Pendant lighting is always a good choice in a home. Whether you use pendants as an alternative to a traditional chandelier in the entryway or over the dining room, or as lighting in a bedroom, home office or play area, pendants are one of the most versatile lighting choices you can make.
Of course, there are literally thousands of pendants to choose from on the market, from traditional designs to those that really double as artwork in the home. Glass pendant lights are particularly popular, largely because they offer homeowners a mix of traditional and modern design elements that are both classic and timeless.
Depending on their design, glass pendant lights can fit perfectly in a rustic, country inspired home or in a modernist home filled with contemporary furnishings. That's partly because glass is such an ideal material to make lamps out of as it has an organic, natural quality that can take on chameleon-like qualities.
Glass pendant lights cast off more light than a fabric shaded counterpart. The light can be further altered by the color of the glass used in the fixture. Some glass lights come with opaque or transparent shades that will control the direction of the light. But others are clear, allowing the light to shine through, increasing the beauty and effectiveness of the lights.
One of the best things about glass pendants is that they can be artistic as well as functional. If you're a fan of Dale Chihuly, you can get fiery colored lamps or lamps that look like flowers or other sculptural shapes that will work wonderfully in an entryway or in a stairwell. In fact, you can get glass pendant lights that are made specifically as works of art – bold pieces that add splendor and a cascade of light to a living space.
Glass pendants are particularly well suited to a kitchen. Here you can use them over the kitchen island or get mini pendants that are set over the counter tops. These mini pendants work well in a home office too, or over the bed in the master.
If you have children, you may want to add pendants over their play area. These will save you a little money on your power bill since your kids can simply turn on the light where they are playing, rather than turning on the main room light, which may use more electricity.
If you are putting them in the play area, you may want to go with acrylic lights instead of glass pendant lights. As any parent knows, children can be pretty rambunctious and lights inevitably end up getting in the way of an errant football or flying Barbie. Better to play it safe and get an unbreakable light.
Blown glass pendants are more popular than ever these days. Looking as if an artisan made them, they have small imperfections such as bubbles in the surface, giving them a handmade look. Others have been blown to have a stained-lass effect, being a mix of several different colors or hues of the same color. As such, no two are exactly alike so pairing them adds even more visual interest to the space. In fact, it's hard for visitors to your home to not be enraptured by the fixtures, given their slight imperfections and ever changing shapes as they hang above a living space.
Pendants, particularly glass pendants, are a great addition to any home. They not only add the perfect amount of light to the space you're trying to light, but they add a touch of elegance and old world charm that few other lights can. They clearly demonstrate that our love of glass is enduring, even in the 21st century.
