Black frame with white glass, or black from top to bottom? One lights the room, the other mostly the table. A third of these black pendant lights carry glass; the rest are solid metal, wire cages or LED rings.
Glass globes and bells on black arms, for light all round
Glass makes up a third of the page. Opal globes come in threes, sixes or twelves on tiered black arms, smoked glass hangs in clusters, and a few shades are amber. Opal works anywhere. It spreads light in every direction and suits the middle of a living room or bedroom at 2,700 K, whereas smoked glass holds some back: 800 lumens behind it where opal manages with 470. Twelve globes light a room. Allow 3,000 lumens for 15 to 20 m².
Solid-metal black pendant lights: cones, domes and cages send light down
Solid black metal throws everything down. Nothing escapes sideways. Hang a cone, dome or bell 70 to 80 cm above a dining table and 75 to 90 cm above an island; two or three go 60 to 80 cm apart. Several domes are lined in gold or white, and a gold lining warms the light on the plates.
Wire cages and bare lampholders on fabric flex leave the bulb on show, and that bulb is yours to buy unless the product page lists one. Fit a filament bulb under 400 lumens on a dimmer, or it glares at everyone round the table. Black wrought-iron chandeliers are filed here too.
Rings, tubes and bars with integrated LED
Some of the black pendants have integrated LED. Rings, including one 1.50 m circle, hanging lines and tubes, bars, at 3,000 or 4,000 K. The module keeps the fitting slim but can't be swapped, with 15,000 to 30,000 hours claimed, and you pick the colour temperature when you order.
Fitting and care: matt black shows dust, not reflections
The black here is matt or satin, almost never gloss, so it won't mirror the room's other lamps. Dust is another story. Seen against the light, it sits grey on top of a dome; wipe it with a dry cloth once the bulb is cold. Satin picks up fingerprints while you fit it, so clean it after adjusting the flex, usually supplied at 1 to 1.5 m; a few tubes and lampholders come with 3.50 m, enough to drop down a stairwell. A wrought-iron chandelier soon passes 5 kg. Use fixings suited to your ceiling up to 10 kg, and call in a professional above that.
The same shapes in brass are among the gold pendant lights. Over a table, dining room pendant lights set out how many to hang and how wide, and kitchen pendant lights do the same for an island. Integrated sources are compared under LED pendant lights, and every colour is under pendant lights.
To choose between glass and solid metal over your table, call +33 9 70 46 66 67, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm UK time; delivery is free in the UK and the European Union, with 30 days to change your mind.
