At what height should I hang my pendants?

If you are like many people you've looked and looked and looked and finally found the perfect pendant light for your space. Yet as you finally unpack your piece and start to install it a question so basic and mundane now needs to be answered immediately and you haven't given it the slightest thought.  

How high should I hang this thing?  

If you are like many people you might wonder if there are any hard and fast rules about this. 

The short answer is no, but there is a very simple and pragmatic place to start.

It's About the People 

Who is going to use this space regularly? What would be a good height to hang it so they will not hit their head and will be able to look across the room without craning their neck to look around the pendant light?

After you find the answers to these questions, you can set the height of the lights, leaving some extra length of cord so that you can make minor adjustments from there. You will know immediately if the height is off or if there are other considerations that you need to take into account, but this usually gives a great starting point. 

Now for the Standard Recommendations

Here are the standard and generally accepted rules of the road. 

Over an Island or Counter Top:

You'll need some headroom here since you'll be standing at this work surface to prepare meals. A good place to start is 30 - 40 inches from the height of the work surface to the bottom edge of the glass on the pendant light.

Over a Table Top:

Over a table, you don't need quite as much height here.  A general guide would be to hang your pendant lights between 28 - 32 inches from the table surface to the bottom edge of the glass. 

Need Help?

It's very common for people to call us and ask questions. That's why we're here.  Feel free to reach out to us at 1-833-245-4448 and we will be happy to talk about your unique space with you.