Pendant lighting is trending these day. It serves
dual purpose, offering light in a much needed area, and changing the design look of the space. Pendant lights come in all sort of
colors, finishes, styles, and lengths.
As an
Interior Decorator, I often get asked these
two questions; how many will I need? And
how big should they be?
Good questions!! As with anything in design, there are
guidelines.
How big requires a little bit of math:
Generally speaking you want 12"-16" from the end of the island. Most common is 12". Lets say you have a kitchen island that is 120" and you want 4 lights. With 4 pendants, you will have 5 open spaces, one on each end, and 3 in the middle (one between each pendant). Using 12" x 5 (open spaces) = 60". Subtract that from 120" and you are left with 60". Divide 60" by the number of pendants (4 pendants) and you are left with 15".
This will be the diameter for you fixture. Can you figure out what the diameter would be if you were using 3 pendants? (Hint 24")
How many?
The Rule of 3. In the design world, odd numbers seem to work the best. That being said,
rules are made to be broken. In the example I gave above, I use 4 pendants. Why? Because the island is very long, and can handle 4 pendants. Just keep this in mind, if you're going with
less, use slightly
larger pendants. If you're using
more, use slightly
smaller pendants.
Above all, scale matters!!
Last but not lest, what
height should I hang my pendants? They should hang 36" to 48" from the top of the counter. Be
considerate of sight lines. You don't want the pendant to obstruct anyone views, nor do you want them to hit their heads!!
At Abella Home Staging & Redesign, we believe any home can be beautifully transformed. We believe in delivering a custom-made look, but without the custom-made price tag!! Call us and let's get started today!!
