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The best pendant lights to style up your ceiling
From classic cones to organic forms, we’ve selected the best new pendants to light up your life
A ceiling pendant is an essential element in any lighting scheme, crucial for creating that all-important ‘layered’ effect. Whether hung singly or in a cluster, these designs provide targeted illumination over specific areas such as a dining table, kitchen island, stairwell or reading nook.
This season, many designers are rediscovering the satisfying geometry of the cone, while others are experimenting with organic, fluid shapes to create pieces that are as much sculptures as they are sources of light. With material choices ranging from ceramic and glass to fabric, paper and steel, here are our favourites.
‘Peel’, Frandsen
Cosy winter evenings call for a soft, enveloping glow, such as that emitted by ‘Peel’, the latest trio of table, wall and pendant lamps by Dutch-Danish designer Sissel Gram Warringa. To create each piece, Warringa curled a single sheet of stainless steel into a circular shape, similar to orange peel or a pencil shaving, with a precise slit that disperses the design’s intended glare-free ambient light. From approx £400, frandsen.com
‘Humboldt’, Roll & Hill
By American lighting company Roll & Hill, this ‘Humboldt’ design is available in two pendant versions and one sconce. Designed to pay tribute to early-20th-century Californian craft, it comes in gemstone colours and rounded forms. There are wooden versions, but we enjoy the colour pop of this ceramic model. £1,800, scp.co.uk
‘Harpe’, Christian Lava for Terzani
Sometimes, the best creations come from the most simple and innocent of inspirations, as is the case with designer Christian Lava’s latest light for Terzani. Summoning a childhood memory of looking at the sky and imagining shapes in the clouds, the designer recalled witnessing a break in their grey cover that allowed bright rays of sunlight, reminiscent of a harp, to shine through. The ‘Harpe’ pendants are the product of that moment. Made from delicate bars of nickel, they can be assembled in infinite combinations. From approx £375 per pendant, terzani.com
‘Tubelight’ by BCXSY for Moooi
Looking for a light that will be the talking point of the table? ‘Tubelight’ by Dutch collective BCXSY might be the answer. Produced by Moooi, which says it ‘redefines traditional fluorescent lights and bends the rules of lighting’, the suspended design can be draped over the black fixture or clamped to a wall in dynamic configurations. Choose between a 1.5-metre fixed LED tube and a five-metre flexible LED tube, depending on your artistic ambitions. From approx £1,574, moooi.com
‘LightMass’ by Lightmass
The ‘LightMass’ collection is made up of 3D-printed forms crafted from a translucent mesh that creates dynamic light and shadow patterns. ‘Shades are no longer required to diffuse light,’ say designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, who credit new, higher-quality LEDs and biopolymer filaments with allowing them the ‘artistic freedom to conceive structures that interact with the beam of light in their own way’. They call it ‘the lantern effect’. When switched off, the ‘LightMass’ designs (from £445 for a table lamp) hover like airborne line drawings, but switch them on and the creations gain a haunting luminescence. £890, light-mass.com
‘Flou’, Roche Bobois
Is it a leaf? A feather? It’s both, actually, according to designer Sophie Larger, who was intrigued by the delicate, repeating forms found in nature when creating the ‘Flou’ floor light, table lamp and pendant for Roche Bobois. The styles come in either wood, white or this minty-fresh green hue. From approx £1,560 for a pendant, roche-bobois.com
‘Legato’, Luca Nichetto
Legato is the musical term for a series of smooth notes, as well as the name of this lighting system by Luca Nichetto. Formed of lamps that can be twisted to direct glow in multiple directions, the ‘Legato’ allows you to compose your own symphonies of light. If it’s lighting up the stairway of avant-garde New York gallery the Future Perfect (pictured), you know it’s an icon of tomorrow. ‘Legato String’ with nine cones, £9,099 and ‘Legato String’ with six cones, £6,310 mattermatters.com
‘Aria’, Stem
The ‘Aria’ ceiling light by Indian brand Stem draws inspiration from the gentle movements of cloth blowing in the wind. The solid-brass rods, cast from hand-sculpted patterns, retain the maker’s touch and bear witness to the beauty of imperfection. The linen fabric shade is hand-embroidered with delicate impressions borrowed from a child’s sketch. £2,585, stemdesign.co
‘Blossom’, Original BTC
A forerunner in making lighting out of fine-bone china, Oxford-based company Original BTC has used its trademark material to create ‘Blossom’, a pendant with a handmade shade shaped like a plum-blossom flower. From its petal-shaped top, it gently tapers out, casting a circle of light that is ideal for illuminating a kitchen counter, dining table or entry hall. £329, originalbtc.com
‘Rificolona’, Miniforms
For a greener option, let us introduce you to Miniforms’s ‘Rificolona’, which has a shade crafted mainly from recycled polyethene. Finished in an off-white hue, the surface is reminiscent of the moon – a celestial addition to any room. From approx £865, miniforms.com
‘Acustica’ pendant light, Fabbian
Designed by Gio Minelli and Marco Fossati, this sleek lamp takes its shape from cymbals, but unlike the noisy percussion piece, this version has impressive sound-absorbing qualities. £954, lampcommerce.com
‘Coil’ pendant light, Normann Copenhagen
Like a slinky on a large scale, Normann Copenhagen’s ‘Coil’ pendant lamp is a simple but striking stainless steel form that comes in four sizes to suit different interiors. From £425, normann-copenhagen.com
’Paloma’ pendant light, In Common With
In Common With collaborated with ceramicist Danny Kaplan on this sharply tapered pendant that will draw the eye wherever it’s placed in a room. It’s finished with solid brass hardware and hung from a rod on a self-levelling canopy. Approx £3,300, incommonwith.com
‘Lunaria’ pendant lamp, Bolia
Named after the iridescent leaves of the Lunaria plant, this beautifully organic Studio Niruk-designed light comes in different sizes that can be arranged in decorative clusters, or hung singly to make a simple statement. Inspired by traditional Japanese paper lamps, it’s made from a delicate fabric that casts a gently diffused light. £487, bolia.com
‘Occulo’ pendant light, Bert Frank
With a subtle nod to industrial design, Bert Frank’s ‘Occulo’ pendant is formed from a slim opal glass capsule housed in a precision-machined brass case. Perfect for illuminating a cosy corner, or hung in a cluster over a kitchen island, it’s an elegant, versatile piece. £725, bertfrank.co.uk
‘Hazelette’ pendant, Pooky
In amber bubble glass (or pink, clear or grey), Pooky’s neat triangular pendant has a timeless appeal that will suit both classic and contemporary interiors. £42, pooky.com
‘Semper’ pendant, Tom Raffield
Tom Raffield’s ingenious ‘Semper’ pendant is crafted from three hoops of sustainably sourced ash, oak or walnut, which can be configured in an infinite variety of ways. Align all three to totally eclipse the bulb at the centre creating dramatic downlighting, or angle and tilt the outer layers to direct a focused beam where you need it. From £325, tomraffield.com
Plaster hanging light, Rose Uniacke
A masterclass in quiet minimalism, Rose Uniacke’s plaster cone is crafted by hand in a British workshop. There are three sizes available, all of which have the same chalky, textured finish. From £2,250, roseuniacke.com
‘Sugar Cone Light’, The New Craftsmen
The shape of this pendant was inspired by a shard of 18th century sugar cane that ceramicist Rich Miller found while mudlarking by the Thames. The rich tones of the glaze also reference the pieces of pottery unearthed on the banks of the river, lending the light a depth and character that feels infused with history but firmly modern at the same time. £800, thenewcraftsmen.com
‘Tonda’ light, Foscarini
Designed by Ferrucio Lavani, ‘Tonda’ is a tribute to the best of 1970s Italian design. The pure white globe is held in a slim red metal frame, playing with concepts of balance and gravity while emphasising the beauty of the elemental forms. Approx £344, agofstore.com
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