What is pendant lighting?

Pendant lighting is named after the fact that it resembles the shape of a pendant. Pendants are items of jewellery that hang from a chain, usually worn around the neck and, since pendant lighting hangs from the ceiling, it is this hanging aspect that gives this form of lighting its name. Pendant lighting is extremely versatile and can be utilised in any room of the home to great effect.

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Styles of pendant lighting

There are as many different styles of pendant light fitting as there are styles of jewellery pendant and the materials used in their creation are just as diverse. Their one similarity and the thing that all pendant lights have in common is that they are hung from the ceiling, by the cord or flex that supplies the power to illuminate them.

At Inspiring Lights we stock a vast range of traditional and contemporary pendant lights and pendant light shades, produced in a myriad of colours and materials. Our beautiful pendant light fittings from Spanish, Italian, French and English designers are not only stunning in their design but extremely practical in their functionality. If you can picture a shape or style, the chances are, one of our designer ranges will match or compliment it.

We supply lights and shades in all sorts of shapes and sizes from triangles to rectangles and globes through to bowls and cuboids. Our pendant lights come in a range of materials including frosted glass, coated glass, coloured glass, resins, metals and fabrics.

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Pendant lighting for the kitchen / diner

You will often see pendant lighting used in the kitchen/diner and breakfast room to highlight such areas as the breakfast table, breakfast bar or kitchen island. Pendant lighting fitments are particularly useful here as they hang from the ceiling and if positioned correctly, will not obstruct any walkways. As a result, the pendant can drop lower than it might otherwise have been able to, casting its light in measured concentration, upon that which it is played.

In this area of the home it may be useful to install rise and fall pendant lighting. These fixtures enable you to raise or lower the height of the light for close work, reading the morning papers or the children’s homework.

Pendant lighting for the dining room

Dining room lighting is usually trained on a focal point within the room and more often than not, this is the dining table. A pendant light hanging from the ceiling will normally be found centrally positioned, hanging roughly 60 cms above the centre of the table.

The style or shape of your dining table will quite likely affect your choice of light fitting. A circular dining table would best suit a round light fitting whereas, an oblong table would suit a number of pendant light fittings arranged in an equally spaced row. If your dining table is glassed topped, you will want to avoid pendants with the bulb shining downwards since this will produce glare. Instead you could go for pendant light fittings arranged with the bulb shining upwards, casting a diffused light onto the ceiling.

With most pendant light fittings you are given the choice of what height to set them at, at the time they are fitted. A rise and fall pendant on the other hand, will give you the flexibility to alter the height of the bulb for varying activities.

You may wish to compliment your central ceiling mounted pendant light fitting with wall lights or table lamps or floor lamps in a similar design. This is an effective way of changing the ambiance of a room. Add dimmer switches and you can control the exact lighting level of the room, turning the light at once, from functional brightness to romantic softness.

Pendant lighting for the bedroom

Bedrooms lend themselves perfectly to really creative lighting designs. Ceiling mounted pendant lights can be paired with complimenting wall lights, bedside lamps or floor lamps to create a wonderful ambiance and if your pendant light fitting is positioned above the bed, you can afford to have it hang lower, since people are not going to walk under it.

If you have the lights controlled by dimmer switch, the lighting can be altered to achieve exactly the right level. Having the lights wired to switches next to the bed or even having them controlled remotely, will mean there’s no need to get out of bed to change them.
Achieving the right lighting levels in the bedroom is very important when it comes to getting dressed in the mornings, putting on makeup and so on. This is why the centrally positioned ceiling mounted pendant light fitting is so popular. It casts an even light around the whole of the room helping you to co-ordinate your colours and clothing.

Pendant lighting for the living room

In a living room you need the lighting levels to be just right. A centrally positioned, ceiling mounted pendant light fitting will, depending on the size of the room, cast light evenly, avoiding shadow. If your living room is large enough to warrant two pendants then space them evenly across the ceiling space. This will avoid the creation of shadows and darkened corners.

Where two pendant lighting fixtures are used to light a room, have them operated by a single dimmer switch. In this way you will be able to control the exact level of lighting emitted from both light sources without having to guess at which level the other is set. This will cast a uniform light around the room and since you have them on dimmer switches, you can decide whether the lighting be bright and functional or quietly romantic.

You may wish to pair your pendant lighting with floor lamps or table lamps of the same style. This will accentuate particular areas of the room whilst at the same time, helping to tie in the decor and complete a sophisticated look.

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