No room is complete without lighting, and among the various types of fixtures, pendant lights are the most versatile ones around. They brighten up the room and add ambience to your space without taking up any floor space.   

Pendant lights not only add greater height and depth to a room but also help create a warm and cozy atmosphere compared to harsh LED ceiling lights. They are highly functional and are excellent for illuminating your living space, kitchen, and bedroom.  

Finding the right pendant light for your space is of vital importance. That’s why we have reviewed some of the best pendant lights available to help you choose the one that’s just right for you. We’ve also included a buyer’s guide so that you can easily find a unit that suits the design and style of your space. 

 14 Best Pendant Lights

Pendant lights are an essential representation of decorative lighting. These eye-catching fixtures are not only an excellent source of ambient light but also act as a focal point on which you can build the entire decor theme of your room.     

However, the wide range of pendant light designs and sizes available can make it quite difficult to narrow down your choices. We’ve reviewed some of the best pendant lights and compared their features so that you can pick a unit that adds to the aesthetics of your space:

Disclosure: We only endorse products we’ve personally used or that have come highly recommended by our trusted peers. We’re proud affiliates for some of the products on our site, and as such, we may get a small commission if you purchase through one of our referral links. However, there’s no extra cost to you. Check out our affiliate disclaimer in our Privacy Policy if you’d like to learn more. 

Everything You Need to Know About Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Whether you want to illuminate a particular area for practical purposes or wish to add personality to your space, pendant lights can be of great help.

 They are incredibly versatile, come in various shapes, sizes, and styles, are easy to install or customize, and can effortlessly accentuate the ambience of your house or commercial space without making a hole in your pocket.

For cafe environments, especially, going for pendant lights is a perfect choice since they can accentuate specific areas of the room, giving it a sophisticated look and feel, which helps in enhancing the overall vibe of the cafe. 

Alternatively, you can use pendant lights for task lighting in kitchen islands, storefronts, or restrooms. They work well for both purposes.

Though going with this kind of lighting setup sounds perfect, choosing the right type of pendant lights can be a little tricky since this choice depends on several factors and considerations. 

For example, you’d need to ask yourself – how many pendant lights would be required, what type of lights would best suit your purpose, where to place them precisely, how to install them, etc.

We’ve created this blog post to help you make the right decisions. Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know about choosing the best pendant lights for cafe spaces, where to install them, and how. So, let’s get started!

What is a Pendant Light?

Let’s start by understanding what exactly is a pendant light. Pendant lights are named so because they are shaped like pendants on necklaces. These light fixtures tend to mount to the ceiling with the light being suspended via chain, rope, rod, or wire. 

But don’t think pendant lights are just light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The kind of variety you get to see in this category of lights is simply mind-blowing! Every kind of shape, size, colour, texture, and pattern you can think of is available in the market, making pendant lights so popular.

What You Need To Consider Before Buying A Pendant Light For Your Cafe 

#1 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Size 

Pendant lights come in a wide range of sizes, anywhere from 5 to 45 inches. 

So, to decide what size would be ideal for your cafe, you need to consider factors like the width of the area you want to illuminate, the height of the ceiling, and the table size. 

The critical thing to remember here is that the light should be reasonable, or it’ll disturb your customers. 

At the same time, it shouldn’t be too high either, or it won’t affect the ambience. 

Usually, around 25 inches is considered to be a good height for a cafe light. If you still aren’t sure about the correct size, consider buying pendant lights that come with adjustable suspensions.

#2 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Type

We’ll discuss the various types of pendant lights later on in this article, but to give you an idea – there are single-drop pendant lights, multi-drop, linear, adjustable, etc.

Go through all these different variations to see which type of pendant lights best fit the look and feel of your cafe and then, accordingly, make a call.

#3 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Style

Now when it comes to styles, there may be thousands of styles to choose from.

 You can go for an antique look, factory-style, traditional, contemporary, farmhouse or countryside, tropical, Garden themed, bohemian, Turkish, Parisian, Indian, vintage classic, minimalistic, Mid-Century Europe, Retro style, and so on.

#4 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Look and Feel

Pick a style that best matches the look and feel of your cafe’s decor. It’s important that the style of the light and the type of effect it creates when it’s switched on, both should be in sync with the theme of your cafe.

A wrong kind of pendant light right in the middle of your cafe can ruin the entire vibe of your space. On the contrary, a simple but wisely selected pendant light can lift the mood of your restaurant effortlessly.

#5 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Location

What type of pendant light would be an ideal fit also depends on where you want to put it up.

 For example, pendant lights for the dining area should ideally be warm-toned and not overly bright, but if you want to illuminate your hallway, especially if it has high ceilings, bright pendant lights can be used, not necessarily in warmer colour tones.

#6 Tip for Buying the Best Pendant Lights for Cafe

Installation

If you have hired a professional to install the lights, you are good to go, but if you are planning to install them yourself, make sure you pick lights which are easy to install or at least come with detailed instruction manuals to help you navigate through the process.

 It’s important that your lights are correctly installed not just for decorative purposes but for safety concerns as well.

Choose Pendant Lighting Based On its Purpose 

You can also choose the best pendant lights for cafe businesses based on the specific purpose they will ultimately serve. Here are a few examples –

Pendant Lights for Task Lighting

If the goal of the lighting is to help people see better so they can accomplish a particular task correctly, the purpose in question is that of task lighting. 

For instance, your chef would want a high-powered pendant light installed directly over the kitchen island so they could cook the food properly.

For such purposes, it’s best to go for glass pendants but just ensure the output isn’t too harsh on the eyes. 

Installing a dimmer to adjust the brightness level is an excellent option for such a setup.

Pendant Lights for Mood Lighting

Mood lighting is used to create a specific state of mind in a given space by layering up multiple light sources in the form of lamps, wall lights, ceiling lights, and so on. For this purpose, too, pendant lights can serve very effectively. 

Consider installing a couple of pendant lights that give out soft and diffused light to create a romantic and laidback atmosphere so that your customers can feel truly relaxed and comfortable spending hours in your cafe.

Pendant Lights for Decor

Even if you have enough lights to cover the entire area, you can still install a few decorative pendant lights to enhance your cafe’s aesthetic value.

After all, pendant lights are a design element in themselves and, if used correctly, can boost your cafe’s overall look and feel quite effectively.

Types of Pendant Lights

This section discusses the four main types of pendant lights based on how they emit or throw light.

Different types of pendant lights are designed to emit light differently, or you can say in different directions.

Single Drop Pendant Lights

Pendant lights are the most common: a single bulb hangs down from a suspension cord or rope. 

This type of light is usually perfect for task lighting purposes because the light tends to be unidirectional and is focused on a specific area like the kitchen island or the dining table.

Multi-Drop Pendant Lights

These lights are also pretty similar to the ‘single drop’ lights except that instead of a single bulb, there are multiple bulbs dropping down. Also, multi-drop pendant lights cover a wider area.

So, if you want to create a more dramatic or cinematic look in your cafe, consider installing multi-drop lights instead of single-drop.

Linear Pendant Lights

This type of light is a long, narrow panel of light with multiple bulbs. A panel like this can have anywhere from 3 to 20 bulbs (maybe even more) and comes in various designs or formats.

 You can find both task lighting linear lights and decorative linear lights in the market. So, choose as per your requirements and design sensibilities.

Adjustable Pendant Lights

As the name suggests, adjustable pendant lights allow you to customize the height and direction of the morning to your liking.

They also come in attractive designs for decorative purposes, but you can also easily find adjustable pendant lights for task lighting purposes.

FAQs

At What Height Should I Hang My Pendant Lights?

If you plan to hang it over a dining table or kitchen island, 28 to 34 inches above the surface should be a good height. On the other hand, if you are using your pendant lights as ambient lights, then you need to multiply the room’s size (in feet) by 3.

The number you’ll get is the ideal height for your pendant light in inches. For example, if the room’s height is 10 feet and you multiply it by 3, you get 30. So, 30 inches should be ideal for this room’s pendant lights.

How Many Pendant Lights Do I Need?

Keep in mind the size and layout of the room before deciding on a number. For instance, if your dining area isn’t too big, a couple of well-placed pendant lights would be enough.

On the other hand, if it’s pretty spacious, you can install multiple pendants to cover the entire space, or you can install linear pendant lights if you want.

You can also go for one large, feature pendant light in the middle of the room and several smaller pendants to create a more artistic look. In any case, keeping at least a 2 feet distance between any two pendants is ideal.

How Do I Hang My Pendant Lights?

Once you’ve picked what kind of pendant lights you want to hang, where, and at what height, the next obvious step is installing them, either by yourself or by hiring a professional electrician. 

If you are good at this kind of work, install the lights yourself. 

But if you feel that the lighting setup you have in mind is too complicated to be installed on your own, do not hesitate to hire an electrician.

 This will ensure top-class efficiency as well as safety. Sometimes, the necessary wiring might not be there, or it would need to be altered before making the installations.

If that’s the case, you should hire a professional for the job.

How Much Do Pendant Lights Cost To Install?

This depends on what kind of lights are to be installed, how many are there, and whether the necessary wiring is there or not. 

Typically, you will have to pay anywhere between $80 to $140 per hour in Australia. If you are in a bigger city, obviously you’ll be spending a little extra.

 The cost also depends on how experienced the electrician is. Usually, to install 4-5 simple pendant lights takes around two hours.

What Other Types of Lighting Should I Put In My Cafe?

There are several other options you can consider, such as – 

●     Shatterproof Lamps – These lamps are perfect for your kitchen since that’s where all the heat is. 

●     Suspended LED Lighting – Just like Linear Pendant Lights, Linear LED Lights are also an excellent option for a cafe setting.

●     Floor Lamps – You can add a few floor lamps that go well with the design theme of your cafe. 

●     Decorative Lights – These days, lights come in various artistic designs like bird cages, antique lanterns, hand-woven chandeliers, tripod-style lamps, etc. So, you can also consider installing such lights in addition to the pendant lights in your cafe.