Pendant Lighting Installation

Pendant lights are a great way for adding decor to a home and will easily add extra style and flair that no other fixture or fittings can achieve.

The pendant light originates its name from the pendant necklace as both seem to look familiar by the way they dangle. The pendant light in fact can be considered the jewellery of a home and can even be considered a piece of art, and of course that will depend on how much you spend.

Pendants will come in various sizes and shapes and can be built from materials such as wood ,metal, glass, cloth or plastic. Globes can be exposed and the light may come shaded or unshaded, depending on the category the pendant light fitting falls under. The light fitting maybe single globe or may have multiple globes which may also be hung or draped by cord, chain and a metal rod which may include flex as a power source.

There are 1000’s of pendant light styles to choose from in today’s market and they are also so many different types, we have chosen are top types from the 100’s we have installed throughout the years:

A drum pendant typically the shades diffuser is shaped like a drum, their shades material can me made from a stretched material such as cloth or any other hard back fabric that will cover a circular frame.

Linear pendant more commonly used over the bench on a kitchen island, now becoming popular is the modern LED lighting strip enclosed in a metallic enclosure that would be suspended with steel wire on each end.

Mini pendants can be used with multiple light sources on track fixtures which can be perfect for smaller rooms. This pendant lighting installation is normally used for task lighting in small office spaces where light needs to be more focused on a specific area.

Multiple pendants can feature many lighting points attached to a single attachment point, they also carry the name of the cluster pendant light. This type of pendant light can be used anywhere in the home and creates illumination over a big area while taking up only a small amount of space.

A pendant lighting installation can be fixtured in any part of the home and can easily add flair and character to transform a room. Let’s take a closer look at each individual room and recommended pendant lights and heights for its space.

Kitchen
The kitchen being the most used part of a home and were multiple pendant lights can look extraordinary over a kitchen island or if you just have a simple single pendant light over your sink. Always try and consider an uneven number of pendant lights over a kitchen island bench top, normally a multiple of 3 lights over the bench is a sufficient number for a more desirable visual effect. Sometimes the room over the bench may not be appropriate in size, so 2 will do or even opt for a larger single pendant lighting fixture. Natural white globes will work best over the kitchen island as its generally used as task lighting. A recommendation on pendant lighting installation heights over your bench top would be 700 mm to 800 mm and distance apart if more than one would be 600 mm to 700 mm.

Dining area
One of the more obvious places for a pendant light installation is over the dining room table, to create that exciting centrepiece. A relaxed ambience light is preferred over the dining room table and a suspended single or cluster style pendant works best to achieve the relaxed lighting effect. It is recommended to keep light away from the eye line as this will create a glare which can be quite infuriating when one is trying to eat. Height and distance would be very similar to that of the kitchen pendant light, height from table would be 700 mm to 800 mm and distance of pendants apart would be 600 mm to 700 mm.

Bedroom
A good choice for pendant lighting would be over the bedside table to create extra space in place of a table lamp or light. Other areas in the bedroom to hang a pendant light would be over the bed to create mood lighting, a switch with a dimmer would be best suited to bring about a romantic atmosphere. Using a warm light globe is recommended for your pendant light in the bedroom.
Pendant lights should be suspended either in the centre of the room or just above the bed and 2100 mm above floor level should be an adequate height.

Bathroom
The location of a pendant light in the bathroom is something you don’t want to get wrong, applying make-up with shadows could be a disaster. Either side of your bathroom mirror is a recommended place for lighting and always ensure they are spaced evenly to prevent them unwanted shadows. A pendant light in the bathroom should have an IP rating,meaning a protection against a splash of water and if kids are around probably best for lighting to be kept out of reach. 1600 mm to 1800 mm for pendant lighting either side of the mirror is our suggested height.

Always be sure to use a licensed electrician when installing a pendant light otherwise things can become pretty dangerous if installation is not done correctly. Firstly before installation, ask your electrician to experiment with the light fitting at different heights to see what the best setting is for the light.

If the pendant light fitting is suspended above furniture or in the centre of a room, be sure its high enough that someone cant bump their head into it. Ensure the pendant light is mounted to something solid either timber or a metal frame, if this is not possible plaster board fixings should do the trick.

Allow extra length on the flex going to your lamp, this will ensure you can adjust the light fixture if changes need to be made further down the line, the spare flex can be hidden above the ceiling or in the cup of the pendant light.

What happens when you call us?

Pendant lighting installation calls are answered by our owner, Ken. He will talk you through what the best solution to your problem is and identify the best course of action to take once he arrives at your property.

If you don’t have electricity at all in your home you may be experiencing a power cut. Don’t waste your money by calling us, check to see if there is a power outage in your area. Your energy provider’s website will tell you if you have been affected or not.