If you’ve ever fallen in love with a pendant light online, ordered it, and realized it looked either too small or too overpowering once installed, this guide is for you.
Choosing the right size pendant light isn’t about guessing. It’s about proportion, placement, and a few rules that make the difference between a light that just hangs and a light that completes the room.
1. Know Your Purpose: Task, Ambient, or Statement
Before anything else, decide what your pendant light needs to do.
- Task lighting: Ideal over a kitchen island or reading nook. Smaller or focused pendants work best.
- Ambient lighting: Works as the main light source. Think soft glow, wide reach.
- Statement lighting: Large, sculptural pieces that act as a visual centerpiece.
2. Use the “Rule of Thirds” for Balance
In rooms with high ceilings or open plans, the pendant should feel anchored, not floating in space.
A good general rule: The pendant should take up about 1/3 of the vertical space between floor and ceiling. In a standard 8-foot ceiling room, that’s about 2.5–3 feet from the ceiling down.
3. For Kitchen Islands: Size and Spacing Matter
- Height: Hang your pendant 30–36 inches above the countertop.
- Diameter: Each pendant should be about ⅔ the width of the counter it hangs over.
- Spacing: If using more than one, space them about 24–30 inches apart, center to center.
Too many pendants can clutter the space. Too few and it feels empty.
4. Dining Rooms: Let the Table Guide You
One bold pendant over a round table? Perfect. A linear trio above a rectangular one? Also great.
The pendant’s diameter should be around half to two-thirds the width of the table. And it should hang 30–34 inches above the tabletop.
5. Entryways + Hallways: Scale Down, Not Impact
Smaller spaces need lighting, too, but not oversized pieces that overwhelm. In narrow halls or cozy entryways, go for smaller pendants with visual texture, not mass.
A pendant in an entryway should be 7 feet above the floor, minimum. This avoids head bumps while still offering presence.
Final Tip: Go Bigger Than You Think (But Not By Much)
If you’re stuck between two sizes, choose the larger one. A pendant that’s slightly oversized usually looks better than one that disappears.
But always stay within the visual limits of the room. Light should enhance the design, not dominate it.