Pendant Lights Offer Many Decorating Options

Most people think of pendant lights as the small scale, individual lights that are suspended by a thin wire or chain with a small shade over a single bulb.  While the most common pendant lights are these single bulb, individual lights that are suspended from the ceiling, the term actually refers to a wide range of lighting styles.  In fact, any decorative ceiling fixture lighting fixture that hangs from the ceiling, rather than being flush to it, is a type of pendant lighting.  One style, the chandelier, is generally considered a category in itself, since chandeliers feature multiple bulbs and even multiple tiers. 

Pendant lights don't have to have a single light source, although most of them do.  The key is that a pendant hangs from point on the ceiling so that the light is a bit lower than it would be if flush mounted.  In most cases, the shade of a pendant light is open toward the floor, with the light source underneath.  It will resemble a cup or bowl that has been turned upside down.

Tiffany Pendant Lights usually have a single bulb or two or three bulbs together under a single, elaborate shade.  These are very popular in Victorian homes, where the rich colors and detailed patterns in the glass shade cast lovely patterns across the walls.  The bulb is sometimes bare, but may be enclosed in a smaller glass globe that fits under the pendant shade. 

Tiffany pendant lights are also popular over informal kitchen tables, where imagination can be given free reign.  Tiffany pendant lights feature a wide range of designs, including flowers, fruits and nuts and geometric patterns.  Tiffany pendant lights with a grape vine motif is very popular for kitchens and dining rooms.

Mini Pendant Lights are wonderful installed in clusters of three, five or seven.  Odd numbers usually have a more appealing look than even numbers.  Mini pendants are the simplest form of suspended decorative lighting.  Each one is a single bulb at the end of a thin wire or cord, with a simple shade or glass or metal enclosing it.  You’ll often see mini pendant lights in bold, bright colors you won’t find in other lighting styles.  They can add vivid pops or colors in areas where a larger fixture might overwhelm.  A row of mini pendants over a breakfast bar or kitchen island adds lots of light without bulk.

Single Pendant Lights are one of the most popular styles of decorative lighting sold today.  These are large scale pendant lights that can be used as the main ceiling lighting in most rooms.  They have larger decorative shades, often of frosted glass or a creamy, veined glass, and are suspended on chains or posts. 

A variation on single pendant lighting is the Inverted Pendant.  These are the same as a standard, large scale pendant light, except the bowl-shaped shade is turned upside down so that it fits under the light bulb or bulbs so that they can’t be seen.  The shade is usually suspended by three or four posts or chains that fan out from the center chain so that it “hangs” beneath the light bulbs.  The look is similar to a flush mounted light that hangs down into the room.  If you have a room with high ceilings, this is a great alternative to a flush mounted light fixture.

Pendant lights are popular for a number of reasons.  You have the freedom to adjust how high or low the lights will hang, they come in a wide array of styles, and they offer more decorative detail than a flush mounted light fixture can.  Before choosing decorative lighting for your home, be sure to consider all of the many styles of pendant lighting available to find the perfect style for your home.