What is pendant lighting? Well, it certainly is a great choice for those seeking warm light in a modern or contemporary space.
With its clean, understated lines, pendant lighting offers a versatile addition to any home décor. You’ll love how pendant lights look in a living room, bedroom, kitchen, office, bathroom, and so much more.
However, you might not be sure what are the best pendant light practices. That’s why we made this guide. Let’s jump into it!
What is pendant lighting?
Pendant lighting refers to any light fixture mounted above the floor, usually suspended by a chain or cord.
It’s the best choice for indoor lighting if you want to light a large space such as a living room, kitchen, or dining room.
Both functionality and decoration? Yes!
What’s the point of pendant lighting if it’s not designed to draw the eye of a passerby? Pendant lighting has an important design function: it makes a room feel larger than it is and creates a more intimate atmosphere.
There are many different shapes, sizes, styles, materials, and colors of pendants to choose from. Each style has its own aesthetic appeal.
Some designs are purely functional, others serve as beautiful accents to complement existing decor.
Factors to consider when buying
There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re buying pendant lighting. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before buying.
- Do you want classic and understated? Or do you prefer the dramatic and stylish?
- Are you looking for something that will stand out in a crowd or blend in with the rest of your decor?
- What is the size of the room in which you plan to install pendant lighting?
- Do you want to light up the whole or a specific part of the room?
- Is your budget large or small?
You can spend thousands of dollars on pendant lighting or you can buy inexpensive pendants from a store.
Related article: Best monorail lighting pendants (2023)
How to use pendant lights?
Now that you’ve learned what is pendant lighting, it’s time to get to know how to use it.
If you’ve been looking for a versatile light fixture for your home, you’ll love the pendant lighting. This modern style of lighting can be used for a number of purposes in any room.
General lighting
If your main goal is to have as much light as possible in the room, a pendant light will serve you well as the main light source. It can be used very effectively as general lighting in your living room, dining room, or any other room. Just choose good lighting and place it in the middle of the room.
There are many tips & tricks for planning the lighting in the room.
Area lighting
Pendant lights can be used to emphasize a certain part of the room. For example, if you want to light up a corner of the room, a sofa, a table, or a shelf – no problem, you can do it very simply by placing pendant lighting above these individual parts so that they are perfectly lit.
If the light still scatters too much around the room, we recommend that you lower the pendant closer to the floor.
Task lighting
Pendant lights can be used to illuminate only a specific part of the room that is most often used for work (such as desks). That’s why this type of lighting is called task lighting.
Light up a certain or specific part of the table, as opposed to lighting up the entire room! It is a bit like the idea of highlighting a key area on a map.
FAQ
Are pendant lights necessary?
Pendant lights are certainly not necessary, but sometimes they are exactly what is needed in order to perfectly illuminate and spatially complete the room.
The first thing that you should take into consideration when you are thinking about buying pendant lights is the size of your room and ceiling height.
If you have a small room, you may want to choose pendant lights with smaller dimensions, which will allow you to place them in a central part of the room. If you have a large room, you might prefer to opt for pendant lights with a bigger dimension. You can put them in the middle of the ceiling and make sure that they are not too close to the walls. This way, the light will be distributed evenly, and the effect will be similar to a spotlight.
Related article: Best lighting for high ceilings (2023)
Is pendant light a chandelier?
A pendant light is not a chandelier. Although their purpose is similar, there is a difference.
The difference between pendants and chandeliers is the number of bulbs that are placed in the fixture. The pendant light has one bulb, while chandeliers can have more.
Conclusion
Pendants are probably one of the most versatile pieces of lighting, used in both residential and commercial applications. They are usually hung from the ceiling and are typically made of clear or colored glass.
They can be used to accentuate a room, draw attention to an object, or provide light for a task. As we have already mentioned, they are a perfect combination of functionality and decor, and that is exactly why they are a popular choice for lighting.
We hope you found this tutorial on pendant lighting useful and that you’re not asking yourself anymore “What is pendant lighting?”.