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How To Choose The Right Modern Pendant Lights

mid century modern pendant lightingModern pendant lights are popular fittings. They look stunning suspended from the ceiling. Not only do they have a luxurious look but they also possess a unique style. Their clean appearance means they are often chosen for areas with open floor plans. They look stunning in kitchens, dining rooms, as well as game rooms.

Pendants come in a wide range of designs and styles with many different finishes, and types. Some work well on their own. Others look best when a couple hang side-by-side to help illuminate a space.

Modern pendant lights bring lots of personality to any space. They tend to be used mainly for lighting spaces that are used for tasks like kitchens and studies but are also popular for general categories like living rooms.

Pendants are traditionally bulbs with lampshades that act as big reflectors and diffusers that create pools of light. Contemporary designs mean the pendant is constantly developing. They are capable of throwing light in all directions – on the floor, the ceiling and even the walls.

The Goal

kitchen pendant lightingWhen selecting the modern pendant lights for you, consider the space where you plan to hang the fittings. What are you trying to achieve? Is it to provide useful task lighting like the Innermost Doric Pendant Light can achieve? Or are you hoping for an essential level of ambient light like that thrown by a selection of Innermost Asteroid Petrol Glass Pendant Lights?

To help yourself select ask yourself questions about:

  • How decorative you want the light to be
  • How big the space is where it will hang
  • The height of the ceiling

Other things to consider are whether there is any natural light in the room, the vernacular of the room and if you want the pendant to blend in or make a statement.

Proportion

The pendant’s size and how it will fit in the space is important. If the space is small and the ceiling low a pendant may not be suitable. If the space is huge and the ceilings high then you will need more than a small pendant.

Modern pendant lights like the Fritz Hansen Orient Pendant Light would be appropriate for both a spacious interior and one where space is considered a premium. The Orient offers good luminous efficacy and is made from the finest materials. Created by Jo Hammerborg in 1963 and relaunched by Fritz Hansen in 2013 this is a light that connects a deep and vibrant copper glow with its rosewood top.

If it is to be used in a small, low-ceilinged room, then the pendant will need only a minimal drop. In a stairwell, where the floor to ceiling height is vast, the pendant will need a considerable drop to offer more uniform ambient lighting on the staircase.

modern ceiling light fixturesTypes & Styles

Pendant lights almost always hang from the ceiling, and usually from a chain, cord or rod.

But they are available in a wide variety of shapes, colours and styles.

Directional Options

Are you looking for illumination that points up or down?

Downlighting Pendants are the most common choice. This makes intuitive sense. Because the light hangs from the ceiling, it’s natural that the light should point down.

Downlighting is also a smart choice for many of the types of spaces where people choose to hang pendant lights. What down lighting allows is often called “task lighting”. This is light that helps to illuminate whatever you’re working on.

When hung over a sink or kitchen island pendants offer more focused light. This means it’s easier to see the cleaning or food prep work you’re doing. Over a billiards table, it shines better light to see a game.

Uplighting Pendants are less common. But they are available and provide indirect illumination for a room. They are very useful when you want to add some ambience to space.

Take the Nemo Lighting Kepler for example. This pendant lamp comes in epoxy-coated aluminium. You can choose it in matt white or black. It offers widespread and comfortable lighting. The endless line is created through a three-dimensional deformation process. This is of extruded aluminium and designed using the maths of Moebius ribbons.

modern lightingMany styles use uplighting. For example, any pendant lights that use candle-style lights will have uplighting. It may be your stylistic preferences and the space you have in mind, lend themselves to uplighting.

Mini Pendants

retro pendant lightMini pendant lights are small lights that take up little space and only give off a small amount of light.

As a result, it is common for people to hang several mini pendants alongside each other. One can hang in a spot that requires a little extra task lighting. This could be above a desk, over a sink or hanging down above the kitchen island.

A good example is the Innermost Facet Mini Pendant Light, designed by Tom Kirk. This is part of the Facet Chandelier range, often deployed in smaller areas or as a spotlight.

The surface includes small facets. Each of these contributes to the design’s fragmented overall look. To achieve the effect, stainless steel sections that have been polished are wrapped around the perimeter.

This can create an effect that fools the eye. You can believe you are looking at something made of glass or crystal until you get close. The Facet pendants we offer are available in several sizes.

Multi-Light Pendants

Multi-light pendants like the Aromas Endo Lamp include several lights. The Endo Lamp combines contemporary, classic styling with simple functionality. The glow is that of gentle but effective light. It is the ideal complement for a cluster above a dining table. It is available in several finishes.

Valencian company Aromas Del Campo designed the Endo. The business was founded in 1986 to manufacture and distribute flowers. It expanded into small glass lamps and filling them with dried flowers. Now it dedicates its efforts to lighting systems.

Many lights in one unit like this may be the solution for you. Especially if you want a pendant fixture that offers increased illumination.modern ceiling light fixtures

Drum, Bowl & Inverted Pendants

The shades of drum pendant lights hang around the light bulbs. They are popular for adding ambient lighting to a room. Drum shades are made of many materials, including metal, fabric, glass and crystal. They can add elegance to space.

Bowl pendant lights come ion bowl shapes and either point up or down. When pointing up, the bowl fixture can be called an inverted pendant. When pointing down, bowl pendants are sometimes used as focused task lighting. Inverted pendants are often used for ambient or accent lighting.

Globe Pendants

Globe pendant lights, like the Verpan VP Globe Pendant Light, have shades encompassing the bulbs.

Among the most popular types of pendant lighting, globe designs send light in all directions. This also adds plenty of ambient light to a living space. These lights suit spaces like foyers or living rooms.

Designed by Verner Panton more than 50 years ago, the VP Globe Pendant Light is now revered as a post-modern icon. Known for its simplicity and unique globe design.

Stunning from all angles, this light is practical as well as striking. The light domes below and above the shielded bulb show off Panton’s passion for details. Each piece has an individual number stamped into the lamp stem. It also has a certificate of authenticity.

Important Extra Considerations

You don’t have to always hang even numbers of lights. With pendants, you can go for three, four or five.

Think about where you are going to instal your pendant lights. Some areas are safer bets than others. For example, installing pendants over a breakfast bar is safe. This is because as a fixed piece of furniture people are not going to be walking underneath. It means there’s no chance of them banging their heads on the lights.

A table may need shifting on occasion, or you may get one later that is a different shape. You don’t want to find your pendant light has no relationship to the furniture it’s supposed to be lighting.

The key is to aim for flexibility. When you hang a light above a table, think about using a ceiling hook and a long cable. If the table position moves so can the light.

unique pendant lightsModern pendant lights can be so appealing there is a danger you buy too many. But a single pendant can work as a beautiful feature on its own. It can draw the eye. But beware hanging another lighting fixture nearby. The lights may compete for attention. That is unless the other light is smaller or from the same range and complements the feature pendant.

There is a reason why modern pendant lights are so popular. This style of light often looks great and can be the ideal fit for a lot of different spaces. If you want to instal pendant lights for particular parts of your home don’t feel you have to settle. There are so many different pendant lighting options. So take your time and browse the choices to find the best light fixture for you.

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