6 Places in Your Home for Pendant Lighting
If you’ve seen pendant lighting fixtures in home designs, there are probably only a few places you’ve seen them repeatedly used: kitchens and maybe some entryways. You might think those are the only places you can put pendant lights, but that’s far from the truth!
Perhaps the best appeal for pendant lights, next to their distinctive look, is their versatility. Properly used, you can put a pendant light in any room of your house! Explore all their uses with our guide of six places in your home for pendant lighting.
Bedroom
The bedroom probably isn’t the first place you think would benefit from pendant lighting, but don’t overlook the unique design and lighting opportunities a pendant light provides. Pendant lights may not seem like the most natural fit, but when properly used, they give your bedroom a distinctive look unlike anything you’ve had before!
Above your headboard is an excellent spot for a series of small pendant lights that will give your bedroom a distinct look, but won’t make your bed feel like it’s under a harsh spotlight. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of room to sit and relax on your bed without a pendant swinging only a few inches away. A dimmer for your lights is perhaps your best bet, as you don’t usually need full illumination in your room, and it creates warmer, more intimate lighting for a bedroom.
Bedside Table
Is your bedside table cluttered with stuff like books, chargers, phones, and other electronic devices? With a pendant light, you can free up your table by switching out your lamp with a small pendant light that hangs above. Don’t worry, not every pendant light has a big, bright bulb; you can find plenty with smaller and dimmer bulbs that’ll be gentle on your early-morning eyes.
Kitchen Island
Two of the biggest trends in the past decade in kitchen design have been the large kitchen island and the pendant lighting above it. Over the years, kitchen islands have gotten larger and been given more uses, becoming the multi-use focal point of many kitchens. Pendant lighting is a perfect combination for these big islands that need plenty of light for cooking, prepping, dining, and working.
Pendant lighting gives kitchen islands task-lighting, so you don’t have to illuminate the entire kitchen when you only need to use the island. One large pendant or a series of pendant fixtures gives your kitchen a layered, distinct lighting look to go with your kitchen island.
Plus, kitchen islands and pendant fixtures are versatile in whatever style your kitchen has. Whether you’ve got a modern or traditional kitchen, you can get vintage or mid-century modern pendant light fixtures to match your style effortlessly.
Entryway
Want to make an immediate impression on your guests? A series of pendant lighting fixtures in your entryway leading into your home is a great way to make your home stand out right from the start! After all, you hang your jackets and keys in the entryway, so why not your lights?
A grand chandelier is popular with many homeowners, but not everyone needs something so extravagant. A simple but eye-catching pendant light can do wonders for setting the design tone for the rest of your home in a much more subtle way than a chandelier. Plus, if you have a smaller entryway for an apartment or condo, a more petite pendant can fit in without being overbearing.
Dining Room Table
The dining room is another area where a pendant fixture can replace a chandelier. A chandelier is lovely, but if you’ve got a modern or vintage industrial design tone, it could clash. A pendant fixture above your dining table gives the room a striking focal point that’s more cohesive with the rest of the home.
When choosing a pendant light fixture for your dining room, there are some key things to keep in mind. First, consider the size and shape of your dining room table. You don’t want a pendant light hanging over it that dwarfs it, but you also don’t want something too minuscule. Everybody’s dining room is different, and it depends on the size of your pendant and ceiling height, but you generally want to have your pendant hanging two to three feet above the surface of your table.
Using a diffuser is a good compromise in getting the distinct look you want but with a warmer light for the dining room. Also, dimmer switches are a good idea for casting a more intimate and softer glow for your dining room.
Living Room
If you’ve got a large, open layout for your living room, you want to have ways to divide it into smaller sections, so it doesn’t feel empty and distant. Pendant lights can be great for separating a large living room into smaller areas, making it cozier and more inviting.
Got a chair and bookcase in the corner for a reading nook? A hanging pendant light fixture is the perfect reading spotlight. Or, put one next to a fireplace to make it a warm and inviting entertaining area. There are plenty of options in a living room; just make sure that it’s not disrupting the flow of movement in the living room.
Bathroom Vanity
There aren’t many areas for trying something new when it comes to bathrooms and lighting. Bathroom vanities have rules that everyone follows, for good reasons, but it can lead to every bathroom vanity looking the same. However, if you introduce some pendant lights, you’ve instantly got something different and unique in your vanity.
A couple of small pendants over the sink make your bathroom stand out. But be sure that your pendants are certified safe to use in a bathroom, especially if it’s near a shower. Also, if you plan on using the mirror and need proper lighting for applying makeup or general facial care, consider pairing the pendant with wall sconces, so you don’t have unwanted shadows.
The appealing part about using pendant light fixtures is their versatility, as you can see. If you use your creativity, there’s no room in your home that can’t be enhanced with a pendant light. Now that we’ve given you some inspiration for places in your home for pendant lighting, which pendants will you put in what rooms? How will you mix and match styles? With pendants, the opportunities are limitless!
