Living Room Pendant Lights

Single pendant light fittings are what they say on the tin, a single light installed at the ceiling and hanging down into the room. These types of pendant lights vary from an industrial style single filament bulb swinging bare all the way to a pendant shade of any imaginable style.

Having a single pendant light in your living room is a simple option that can offer a ton of freedom, if you choose a pendant light and shade then you can switch out the shade as you wish and try out a whole range of different styles, colours and materials.

As they’re an understated option, single pendant shades are a good choice if you have multiple ceiling lights in one room. For example, if you’ve got a large living room that’s sectioned off into a dining room and lounge, having two single pendant light fittings in the centre of each section won’t feel too busy but will still deliver all the benefits of the pendant light life.

And then, of course, we have the much more extravagant option of the multi-light pendant fittings. These come in all shapes and sizes from cluster designs to bar lights.

Cluster style pendant fittings have the lights organised closer together and connect to a (more often than not) round ceiling rose. Beyond that you have all the usual variations of material, finishes, shades and lengths. These light fixtures bring in an elegance. The way they just… hang there, so sophisticated. Well known as being an opulent choice for stairwells.

A lot of people think of multi-light pendants as a quintessentially ‘kitchen’ light fixture. Over a kitchen island or dining table. It’s a pretty perfect spot for them. Yet, multi-light bar pendants are just as capable of being a corner stone of the lounge as they are of the kitchen and dining areas. Just keep in mind the height of your ceilings and the clearance you’ll need walking beneath it. The ‘hang’ is one of the reasons they’ve become so synonymous with dining areas, no need to worry about your head. You know where else we have tables? Our living rooms. Having a cluster or bar pendant light over a coffee table or side table removes any inconvenience to walkways and brings a stunning light fixture just into view.

Over a side table a pendant light can act like a floor lamp, and you’ve still got the floor space for the side table! Bringing one in over a coffee table is making the most of all that lovely air that no one was using.

We harp on about it a lot but the importance of knowing your dimensions is really, very, important. Especially when committing to installing your lights.

If you’re going to have a pendant light, in any manner, then heed this Sparky top tip – Avoid heads. Whether it’s over a dining table, kitchen island, coffee table, stairway or anything… just above head level. You don’t want to be staring directly into the eyes of your pendant light when relaxing on the sofa, tucking into your dinner or walking from A to B.

Proportional balance is also another hot term with us, and it’s pretty difficult for us to give specific rules here (sorry!), and it is largely down to preference. But just try and keep the room looking like everything belongs together. A nice flow is the greatest accessory, after all.