How to style & hang pendant lamps
One of the year’s biggest trends in home décor, statement lighting is one of our favourite ways to upgrade a dining room, kitchen, or entryway. Hanging new pendant lamps can feel overwhelming, but the end result is definitely worth the bit of effort it takes to choose and position the perfect piece. With so many beautiful pendant lamps in our latest collection, we’re taking you through how to choose and hang lighting for statement-making style in any room of your home.
Why overhead lighting?
Pendant lights aren’t just beautiful, they help strategically light your home. A pendant lamp in your entryway makes a well-lit impression for guests. Over your kitchen island or dining table, pendants are the perfect choice for illuminating your work surface or carefully plated meal. Combined with a dimmer switch, overhead pendant lamps let you set the mood from bright and focused to soft and intimate.
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How big should a pendant lamp be?
Overwhelmed by choices? Keep your lights proportional to the size of the room and the furniture in it. In smaller spaces where you need focused light, like over a desk or kitchen sink, single-bulb pendants work well. In bigger spaces, like over a large dining table, choose larger fixtures with multiple bulbs, or hang several smaller pendants to evenly light the room.
Tables and counters are an easy point of reference for how large a pendant lamp should be. But in other rooms, there’s an easy trick to choose the right size for your space. Add the room’s dimensions in feet, then turn that number into inches. In a 15’ x 20’ room, a 35” pendant light should carry enough visual weight without overwhelming the room.
What style of pendant lamp should I choose?
Pendant lamps bring you functional overhead lighting, and they have the power to upgrade your style, too. Statement lighting is the perfect opportunity to add texture, contrasting elements or a pop of colour to the room. Is your neutral room lacking personality? Add some edge with an industrial piece like our LONDYN pendant lamp. Or hang the Lorelai rope pendant in spaces with dark furniture for a soft, boho-inspired glow.
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Pendant lamp placement
You’ve found the perfect pendant light for your space. Now comes the not-so-fun part: hanging it. Where to hang a pendant lamp depends on where you’ll be using it and the specifics of your home, but these general rules will get you started:
Kitchen Counters & Islands
- Hang lights about 32” above your counter or island. Homes with taller people may need to adjust to keep bulbs above eye level (nobody wants to be blinded during dinner prep).
- For the opposite effect, light walls and décor make a room feel more spacious.
- Center single fixtures over the counter. If you’re grouping multiples together, leave about 30″ between each light, and don’t hang any more than 6″ from the edge of your counter or island
Dining Tables
- In dining rooms with 8-foot ceilings, hang lights 34” above the table. For every foot of added ceiling height, add an extra 3” between your table and light.
- Like over counters, your table should extend at least 6” past the lighting on each side.
Other Rooms
- Outside of the dining room and kitchen, halls and entryways are the most popular place to hang pendants, but they can work in living and bedrooms too.
- Make sure these lights are high enough that people can easily pass underneath without feeling like they have to duck.
- Hang at least 7 feet from the floor in rooms with 8-foot ceilings and add around 3” for every foot of extra ceiling height. That means in a room with 10” ceilings (lucky you) your pendant should be at least 7’6” from the floor.