Pendant Lights: Things to Consider Before You Buy Yours

Are there parts of your home that look gloomy or too dark to work in? Or are you just looking for a way to make your home look more welcoming and cozy? For work areas, you will need lights with direct lightings like kitchens and living rooms. And for rooms that you need more ambiance, you can go for dimmer or less bright lighting. The lighting in your rooms can either make or break your design. This is where pendant lights come in!

Pendant lights, also called suspender or drop lights, are great fixtures to add in your homes when you are looking for a “wow factor” or just classic but stylish touch. This type of lighting fixture can stand by itself. You can mix and match it with various pendants to make it more you. There are endless choices and variations you can do with pendant lights.

Drop lights are way smaller than chandeliers. That is why many preferred pendants because they need smaller spaces to install as well. You will get the glamorous but elegant touch without needing A LOT of space. Also, because it adds more light to your home, you will get a spacious look even in small rooms. It is also a huge plus that there are vast collections of pendant lighting available in the market. You will surely find the one that fits your home motif and your personality.

Things to Consider Before Buying Your Own Pendant Lights

Let us help you narrow down your choices with these 9 things you need to consider before buying your own pendant lighting.

Style

When shopping for a pendant lighting you have to keep in mind the theme or the decor of the room you will install it. If your room has a modern theme, it is best to look at modern pendants as well. Luckily, there are a lot of choices in various styles in the market, so no need to worry. 

Remember, balance is the key. Visualize what it will look like in the room you will install it. It is best not to overpower your decor. Keep in mind the space available in the room. Always keep in mind that too much of something is TOO MUCH.

Materials and Finish

Just like in any kind of purchase, it is always imperative that we look at the materials and finishes used for what we are buying. A smart buyer always makes sure they get the best quality products for your hard-earned money and getting a pendant lighting is no exception. 

You can check out these amazing vendors that produce the top-of-the-line pendant lights for your home:

• 2nd Ave Lighting
• A19
• Allegri By Kalco Lighting
• Bromi Designs
• CWI Lighting
• Framburg
• Kalco Lighting
• Livex Lighting
• Meyda Lighting
• PLC Lighting

In general, the reason why it is important to check the materials used for pendant lights is how hard or easy it is to clean it after it is installed. Some materials are harder to clean while others are easier. So, it is imperative to keep this in mind.

Number of Pendant Lights

Determine the number of pendants needed in the space you are adding it. Usually, when it comes to the number of pendants, odd is more favored compared to even because it provides a sense of balance. But you have to keep in mind the lighting needed in your space. For example, 3 pendants might be too few for a room but 5 can be too much. Even-numbered pendants are sometimes acceptable for practical reasons.

Type of Pendant Lighting

Before we start looking at the common types of pendant lighting, let’s talk about the 2 directions of illumination.

• Down Lighting Pendants (DOWNLIGHT) - This is the most common choice for pendant lighting. Downlighting provides more focused light to help you see what you are doing and illuminate the task you are doing, hence called task light. These light fixtures are great for your dining room, over the sink, kitchen, kitchen island, and game room. 
• Up-Lighting Pendants (UPLIGHT) - These pendant fixtures are designed for ambient lighting. It provides illumination for the room and useful in adding ambiance in any space also called ambient or accent lighting. These types of lighting are amazing in the bathroom, bedroom, dining room, foyer, breakfast nook, living room, hallway, kitchen, game room, bar, or in any space where you need to add a romantic vibe.

Now, let’s start and talk about the 5 most common types of pendant lighting available in the market.

Bowl & Inverted Pendants

This type of pendant light features a bowl shape surrounding the light, either pointing up or down, hence the name bowl & inverted pendants. When the bowl is pointing upward, it is called an inverted pendant and the light illumination is uplight. And if the bowl is pointing downward, it is called a bowl pendant and the light illumination is called task light or downlight.

Drum Pendants

This type of pendant lighting got its name from the drum-shaped shade surrounding the light bulb. These types are very popular because of the ambient lighting it gives a room or space. The drum shape cast a romantic glow which is great for bedrooms, hallways, and bathrooms. There are a lot of designs available and materials used for the drum shape like fabric, metal, glass, crystal, etc.

Globe Pendants

Globe pendants and drum pendants are somewhat the same and maybe confusing to people. The main difference between a globe pendant is they have a shade that fully covers the light bulb while the drum pendants have a drum-like shape shade that only covers some parts of the light bulb. Also, globe pendants usually have geometric or other shaped shades that enclose the bulb. 

This type of pendant lighting is an amazing choice if you are looking for a light fixture which gives a lot of ambient lighting in all directions. Great for foyers or living rooms.

Mini Pendants

From the name itself, mini pendants are small lighting fixtures that can stand alone or with other pendant lightings. This type is great for task and accent lighting. It will look amazing above a sink or desk, in a row on a kitchen island, breakfast bar, or a mini bar in the corner of your living room. The options are endless with this type because you can mix and match it with other lighting fixtures. 

Multi-Light Pendants

Multi-light pendants have several lights included in one. This type provides ambient lighting with 3 or more, sometimes up to 10, light sources stemming from the same light fixture. It is a great alternative to chandeliers. If you are looking for a pendant lighting that can provide more illumination for a larger space, then multi-light pendants might the perfect option for you.

Room and Placement

When choosing the right pendant lights or even any decor for your home depends on which room you will install them. For example, some stuff might look great in your traditional and cozy living room but not in your modern and contemporary kitchen. 

Also, you have to consider how big or small the room is. You need to decide if you will need mini or big pendants or multiple minis. 

So, keep in mind the space of the room and its design when you are choosing your own pendant lighting.

Type of Light Bulb

Things like color temperature, wattage, and lumens play a very important role in your home or room’s light quality and choosing the right type of light bulbs for your pendant is very important. 

There are many pendants that come with standard light bulbs but there are various types to choose from, like LED, incandescent, and CFL bulbs. 

Light-emitting diodes or LEDs and compact fluorescents or CFLs are known to be very cost-efficient because they last longer and only release a significantly lower amount of energy compared to other types of bulbs. Therefore, you do not need to replace it often!

Height

How the pendant will be used will also determine how high or low it should be hung. The height should always be close enough to provide lighting to your space or room but still provide an unhindered view both while sitting and/or standing.

Pendant lights should be 28 to 38 inches above the surface of your table or your kitchen island where it will be installed. Always assess the distance between your ceiling and the place when you want the lowest or bottom part of your pendant light will be installed.

Size Matters!

Obviously, in this case, the size of your pendant lights matters! It will be very disappointing if you end up buying a pendant light that’s too big or small for your space or that hangs too low or not low enough. Always make sure to measure the space available in your room before you purchase anything, so you won’t end up getting a pendant light that doesn’t light up the room.

Installation

Sometimes installing pendant lights can be a very daunting task. A lot of pendants contain manuals and instructions but let’s face it, not everyone is tech-savvy or great with tools like a hammer! This is where a professional comes in. It is safer to hire a professional electrician to install your pendant light.

Ideas in Choosing the Best Pendant Lighting for You…

Pendant lights are very popular these days because they look amazing and great for any space, small or big. If you want your own pendants in your home, do not be afraid to choose the style you want. You are designing your home, so you can pretty much choose whatever you want, just make sure to keep in mind these 9 things to consider before buying your own pendant lights.