Learn the names of different types of pendants accompanied with images and brief descriptions to inspire you to seek beautiful lights for your home.
Firstly, what do you call a light that hangs in space? There are several different names for a 'Pendant Light', such as:
- Suspension Lights
- Hanging Lights
- Pendulum Lights
- Drop Lights
- Dangly Lights
- Chandeliers
- Ceiling Lights
We'll refer to suspension lights / hanging lights / pendulum lights / drop lights / dangly lights / chandeliers / ceilings lights as 'Pendant lights' with the accompanying differential terms that separates one type of pendant from another.
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Mini Pendant Lights | Mini pendant lights are small, just big enough to wrap a pretty shade around a single light bulb (or small LED). Some mini pendant lights can be combined to create stunning cluster lights. |
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Vertical Pendant Lights | Vertical pendant lights are noted for their tall often slender profile. They look great in multiples over a kitchen island or singularly for subtly. Vertical pendants can vary in detail and beam spreads. |
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Linear Pendant Lights | Linear pendant lights are wonderful over kitchen islands and quite a few are pretty enough to grace dining room tables. They also work brilliantly over a long desk in home offices. They can be hung at different angles in high ceilings to create a unique impact. |
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Cone Pendant Lights | Cone pendant lights start out narrow and then open up at the bottom to pour light onto your surface. These are great when you want a wide beam of light concentrated light for a task area or dining table. |
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Dome Pendant Lights | Dome pendant lights have a curved, softer top. They provide a tighter beam spread than cone pendant lights. Dome pendants have a familiar shape that is popular. Some have diffusers to cover the bottom and some are open. Diffusers on the bottom are good for spaces like lounges and bedrooms, where you're likely to see the bottom. |
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Drum Pendant Lights | Drum pendants are similar to dome pendants but they don't have a closed top. They are the most familiar of pendants, widely available. Drum pendants are great at diffusing light and lighting the ceiling as well. Watch out for cheap ones that age badly and use thin wires as frames. |
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Disc Pendant Lights | Disc pendants are round, slim and wide. They provide one of the widest beams of light of all pendants. Disc pendants are great when you don't want to obstruct views. They come in many diameters, from small to very large. |
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Ring Pendant Lights | Ring pendant lights are sophisticated and versatile. They have a thin band surrounded with continuous lighting, most often LED but occasionally, bulbs. The light source can be on the inside or the outside of the ring. It can shine sideways, upwards and/or downwards. Comes in many different diameters, often on the larger size. They can even hang vertically, great for staircases. |
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Spherical Pendant Lights | Spherical pendant lights, also known as globe lights, are iconic and look great in a wide range of interior schemes. They are round, often made of white glass but occasionally man-made materials or textiles. They provide all-around ambient light, lighting spaces evenly. |
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Indirect Pendant Lights | Indirect pendant lights illuminate rooms without glare. The light source is hidden, bouncing off the shade and back into the room. This type of light is relaxing and flattering though not great for task lighting. Great for lounges, bedrooms and dining areas. |
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Organic Pendant Lights | Organic pendant lights can be any size or material. The defining characteristic is lacking a definitive shape. They can be huge or very small, and made from a wide variety of materials. The type of light they provide is loved as much for its beauty as function. |
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Lantern Pendant Lights | Lantern pendant lights can be square, angled, round, tall, wide ... what defines them is the combination of thin metal frame and open space surrounding a light bulb, often covered with glass but sometimes not. They're often hung from chains. A timeless traditional classic light fitting. |
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Chandelier Pendant Lights | Chandeliers are classic light fittings. A chandelier provides status, wow-factor and is a true celebration of light and life. They have 'arms' that support either bulbs or LED lights. Chandeliers go in any room where you want to make an impression. Embrace the stature. |
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Cluster Pendant Lights | Cluster pendant lights are much loved for their generous cascading light. They work wonderfully in staircases and grand entrances with double-height ceilings as well as lounges. There are many different ways to hang a cluster light - either with a ceiling pan with multiple cables, individual canopies which can be recessed out of view or radial canopies. |
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Radial Pendant Lights | Radial pendant lights are a brilliant lighting solution when you have one cable but need many lights. The single cable powers a canopy which multiple pendants 'radiate' from, hung with swag hooks. The radiate cables can be taunt to the surface or hung loosely. |
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Swag Pendant Lights | Swag pendant lights are a simple solution when your cable isn't exactly where you want the light to hang. You attached the canopy to the cable then 'swag' the pendant where you want it to hang, free from electrical constraints. |
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Height-Adjustable Pendant Lights | Height-adjustable pendant lights are useful when you want to manually control more or less light. Pull them downwards for more concentrated light and push them upwards for more diffused, softer light. Plus, they look cool and they're a lot of fun! |
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Expandable Pendant Lights | Expandable pendant lights are task lighting that gives you twice as much light - two heads from a single stem. They are adjustable. Move the shades inwards or outwards, great for lighting extending tables or kitchen islands that change purpose throughout the day. |
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Ceiling-Mounted Pendant Lights | Ceiling-mounted pendant lights are fantastic. Instead of a cable hanging from the ceiling, you have an arm. Most often, the light is highly adjustable, great solution for awkward ceilings. Imagine a (large) task light flipped onto your ceiling that you can angle where you want it. Makes a statement and provides great task lighting. |
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Wall-Mounted Pendant Lights | Wall-mounted pendant lights are chic and unique. A great solution when the ceiling is problematic. Wall-mounted pendants can be hardwired to the wall or plugged-in, adding to their versatility. Mount the light on the wall and 'hang' it where you would hang a traditional pendant. Thinking outside the box, or the side of the box, as it were. |
Pendant lights are a versatile, beautiful way to get light where you want it. You can hang them from the ceiling, on a beam, on a slope (but double check they'll work on a slope ceiling - not all pendants can handle the angle), even hang them from the wall and swag them across the ceiling where you want the light. Hang pendants over a dining or work table, across a kitchen island or above bedside tables. Hang them in the middle of the room or in a corner. Cascade a stunning pendant down your staircase. There's a pendant for every room, and Autumn Morrison, residential lighting specialist, will help you find the right one. Call (m) 079434469433 today to see some remarkable options.