Figuring out what lighting to get for your space can be so difficult! There's a lot to think about - style, height, width... the list goes on. We've put together a starter guide of things to think about when purchasing lighting, as well as some of our favorite options for each category.
PENDANT HANGING HEIGHT
The height you should be hanging your pendants and chandeliers depends on the room and the furniture below the light fixture. For example, you should leave between 32-36 inches between your dining table top and the bottom of your pendant. We've put together a graphic to use as a quick reference when hanging lights in dining rooms, kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms.
PENDANT WIDTH
The perfect pendant or chandelier width can be calculated with a very easy formula! Just measure the room's width and length rounded in feet, sum the numbers, and that is your chandelier's width in inches. For example, if your room is 17 x14 ft, your chandelier should be 31 inches wide.
For kitchen pendants, there's a few more factors to think about. First, you want your pendants to be 15 inches wide or larger for a modern, designer look. They should be hung 8 - 12 inches over from the edge of the island or counter and centered on the width of the countertop. They should be hung twice the width away from each other; for example, if each pendant is 15 inches wide, they should be hung 30 inches apart. Using these guidelines, you can also determine how many pendants you need to fully light your island.
SCONCES
Wall mounted sconces are a great option for above nightstands, vanity lighting, and hallway lighting. When placing sconces on either side of a mirror, there should be 3 ft between the two lights, adjusting as needed if the mirror is larger than that. When placing the sconce above the mirror, it should be 75-80 inches from the floor, allowing for several inches above the mirror as well. When mounting a sconce above a nightstand, it should be roughly 5 ft from the ground, adjusting based on what looks best with the bed height.
FAVORITE LIGHTING OPTIONS
Not sure where to start when searching for a pendant or sconce? Here are some of our favorite picks from Amazon right now:
Product links: top left, top center, top right; middle left, middle center, middle right; bottom left, bottom center, bottom right
All Project Photography by Madeline Harper Photography.