What Is a Pendant Light? Everything You Need to Know in 2025

Looking to upgrade your home lighting? Pendant lights are charming decorating wonders that provide versatile lighting for any space.

In this complete 2025 guide, we'll give you everything you need to know - from tips on what pendant lights are and how to choose them to decorating and more.

Whether you're renovating your kitchen, designing a cozy dining area, or prefer a modern décor, this guide will help you choose the best pendant light for your home.

What Is a Pendant Light?

A pendant light, also known as a hanging light, is the same type of light fixture. 

The biggest difference between a pendant light and other light fixtures is that there is a cord or rod that hangs down from the ceiling. You can think of it as “a small lantern hanging from the ceiling.”

It is not like a flush mount light that sticks to the ceiling; it is “hanging.” It is also adjustable to meet different lighting needs.

3 Core Advantages of Pendant Light

Pendant light is a favorite fixture for many home decorators because it has an endless charm that can make all the difference in your home. Here are its 3 core uses and advantages. 

1. Main Function: Precision Lighting

Pendant light is usually used for task lighting and spotlighting, which is best explained by its unique top-down light. It can be hung above your kitchen island to illuminate your food preparation and ensure that you don't hurt your hands by chopping vegetables.

It can also provide a focused light source above the dining table to make the food you cook more enticing.

2. The Face: The Soft Furnishings C-Suite

A pendant light with a sense of design can immediately become the visual focal point of your space, believe it or not.

Take a look at this corner of the living room. The warm light pendant light makes the dining room more cozy, and the cool light pendant light makes the office area more efficient.

Picking the right pendant light according to different home styles can make your style more distinctive. For example, a coastal-style woven pendant light or a paper-craft Nordic-style pendant light can immediately achieve the home style you want.

3. A Pendant Light Completes the Division of Space

When you have a spacious living room and you want to create a reading area but don't want to build a wall, then use a pendant light!

Place a pendant light above a table, a recliner, and a reading area in your living room. Easily mark functional partitions and layer your space without having to build walls.

5 Home Scenes and Tips for Pendant Lights

Can you hang a pendant light anywhere? Not! Unless you want to make it weird. So, where are pendant lights used?

We offer the following 5 applicable home scenarios for you to get a better grasp of pendant lights. These pendant lights will immediately make your home decor unexpected!

1. Living Room Corner Fill Light

The living room is the main activity of the family. In addition to being the main source of light, pendant lights can also be used for the dark corners of the living room as lighting decoration.

Such as the sofa side of the coffee table, above the reading corner, above the installation of pendant lights, and the dark corner of the floor light. Choose a pendant light with a shade for a softer ambience.

2. Pendant Light for Kitchen Island Lighting

Pendant lights for kitchen islands are very popular to brighten up the worktop. Choose a combination of 2-3 pendant lights spaced 30-45cm apart to provide plenty of ambient and task light.

The glass globe pendant light style is easier to clean and perfect for a kitchen pendant light to reduce grease stains.

3. Dining Room Table

When your dining area is separate from the kitchen, set the mood with a separate pendant light!

Choose a combination pendant light or one large one for dining table lighting; the warm light will make your food more appetizing and make mealtimes more cozy.

4. Bedroom Bedside

Is your bedside table lamp always easy to touch off and insecure? Pendant lights come to the rescue!

Replacing a table lamp with a pendant light can easily free up your nightstand space. Single-sided, symmetrical hanging can be at least 40-50cm from the bed.

Choose a frosted glass pendant light or a lapis lazuli pendant light; the light is softer, not harsh, and more friendly to night reading!

5. Study Work Area

No matter how bright the ambient light is in your study work area, you should place a pendant light above your desk. This is because it will keep your desk free of shadows and allow you to work more efficiently!

The pendant light is best hung directly above the desk, 55-65 cm from the desktop, and choosing a 4000K natural light color will be more eye-care!

How to Choose Pendant Lights? A 3-Step Shopping Guide for 2025

Step 1: Define the Purpose - What Do you Want it For

• Task lighting (kitchen/study): go for a downward-focused model (e.g., cone shade)
• Ambient lighting (living room/bedroom): go for diffused models (e.g., fabric/frosted glass)
• Decorative needs (entryway/overhead area): modeling > brightness (artistic design)
• Outdoor Pendant light (outdoor patio doorway, etc.): focus on waterproof, moisture-proof, and rust-proof features

Step 2: Measure the Space - Numbers Don't Lie

Floor height determines pendant light height

• Standard floor height (8-9 feet): The bottom of the pendant light is 6.5-7 feet above the ground is most suitable, such as above the dining table.
• Low Floor Height (<8 feet): Go with a super-short pendant cord, with the light <4 inches from the ceiling.
• High floor height (>10 feet): You can use a long cord pendant light with the light 24-36 inches from the floor to fill the gap.

The room/table size determines the diameter of the pendant light

• Simple formula: Pendant light diameter in inches = half the width of the room/table in feet.
• Example 1: Dining room table 4 feet (48 inches) wide → choose a pendant light with a diameter of 20-24 inches.
• Example 2: The living room is 12 feet wide → You can choose a single large pendant light (24-30 inches) or 3 small pendant lights (12-15 inches per group).

Step 3: Lock in the Style - Popular Models in 2025

Different home styles with the pendant light style are not quite the same. To help you more easily with the pendant light, give the typical style.

 

These are the top tips for choosing a pendant light. With these in hand, you can easily choose a pendant light you're happy with. Contact us with any questions, and we'll be happy to answer your questions!

Choose A Pendant Light for Your Lovely Home with Zowala

I'm sure you're already well aware of what a pendant light is! The appeal of a pendant light in contrast to other lights is obvious when you use it in a number of places in your interior.

When choosing a pendant light for your home, there are a few tips that Zowala can help you with to maximize the beauty of the pendant light in your home!

Contact us for the best service and fixtures for your home, whether it's pendant lights or any home lighting!