Pendant Lights

A pendant light is the tipping point of a room: it catches the eye before it lights anything. This collection gathers 86 models in solid wood, real travertine, alabaster and opal glass, from the single piece over a table to the linear run above a kitchen island. Each pendant light here was chosen for its material as much as for its light.

The pendant light, a volume as much as a light

A pendant light occupies the space even when it is off, which is why its silhouette counts as much as its output: an opal glass globe rounds off an angular dining room, a linear travertine piece gives structure to an island that is too wide, a solid wood dome softens an oppressive ceiling height. Mounting height does the rest. Above a table, allow 75 to 85 cm between the top and the bottom of the pendant light: low enough to frame the light on the plates, high enough not to cut the line of sight between guests. Bear in mind the British convention of keeping the bottom of a shade 2.10 m above finished floor level wherever people walk, which leaves very little room in a 2.40 m ceiling. In a hall or a stairwell, a pendant light dropped generously creates a verticality no ceiling fitting will give you.

The materials in our pendant lights

Solid wood dominates this pendant light selection, with 44 models in walnut, ash or oak, often worked as slats or as a carved dome. Then come the real travertine pendant lights, beige stone with open pores, which bring an unexpected mineral mass above a table. Alabaster plays a different part: translucent, it turns the pendant light into a block of light, which is particularly striking in a dark room. Opal glass, rarer in this collection, remains the safe choice for kitchens and studies, for its perfectly even diffusion. Several models combine two of these materials, a stone dome on a walnut mount for instance, and then appear in both sub-collections.

Single, linear or clustered pendant lights

The format follows the piece of furniture below it. A round or square table calls for a single centred pendant light, of a diameter close to a third of the table width. A rectangular table or a kitchen island takes a linear model better, or a run of two or three small pendant lights spaced evenly. In a lounge, a pendant light rarely works alone: pair it with wall lights or a table lamp to build several levels of light rather than one source at the ceiling. Our multi-light models, with two or three lamps, settle that question on a single electrical point.

Fitting your pendant light properly

Before ordering a pendant light, check three things. The wiring and drop first: our pages give the length supplied and whether it adjusts, which matters under a high ceiling or in a loft room. The weight next, because a pendant light in real stone needs a fixing suited to the substrate, not a plasterboard hook. The bulb cap last, which decides the bulb: an E27 Edison screw (ES) for a generous light, a G9 capsule for the compact models, an integrated LED for rooms where you never want to change a bulb again. Each page also states whether the model is dimmable, which changes everything in a dining room.

Explore the sub-collections by material to target your search: pendant lights in wood, real travertine, alabaster or opal glass. The dimensions, the light source and the finishes available appear on every product page.