Hanging Light Size Guide, and How to Hang One
By Metify Homes
A hanging light has two measurements that matter: how wide it is, and how far down it comes. Get both right and almost any design will look good. Get either wrong and the best design in the shop will look like it was meant for another room.
This guide gives the sizes by location, then the rules for grouping, then how the light is actually fixed to the ceiling.
Size and drop by location
| Where it hangs | Width of the light | Bottom of the light |
|---|---|---|
| Centre of a room | Room length + width in feet, read as inches. A 10 x 12 ft room takes about 22 in (56 cm) | At least 7 ft (213 cm) from the floor |
| Over a dining table | Half to two-thirds of the table width | 30 to 36 in (75 to 90 cm) above the table |
| Over a kitchen counter | 8 to 14 in each (20 to 35 cm), in a row | 30 to 36 in above the counter |
| Beside a bed, in place of a lamp | 6 to 10 in (15 to 25 cm) | 18 to 24 in (45 to 60 cm) above the side table |
| Entrance or foyer | By the room formula, a size up if the ceiling is high | At least 7 ft from the floor |
| Corridor | 8 to 12 in (20 to 30 cm) | At least 7 ft from the floor |
| Over a coffee table or in a corner | To taste | Low is fine where nobody walks |
The seven-foot rule applies wherever a person can walk under the light. Over a table, a counter or a side table, furniture keeps people out from under it, so the light can come down to where it is useful.
Work out the drop before you buy
Subtract 7 feet from your ceiling height. What is left is the most the light can hang down in an open area, including its chain or cord.
9 ft ceiling: 2 ft available
10 ft ceiling: 3 ft available
12 ft ceiling: 5 ft available
In a flat with a 9 foot ceiling, that rules out long designs in the middle of the room. Choose a short pendant there, or hang the long one over a table where the rule does not apply.
Check how the length is adjusted. Cord pendants are shortened at the ceiling cup. Chains lose links. Rod pendants come in sections and are the least flexible, so confirm the total length suits your ceiling before ordering.
Pendant light rules
These are the conventions that make a group of hanging lights look deliberate.
Centre on the thing, not the room. A pendant belongs over the middle of the table, counter or bed it serves. If the ceiling point is somewhere else, use a hook and swag the cord across.
Odd numbers in a row. One or three over a table reads better than two or four, because there is a light at the centre. Two is fine when each pendant is large.
Same height, or clearly different. A straight row hangs level. A cluster is staggered on purpose, with 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) between each height. A difference of one or two inches just looks like a mistake.
Equal gaps. Divide the length of the table or counter by the number of pendants plus one. Use that distance from each end and between each light.
One finish. All the pendants in a group share the same metal and the same bulb. A warm bulb beside a cool one is the first thing a visitor notices.
Do not compete with the fan. No hanging light inside the sweep of a ceiling fan, and none directly above the blades.
How a hanging light is fixed
Any light wired into the ceiling should be installed by an electrician. This is what a proper job looks like, so you can check it.
1. Power off at the distribution board. The breaker, not just the wall switch.
2. A fixing into something solid. For a light pendant under about 3 kg, a hook or bracket fixed into the concrete slab with a metal or heavy-duty plug is enough. Heavier pieces need anchor bolts. On a false ceiling, the fixing must go through the gypsum board into the slab above. The board alone will not hold a hanging light for long.
3. The weight on the support, not on the wire. Chain and rod pendants carry their own weight. Cord pendants use a cord made to bear the load, held by a grip inside the ceiling cup. The electrical joint itself should never be under tension.
4. Proper connectors. Inside the ceiling cup, wires are joined with a connector block, not twisted and taped.
5. Set the height, then tidy the excess. Hold the light at the planned height, do the sit-down or walk-under check, then shorten.
6. Bulbs last. Fit them after everything is fixed and switched back on.
The one kind you can hang yourself
A plug-in pendant has a long cord and a plug in place of ceiling wiring. You fix one hook in the ceiling above the spot, loop the cord over it, run the cord across to the wall and down to a socket. No wiring is opened. It suits renters, and bedside corners where there is no ceiling point. Use a hook screwed into a proper plug in the slab, and clip the cord neatly along the wall.
Choosing a design for the size you need
Once you know the width and the drop, the choice of design gets easier.
Small and simple for rows and bedsides: cones, small domes, glass globes.
Medium and open for the centre of a bedroom or lounge: geometric metal frames and cage designs give presence without blocking the view, like the Retro Style Geometric Hanging Light.
One larger statement over a round dining table or in an entrance: a wide shade or a multi-light piece such as the Tetra Rodeo Pendant.
A solid shade sends light down in a pool. An open frame or glass shade spreads it around the room. Decide which you need before you fall for a shape.
See all sizes in our pendant and hanging lights collection. For dining tables in particular, read the dining table light height guide.