How high to hang a pendant light over a table or kitchen island

Hang a pendant too high and it lights the ceiling and dazzles anyone standing; too low and it blocks the view across the table. The right drop is easy to work out once you know which surface you are measuring from. Here are the heights we use over a dining table, a kitchen island and a bedside, measured to the bottom of the shade.

The short answer

• Over a dining table: 75 to 85 cm from the table top to the bottom of the shade
• Over a kitchen island: 75 to 90 cm from the worktop to the bottom of the shade
• Beside a bed: the bottom of the shade roughly 45 to 60 cm above the mattress, a little to one side of your head
• In a hallway or anywhere people walk underneath: keep at least 210 cm clear from the floor to the bottom of the fitting

These ranges assume a ceiling of around 240 cm. With a higher ceiling, stay with the same distance above the table and let the cord take up the difference; the table, not the ceiling, is the reference point.

Over a dining table

A pendant over a table is there to light the food and the faces around it, not the room. At 75 to 85 cm above the table top the shade sits just above eye level for people sitting down, so nobody looks straight into the bulb and everyone can still see each other across the table.

For size, a useful rule is a shade about half to two thirds the width of the table, kept at least 15 cm in from each edge. A single wide shade suits a round table; a long rectangular table usually looks better with two or three smaller pendants in a line, or one linear bar light that runs along its length.

Wide woven shades in rattan or bamboo throw a soft, patterned light that suits a dining table well. Browse our ceiling lights and pendants.

Over a kitchen island

An island is a work surface first, so the light needs to reach the worktop without hanging in your line of sight while you cook. Aim for 75 to 90 cm above the worktop, going towards the higher end if the pendants are opaque and you want to see across the kitchen.

For spacing, divide the island into equal sections and hang one pendant at the centre of each. As a guide:

• Allow roughly 60 to 75 cm between the centres of small pendants
• Keep the outer pendants at least 15 cm in from the ends of the island
• Two pendants suit an island up to about 150 cm; three suit most islands from 180 cm upwards

Slim pendants work especially well in a row because they light the surface without blocking the view. Our Anzio travertine pendant is only 4 cm across, with a 180 cm cord you can shorten to the exact drop.

Beside a bed

A pendant hung low beside the bed frees the bedside table and gives a softer light than a lamp. Hang it so the bottom of the shade sits roughly 45 to 60 cm above the mattress, slightly forward of the headboard and to the side, so the light falls on a book rather than in your eyes. Our guide to bedside light height covers the same principle for wall lights.

Hallways, landings and stairs

Anywhere people walk under a light, headroom comes first. Keep at least 210 cm between the floor and the lowest point of the fitting. In a hallway with a low ceiling, a flush or semi flush ceiling light, or a wall light, is often the better choice than a pendant.

Check before you fix

Before the electrician shortens the cord, hold the pendant up at the planned height, or hang a piece of card on string, and look at it from where you will actually sit or stand. Check it from a chair at the table, from the hob side of the island and from the bed. Two minutes here saves a second visit.

Pendant lights wired into a ceiling point should be installed by a qualified electrician. Our guide Do wall lights need an electrician? explains when that applies in the UK.

Quick reference

• Dining table: 75 to 85 cm above the table top
• Kitchen island: 75 to 90 cm above the worktop, 60 to 75 cm between small pendants
• Bedside: 45 to 60 cm above the mattress
• Walkways: at least 210 cm clear from the floor
• Shade size over a table: half to two thirds of the table width

Every pendant on HaloYard lists its shade size and cord length, so you can check the drop before you order. If a measurement you need is missing, email info@haloyard.com and we will find it.