Pendant lights are a fantastic finishing touch to your room. Whether you want to make a statement or subtly accentuate the scheme, it’s important to get your pendant proportions right. Choose one that’s too big and it can overwhelm the space, go small and you risk it looking a bit lost. And that’s before we start thinking about how many and how to hang them. Shall we get started?

Pendant size - Width:

• Add the length and width of the room together – so a room that’s 4.5m by 3m = 7.5m
• Divide that number by 12 and you’ll find your ideal pendant width – in this case 0.625m, ie approx 63cm wide

Pendant size - Height:

• Measure the height of your room and multiply it by 3 – so a room that’s 3m high would = 9m
• Divide that number by 12 and you’ll find your ideal pendant height – in this case 0.75m, ie approx 75cm high

How low you can go? 

Just as important as the size of your pendant, is the space between the pendant base and your floor aka the clearance. Some general rules of thumb are:

• Living rooms, hallways and bedrooms

Where people may be walking underneath, allow for 2.13m of clearance from the bottom of the fixture to the floor.

• Bathrooms

Spotlights are usually the best solution here, but if you do want a pendant, keep 2.44m between the top of your tub and the bottom of the fixture and avoid hanging it directly over the bath itself.

Tips of the trade: 

Try these at home:

• Dining table – a series of pendants over a dining table arranged in a row creates a stand-out look. Allow a space of 71 to 91 cm from the bottom of the pendants to the top of the table surface.
• Kitchen island – ensure you space your pendants equally to distribute light evenly. Be sure to hang them at a height where you won’t constantly be knocking your head against them when you’re cooking up a storm.
• Entrance hall – In hallways, hang pendants at least 15cm higher than the top of your front door.

We’re full of bright ideas.

To shop pendants, take a look here.