillows & Cushions
    • Throws & Blankets
    • Rugs & Mats
  • Bedroom
    • Beds
    • Mattresses
    • Bedding
    • Dressers
    • Armoires
    • Nightstands
    • Vanity Tables
  • Bathroom
    • Basins, Sinks & Toilets
    • Bathtubs & Showers
    • Bathroom Cabinets
    • Towels
    • LED Mirrors
  • Outdoor
    • Garden Furniture
    • Outdoor Lights
    • Planters & Pots
    • Patio Umbrellas, Gazebos & Shade
    • BBQs, Fire Pits & Heaters
    • Sheds & Backyard Studios
  • Dining
    • Dining Tables
    • Dining Chairs
    • Dining Table Sets
    • Glasses & Drinkware
    • Plates, Bowls & Dinnerware
    • Flatware
    • Table Linen
  • Decor
    • Wall Art & Prints
    • Mirrors
    • Curtains & Blinds
    • Clocks
    • Vases & Artificial Plants
    • Candles & Diffusers
    • Ornaments & Accessories
  • Lighting
    • Ceiling Lights
    • Pendant Lights
    • Wall Lights
    • Table Lamps
    • Floor Lamps
    • String Lights
  • Storage
    • Shelves & Bookcases
    • Cabinets & Sideboards
    • Storage Boxes & Baskets
    • Racks, Hooks & Stands
    • Shoe Storage
  • The Finder
  • My Picks
  • Read
    • The Edit
    • Blog
    • We Love