Buying guide
Choosing a pendant light: size, height and material
A well-chosen pendant light shapes a whole room. Three measurements are enough to get it right: diameter, hanging height and shade material.
The right diameter
- Over a table: aim for roughly half the table width and keep at least 30 cm clear on each side. For a 90 cm wide table, a 40–50 cm pendant is right. Over a long table, two or three smaller pendants in a row work better than one very large one.
- In the centre of a room: add the room’s length and width in metres; the result, in centimetres, gives a rough diameter. A 4 × 5 m room calls for a pendant of about 45–60 cm.
- In a bedroom: choose a wide, diffusing shade (40–60 cm) in the centre, or two small pendants either side of the bed.
How high to hang it
Over a table, the bottom of the shade should sit 65–80 cm above the top: the light falls on the table without dazzling anyone. In a walkway, keep at least 2.10 m of headroom. As a bedside light, hang it at shoulder height when sitting up in bed, about 50–60 cm above the mattress.
Material and quality of light
- Linen and fabric: soft, warm, very diffused light, ideal for living rooms and bedrooms.
- Rice paper: the most enveloping light, almost shadowless; perfect clustered at different heights.
- Rattan, rush and woven fibres: light passes through the weave and draws patterns on the walls; beautiful over a table.
The bulb
Choose an E27 LED bulb in warm white (2,700–3,000 K) to respect the natural colour of linen, wood and stone. Allow about 800 lumens over a table and 1,000–1,500 lumens to light a living space on its own. Wiring should be done with the power off, or by a professional.
