General Lighting: Pendants

There are plenty of benefits to pendant fixtures. They serve many purposes in a space especially for task and general lighting. Pendants are also visually decorative and help provide a overall theme to a space.

How Many Pendants Should I Hang?

Generally the amount of pendants used depends on the size of the surface that needs illumination.A good rule of thumb is to place each pendant at least a minimum of 16” apart center on center to create a sufficient light source on a surface. Center on center simply means at the most center point of the fixture. For example, if you have a surface that is 6 feet in length then use 3 pendants at 16” apart center on center. Take 16 and divide by the length of the surface, if the number is not a whole number than round up (2.6 round up to 3) Just keep in mind the position of the table and the positioning of the pendants when installing so that they all coincide together nicely.

There is no right or wrong way of the amount of pendants used, but its best to know that pendants are a decorative light fixture used for task and general lighting areas. So more is not always better.

How High Should My Pendants Hang From My Counter or Island?

Typically, pendants should hang between 27" to 36" above the surface of a counter or island.

Are Pendant Lights Bright Enough?

Pendants are usually used for task and general lighting, which means that they provide enough illumination, in a particular space, to help light everyday tasks. They are quite applicable in homes and in commercial spaces.

Most pendant fixtures use:

• halogen lamps
• incandescent lamps
• some modern fixtures use HID and fluorescent sources
• hard-wired compact fluorescent