How to choose the right size pendant light
Too small and a pendant looks lost. Too big and it swallows the room. Here's how to get it right in a typical British home.
Over a dining table
- Shade width: roughly half to two-thirds the width of your table. A 90cm table suits a shade of 45 to 60cm, or two smaller pendants.
- Height: hang the bottom of the shade 75 to 85cm above the tabletop. Low enough to feel intimate, high enough to see across the table.
Over a kitchen island
- Two pendants for islands up to about 180cm, three for longer islands.
- Leave around 60 to 75cm between each pendant and at least 15cm from each end of the island.
- Hang them 75 to 90cm above the worktop.
In a hallway or living room
- Quick rule: add the room's length and width in metres, then multiply by 8 to get a shade width in centimetres. A 4m by 3.5m living room (7.5 × 8) suits a shade of about 60cm, or a cluster of smaller shades.
- Keep at least 2.1m between the floor and the bottom of the light where people walk underneath.
Low ceilings
Many British homes have ceilings around 2.3 to 2.4m. If yours is under 2.4m, choose a flush or semi-flush light for walkways, and save pendants for over tables and islands, where nobody walks underneath.
Tall Victorian ceilings
Ceilings over 2.8m can take a longer drop, a larger shade or a cluster pendant. Bring the light down to a comfortable height so the room doesn't feel cavernous.
Every Cosy Lights product page lists the exact shade size and adjustable drop. Still unsure? Send us your room size on WhatsApp and we'll recommend a size.