Your Guide To Hanging Pendant Lights At The Right Height And The Right Place

Pendant lighting is a great way to add extra light to your home whilst giving your interior a stylish upgrade. However, installing pendant lights requires careful consideration, as several factors must be thought of to ensure your chosen lights are the perfect fit for your home. 

Purpose Of The Light Fitting

You should start by focusing on the goal of the light. Is it going to be used as task lighting, ambient lighting or lighting in general? Knowing the answer to this will help you with certain aspects of installing your pendant lighting, such as the necessary drop height and size.

Once you have go the details of your light's placement and purpose narrowed down, you can start selecting the size and shape of your new light fitting. 

Choosing The Right Shape For The Right Reasons

Some rooms are best suited to certain lighting shapes; for example, globe shaped pendant lighting may be best suited for large living rooms where ambient lighting is needed, while a domed pendant is a great choice for dining rooms and above tables as it directs light downwards. 

Don't Forget To Consider The Height Of The Ceiling

Once you have got your placement set, light fitting chosen and you are ready for installation, it's time to focus on the height of your ceiling. When hanging pendant lighting, you should always remember to avoid causing obstructions and provide adequate lighting to large areas of your rooms. For instance, if you have low ceilings, the drop height of your pendant will be limited to allow plenty of headroom, whereas higher ceilings allow you to install pendants with extensive drop heights.

To illustrate, the general rule for lighting above a dining room table is a clearance area of approximately 30 inches from the bottom of the pendant to the tabletop. Same goes for kitchen islands. However, for hallways, you should leave at least seven feet of space between the floor and the bottom of the pendant. This is so that the light fittings are high enough to avoid colliding with out-swinging doors and obstructing head height. 

Other Things To Consider When Installing Pendant Lighting

It is also important to focus on leaving equal gaps between fittings when more than one pendant is required. Leaving a gap of about 15 cm from the pendant’s side to the table edge can help to create a consistent interior, however this does depend on the size of the pendant. For larger lighting fixtures, you may choose to hang them further apart to prevent them from looking too cluttered.

Now that you know what to consider when installing a pendant, feel free to browse our range at EMA Lighting and prepare to elevate your interior. In addition to brands such as Dar Lighting, Laura Ashley and Inspired Lighting, we also offer customisable pendants, where you can create your own personalised light fitting., You can check out our mix and match range over HERE.