How to Choose Pendant Lights for Your Home: A Buying Guide

What is a pendant light?
How to choose pendant lights for your home?
Types of pendant lights
Have you thought about materials?
What are you using the pendant light for?
Where can you install pendant lights?
How to hang pendant lights
Can I install pendant lights without hardwiring?
How do I clean or take care of my pendant light?
Pendant buying checklist 
Quick buying tips

What is a Pendant Light?

A pendant light is a lighting fixture that consists of a ceiling rose, suspension cord and a lampholder that is usually finished with a shade or bare bulb. Although it may seem obvious, there’s a lot more to pendant lights than meets the eye. You can get single or multiple lights, big or small, colourful or neutral tones just to name a few. The advent of modern design has allowed the definition and understanding of pendant lights to broaden immensely with variations in style. When you’ve read through our guide here, we invite you to visit our pendant lighting product category to see our large selection of lighting options!

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How to Choose Pendant Lights for Your Home?

There are endless ways to go about choosing a pendant light. A good starting point is deciding on your décor style or room theme and go from there. Next, decide on the shape, size and design of your pendant light, keeping in mind your theme or style of the space it will live in. 

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Types of Pendant Lights

Glass pendants
A classic style and a favourite among home interior design. Typical glass pendants feature a glass shade in varying forms that can be clear, or opal finished with ripple or crosshatch designs. Traditional glass pendants were hand or mouth blown whereas modern manufacturing consists of machine moulded pendant making.

Multi-light pendants
These come in two distinct forms. The first consists of multiple arms with light sources that extend from a central core. The second form is made up from multiple pendant suspension cords that are attached to a ceiling rose. These can come with or without shades and are commonly found in three, five or nine light drops.

Drum shade pendants
Made up of a cylindrical drum shaped shade, this type of pendant light can be used as a statement piece or as a great alternative to glass pendant lights. They offer a natural, soft diffusing touch to a space.

Globe pendants
This type of pendant features classic spherical round shades attached to a pendant light fixture. They are great for evenly distributing light in a space or to harness a classic lighting look.

Cord pendants
These are simply made up of a ceiling rose, suspension cord and a bare light bulb. They are effective as subtle statements, perfect for showcasing designer bulbs in a singular or clustered formation.

Linear pendants
Simplistic and classic, this type of pendant comes with one long tube bulb on a long canopy. They are commonly found above kitchen island benches, restaurant kitchens or hung above a bar.

Shade pendants
Simply put, these lights include a pendant light fixture with a shade. They come in endless variations, from copper, brass and steel to porcelain, wicker and wood.

Lantern pendants
The ultimate vintage style when it comes to pendant lighting, they are often based on street lanterns of yesteryear, commonly rectangular in form with an encased lampholder.

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Have You Thought About Materials?

If you have a certain material in mind, then you can shop according to this requirement. To showcase the light in its full glory, consider materials such as fabric, brass, concrete and metal, which instantly grab your attention. Or, if you prefer the subtle look, explore materials such as glass, wicker/rattan, wood, leather and cork, which exude an understated look. The material you choose is crucial in ensuring that your focal point is well-executed.

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What Are You Using the Pendant Light for?

Consider the purpose of the light. While we all appreciate the beauty of an artistic and conceptual light, we also understand that lighting must serve a functional, utilitarian purpose. So, ask yourself the important questions pertaining to the light's purpose: is it for task lighting for a specific activity? Is it for general lighting that provides the room with overall illumination? Or, is it to add some accent lighting to emphasise certain objects or room features? This should help inform your pendant lighting choice. The purpose of your fixture also dictates the type of bulb you choose. Keep in mind that a bulb can also contribute to the aesthetics of your pendant. For more information on choosing the right bulbs for your space, read our Bulb Buying Guide.

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Where Can You Install Pendant Lights?

Pendant lights can be used in any room of the house, provided your ceiling height caters to hanging light fixtures. They can be hung over kitchen benches, over bedside tables, in living rooms, in under cover patio areas or even in the bathroom. The possibilities are endless. Always consider the size and measurements of your room when picking out your next light.

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Can I Install Pendant Lights without Hard Wiring?

You can absolutely install pendant lighting without having to hard wire them into the wall. This is especially useful for renters, who may be restricted in what modifications they can make to their dwelling. As long as you have a wall plug, you can install pendant lighting without impacting on the wall above or behind it.

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How Do I Clean or Take Care of My Pendant Light?

Figuring out how to clean your pendant lighting depends on the materials within the light:

• If the shade is constructed from glass, you can use everyday supermarket glass cleaners.
• If it is made from pure metals such as copper and brass, please be careful. If your light is constructed from copper, you need to treat it much the same as any other copper item. Use a gentle homemade solution of lemon, salt and water, or purchase a cleaning product designed for copper. You can find these at your local homewares store.
• If your pendant light is made from fabric, we recommended only spot cleaning as required.
• Avoid harsh cleaners and chemicals which can strip or damage your pendant light. 

If in doubt, please get in touch and we’ll assist you in understanding how to care for your product.

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How to Hang Pendant Lights

After selecting the right pendant light for your room, the next step is to find out how high the light should hang. As there are many different sized rooms and varied ceiling heights, measuring a space is paramount.

Below are some general tips that you can take into consideration. If you're having trouble ascertaining the perfect height, it's never a bad idea to speak with your local electrician to ask their professional advice.

Even if you want to swap the pendant lighting out in a few years, it's best to install and fit the pendant lights correctly from the start, in order to maximise their true potential.

Above the floor
Always consider and measure the ceiling height of each room before installing a pendant light. The Australian average ceiling height is 2.4 metres, with higher measurements for home add-ons and construction. Generally, interior designers will use the rule “add 8cm to the length of a pendant light per extra 30cm of ceiling height”. As a rule of thumb, pendant lights are typically suspended between 30 to 50cm from the ceiling. Smaller spaces require a single pendant light, while bigger rooms may call for a row of two or more. If you are struggling to figure the best height to hang your pendant light, try measuring from the floor up to see how your pendant will hang.

Above a table
Pendant lights look great above tables. Generally, a height of 70 to 80cm above the tabletop works well, ensuring that no one bumps into the light or that it doesn't obscure views across the table. When setting it up above a table, ensure that the lighting is 20 to 30cm from the edges of the table. Read our guide on dining room lighting for in-depth information.

Above the bed and side tables
Pendant lights work perfectly within the bedroom as general or ambient lighting along with a dimmer switch. Hanging pendants over bedside tables has become a popular design choice as well. They are best hung 35 to 50cm above the bedside table. If installing a pendant light above the bed, hang it at least 2.1 metres above the floor. Have a read of our Bedroom Lighting Guide for more in-depth information.

Above an island bench
Always be mindful of the height between your pendant light and the top of the kitchen island bench. If the pendant light is hung too low, you risk creating an overwhelming and crowded space that won’t be inviting to visitors. Similarly, if it’s hung too high, the lights will be disproportionate to the kitchen island. A good guide to follow is hanging a pendant light around 70 to 80cm above the island bench and adjust accordingly for higher ceilings and pendant light types. Read our Kitchen Lighting Guide for more information.

Space in-between
As a rule of thumb, if you are using multiple pendant lights, they should generally be spaced out 50-80cm apart. However, this rule is flexible, especially if you want to create a cluster, a unique statement or have limited spacing.

 

Style Tip: create works of art
Pendant lights can be used to create functional works of art. While it is tempting to hang a painting on every blank wall, pendant lights can be used instead. Try hanging your pendant lights against a wall to create a three-dimensional art design. Alternatively, use a unique large pendant light in a minimalist room instead of artwork. It will have the same effect but leave your space feeling clean and uncluttered.

Style Tip: get creative with cords
Often the most underutilised and underappreciated component of the light, the cord can be used to create a unique design in your home. Choose pendant lights with an adjustable cord to allow enough length to play around with the configuration. Try tying knots, attaching them to walls, or hanging them off objects.

Style Tip: exposed bulb pendant lights
An exposed bulb pendant light is all about going back to basics. Designers have enhanced this concept by utilising specific materials for bare bulb light fixtures, which have an elemental feel to them. For example, some designers have created wooden pendant lights which exude an authentic and natural look. Other materials include rough wood, concrete and wool. Utilising any of these materials will make your exposed bulb pendant lights stand above the crowd.

Style Tip: get creative with pendant light bulbs

Often, we under-appreciate the importance of light bulbs in contributing to the design statement of a pendant light. However, choosing light bulbs with an interesting shape or design can create a statement in itself, and enhance the overall look of the pendant light. Consider unique light bulbs such as our crystal-like bulb, which creates reflections and prisms of light much like a gemstone. Whatever your style, there are a myriad of unique and quirky light bulbs which can enhance the lighting statement. For inspiration and ideas see our collection of pendant light bulbs.

 

 

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Quick Buying Tips

• Measure the entire room and play with the height to find the perfect balance
• Consider different pendant types and materials to perfectly match your decor theme
• Follow a rough measuring guide to work out a perfect hanging height
• Consider cord pendants and designer bulbs to create a unique look
• Draw out a plan for your pendant lighting layout to see what suits your space
• Ensure you have talked to an electrician about installing your pendant light

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