Pendant lights are light fixtures in which the source of light is located away from the ceiling, namely suspended from a wire or chain. Such fixtures look great with standard or high ceilings. But even if the ceilings are low, many pendant lights have the ability to adjust the length of the wire, which means that installation is still possible.
Progenitor of today’s pendant lamps was chandelier – a single or multi-tiered lamp of copper or simply iron, hanging on chains. Chandeliers could be of different sizes, they were decorated with pendants and used for lighting cathedrals.
The first crystal chandeliers appeared in the 17th century. The many-tiered chandeliers suspended from the ceiling began to be used not only in churches, but also in castles and houses of the nobility.
The appearance of incandescent lamps gave a powerful impetus to the evolution of lighting devices, opening up the masters who created them, new horizons. Since then, lamps are constantly being improved, appear new forms and technical solutions.
Modern pendant lights are versatile in their use, they are a classic or avant-garde chandelier, a single suspension or a whole group assembled into a single design.
Advantages of Pendant Luminaires
They include:
- versatility of use – many varieties of pendant fixtures offered by manufacturers allow you to choose lighting fixtures of this type for any object, whether it is a residential home, educational institution, bar, etc.;
- variety of models in design and color – the market offers both classic and creative pendant luminaires of various shapes and sizes;
- easy to install – most of the proposed models can be installed independently;
- A wide price range.
Traditionally, pendant luminaires are chosen to organize overhead facility lighting. And if not so long ago, the preference was certainly the chandelier, today more and more often the consumer prefers a group of single lamps, especially if the interior is decided in a modern style.
Interiors in the Baroque, classic and rococo styles, with wooden furniture and impressive moldings, can not do without beautiful chandeliers, gleaming with bronze and lots of multi-faceted crystal pendants.
For rooms whose interior is executed in the style of high-tech or minimalism, fit a laconic shape, often futuristic, with an abundance of metal parts and glass, matte or transparent.
Read also: How to Hang Pendant Lamp
Recommendations for Selecting Light Fixtures
The number of pendant lights for each room cannot be determined by any formula. The number, shape, color and functionality are determined by the purpose and area of the room, the height of the ceiling in it, the set local tasks, the general style and color solution of the interior. But some recommendations can still be useful.
If you need overhead lighting of a small room, then one fixture is enough. In “underexposed” zones, if such will add light built-in spotlights. Dining rooms and living rooms are often illuminated by a whole group of pendant light fixtures placed above the table.
If you choose volumetric models, you can limit their number to two or three. If the lights are compact and not bright enough, hang not three, but five. All used in the group composition light fixtures are usually one model line, but here too, there are no hard rules, perhaps you can make a harmonious group, for example, from different in form, but the same color lighting fixtures, or vice versa.
When choosing is very important is the material from which the plafond of the light fixture, as well as its shape. The degree of transparency of the plafond and its configuration affect the brightness and direction of the emitted light flux. In lamps, the plafonds are made of transparent glass, the light is softly and evenly scattered in the space. If the shades are opaque, made of wood or metal, for example, the light from them will be directional, illuminating a narrow area directly under the lamps. Expand the reach of the light beam of such a lamp can be raised higher to the ceiling by reducing the chain or wire on which it is suspended. And if you need to narrow the illuminated area, focusing light on a particular element of the interior, should simply lower the suspension.
Rooms where it is better not to place pendant lights:
- Tight hallway. In conditions of space deficit, hanging from the ceiling fixture simply creates interference and discomfort, it is better to apply ceiling spot lighting.
- Bathroom – it is also better not to install lamps with an open-type lamp, given the high humidity.
- The loggia, which, as a rule, is also not characterized by large size.
Rooms suitable for the installation of pendant type lights:
- Cabinet – In it, pendant lights are used to illuminate the desk. In a small office you can hang a single lamp with the ability to change the length of its wire. For a spacious office 2-3 identical compact lamps will do. One pendant fixture in a frosted plafond will not be enough for overhead lighting, but several will do the job and look trendy and stylish.
- Kitchen – in it the pendants can be effectively placed over a large dining table. The same technique can be used in the arrangement of dining rooms, cafes, bars – places where people eat and it is important to present it in a favorable light both literally and figuratively.
- Bedroom. As a rule, pendant lights in such rooms are placed in the center or above each bedside table.
- The living room – a topical solution provides tiered lighting, the upper light provides pendant lights of the diffused type. The designer will choose a group of pendants, matching the created interior in shape, style and color, and provide the desired intensity of light.
For any room of your house or apartment, you can find lighting fixtures with a thematic design. For example, for the kitchen, it can be shaped like a glass or coffee pot lamps, and the bedroom can be decorated with stars.
Buying pendant lights to install in the kitchen, prefer models made of practical material, because this is a special room, where they cook food, wash dishes. The lamps can get splashes of grease, juice, etc. It is important that the material they are made of can be cleaned well without losing its presentation. Let it be glass or metal: They are easy to clean and there are almost no restrictions on the use of cleaners, except for compounds with abrasive particles.
For a separate dining room will do any pendant fixtures, but still cloth lampshades choose cautiously: they are too good at collecting dust and absorbing odors. Interior of the living room will decorate the designer exclusive lamps with original forms. There are many variations, you can find a lamp-ship, an owl, a flower, etc.
In the bedroom will provide comfort and a serene atmosphere lamps, whose lampshade is made of fabric or paper. Designers advise to choose lamps for bedrooms in the form of hemisphere or sphere. The spherical plafond gives a sense of security and peace. You can also use multi-arm fixtures with fabric plafonds, they give enough light, the light is soft, evenly dispersed throughout the room. If the bedroom is arranged in a working area, it is advisable to place an additional sconce of directional light with a thick opaque lampshade over it.
Choosing Hangers for the Bar Counter
The bar counter has become a fashionable attribute of the kitchen interior. Usually for it provide separate lighting. You can use pendant lights for this purpose as well. It looks spectacular when they are made in the form of hemispheres or cones. Such plafonds direct light directly to the counter, and the rest of the kitchen areas are not illuminated by this group of lamps. It is better to buy for this not too bright fixtures and reduce the area covered by the luminous flux, lowering them.
Many people prefer to place over the bar lighting fixtures of original design. Lights in the form of a bar set consisting of a “bottle” of wine and “glasses”, or a group of lights-bottles made of glass look unusual. You could use them in an active bar, but with the high attendance of the institution they are unlikely to last long without damage, but for a home bar set this option would be good. For a home bar counter you need several lamps. As a rule, it is limited to three, but the determining criterion is the length of the bar.
How to arrange the pendant lights correctly
Everything is determined by the type and purpose of the room in which the installation is carried out. If you need to install a lamp of this type in the hallway or corridor, you should shorten the length of the wire as much as possible. In this case, you or your household will not be caught in the light fixture when going to work and when returning home. From the floor to the bottom point of the light should be a distance of at least 2 meters.
In rooms such as a bedroom or living room, the lamp serving as an upper light tier should also be placed at least 2 meters above the floor. This distance also depends on the size of the light and the function of the luminaire, either for general lighting or for zoning illumination.
When placing the pendant light over a bar or table between the countertop and the lower point of the lamp observe an interval of 70-90 cm, which allows to ensure good illumination. The lamp installed at this height will not disturb those sitting or working at the bar.
LED Pendant Lights
The consumer always chooses fashionable and quality products, this also applies to pendant lamps, which are increasingly purchased by buyers of different categories. Bright LED lights of modern design are finding more and more fans. By choosing a LED pendant light, you get a lighting fixture with going in a set of bright and durable lamp with a comfortable spectrum. The criteria for choosing such a luminaire:
- The intensity of the light beam. Depending on the purpose of the fixture, you can choose a model with high power and less strong. The brightest lights are purchased for the living room and office, and moderate or even weak ones can be installed in the hallway and on the stairs.
- Color temperature. It varies in the range of 2800-5000 K. The lower the value of this indicator, the “warmer” spectrum of light flux, and the cold spectrum is similar to natural lighting without the predominance of one or another tone.
- Angle of dispersion of the light beam. LEDs are usually used in pendant luminaires, the exception is interior fixtures or devices with a transparent plafond, scattering the beam.
- Color rendering index. It determines the degree of natural light.
Hanging lights, complete with LED lamps, often have an original and even creative form, often used in the design of glass or crystal decor, diffused plafonds of different configurations. The number of lamps and their brightness in these lamps can vary significantly.
How to install lighting fixtures, we will not tell. There are too many models and varieties, the installation of which has significant differences. Therefore, when installing the purchased lamp, follow the instructions provided or invite a professional technician to install it.
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