The lighting in a room can change everything. It can create the ambience you need whether it's for work, relaxation or fun. Choosing light fixtures usually comes in the end (after you finished all the work and bought the major furniture pieces). One of the most popular options is led pendant light fixtures. These come in many shapes, sizes, colours and designs. Before you head shopping, here are a few things to consider.
Types of Pendant Lighting
There's one thing all pendant lights have in common and that is that they hang from the ceiling on a chain, rod or cord. You will find various forms, shapes, sizes and colours of these light fixtures. To narrow down your choices, here are a few categories that can help you.
Direction of Light Options
Down Lighting Pendants
These are the most common choice for pendant lights. The lights hang down from the ceiling, so the light falls to the point where you need it. These can be used to light dining tables, counters, kitchen islands, over sinks, hallways, etc. Downlighting is excellent as 'task lighting" which illuminates any task you're working on.
Up-Lighting Pendants
These aren't so common when it comes to pendant light fixtures, but you can still find such models. This type of fixture gives indirect illumination of the room and is an excellent option if you need some ambience. You can use it in the living room, bedroom and any place where direct 'task lighting' isn't necessary.
Small Pendants
The small LED pendant lights are exactly as they sound like; mini or small pendant lights that take little space and give a little light on their own. These are a great choice as additional lighting over a sink, desk, kitchen island or counter.
Drum Pendants
These have a shade around the light bulb in the shape of a drum and are a popular choice because they give ambient lighting to the room. The drum shade comes in various materials such as metal, glass, fabric and even crystal.
Globe Pendants
These pendant lights have a shade that embraces the bulb entirely. Globe pendant lights are very popular since the globe sends the light in all directions, giving both good lighting and ambient to the space. These are ideal for a foyer or living room.
Multi-light Pendants
As the name suggests, these led pendant light fixtures have several lights. They give more illumination within a bigger space and the multiple lights allow you to choose only this fixture without investing in additional options. Multi-light pendants may come with two or three lights, but you’ll also find models that get much more than that (up to ten lights).
Ideally, these are used in larger rooms such as foyers, large living rooms, hotel lobbies, bowl rooms, offices. If you want to illuminate a bigger room without having to buy several fixtures and lamps, this can be a wonderful choice.
Things to Consider
Style and Size
The style is essential when choosing your fixtures. It should meet the style of the room and complement it. Pendant lights come in various styles and colours, so it won't be a challenge to find what you're looking for. You can find various colours, shapes and materials in a modern, industrial, traditional or farmhouse style. The style and size are tightly connected.
For instance, you might like a large pendant light in a traditional style that has many ornaments and looks impressive. But, if your room is on the smaller side and is mainly decorated in minimalist (Scandinavian) style, then such a fixture won't fit the room. Try and picture the pendant light in the room; learn about the dimensions and you will get a clearer picture. Before getting any light, measure the room and the place where you want to hang this led pendant light.
It should not be too low and putting you at risk of hitting your head into it. Too low and the light will not illuminate well (especially if it's downlighting pendants). If it's too high, again, it may not give you proper lighting.
Room and Placement
One of the most common things that happen when people buy pendant lights is that they find them extremely unattractive in their homes. How can a pendant light that looked perfect in the store look so terrible in your living room? That is because some fixtures aren't suitable for the room, nor their size works well with the space.
If you're looking for a pendant light that should illuminate a larger room, then you might want to seek a bigger model or one with multiple LED lights. Sometimes, a room needs more than one fixture; you can choose one centrepiece and get additional smaller lights. Make sure that the place is suitable as well. You can't expect pendant light on the smaller size to give a perfect light to a large living room.
Perhaps you chose a big pendant fixture and placed it in the centre of the ceiling of your kitchen and yet when you wash the dishes over the sink you don't get enough light. The placement is crucial, so if you aren't sure where to hang these lights, you can always talk to a professional.
Type of Lightbulb
Another thing to consider is the type of lightbulb. Some types of light bulbs will save you money in the long run and will last longer (such as LED lights). They use less energy, don't heat even after prolonged use and you won't have to deal with replacements for a long time.