Hanging Lanterns & Pendant Lights in Brass, Glass and Antique Gold

Lantern or pendant: which do you need?

A lantern encloses the bulb in glass on every side, so it throws a calm, even glow and reads as an object in its own right. It began as the hall lantern of English country houses, where the glass kept candle flames safe from the draught of an opening door, and travelled to the government houses, clubs and bungalows of colonial India. A pendant is open at the bottom, so it pushes light downward onto a surface. Use a lantern where people pass through and look up: a foyer, a landing, a corridor. Use a pendant where you want light on something: a dining table, a kitchen island, a bedside.

Neither is a chandelier. A chandelier spreads its light outward on arms or tiers, while a lantern and a pendant hang as a single mass. If you want arms, candles and tiers, see our chandeliers.

Where hanging lights work best

Lanterns are made for passages and thresholds: an entrance foyer, a stair landing or stairwell, a long corridor, a covered verandah or porch. Pendants belong over worktops and tables: a run of two or three over a kitchen island, a single large shade over a round dining table, a small glass globe either side of a bed. In a double-height hall, one tall lantern holds the volume better than a scatter of small pendants.

What size do you need?

In an entrance hall, add the room's length and width in feet and read the total in inches; that is roughly the lantern's diameter. A 10 by 8 foot foyer takes a lantern about 16 to 18 inches across. For a double-height hall or stairwell, go taller rather than wider: a lantern of 40 inches or more holds the space without crowding it. Along a corridor, use 12 to 18 inch lanterns spaced 8 to 10 feet apart.

Over a dining table, a single pendant or lantern should be about half to two-thirds the width of the table. Over a kitchen island, use two or three pendants of 8 to 14 inches, spaced 24 to 30 inches apart, leaving at least 6 inches clear at each end of the island; our kitchen pendant guide covers spacing and counter clearance in more detail.

How high to hang

Where people walk beneath, keep at least 7 feet between the floor and the bottom of the fitting. Over a dining or hall table, hang it so the base sits 30 to 34 inches above the table top; over a kitchen island, 30 to 36 inches above the counter. In a double-height hall, the lantern should sit roughly level with the first-floor landing, so that it reads from both floors.

Clusters, rows and linear pendants

Over a long table or island, a row of matching pendants reads cleaner than one large fitting, and odd numbers tend to look more settled than even ones. A cluster, several globes dropped at staggered heights from a single plate, suits a stairwell or a double-height void where it is seen from more than one level. A linear pendant, with its lights set along a bar, is the quieter answer over a rectangular table or a kitchen run.

Brass, antique gold, glass and alabaster

Antique brass deepens with age and sits naturally with wood, stone and older interiors. Antique gold finishes, hand-painted over the metal, give a gilded look closer to Italian and French hall lanterns. Black and dark bronze frames hold their own against white walls and contemporary joinery. Antique and seeded glass softens the light and hides the lamp inside it, which matters when a fitting hangs at eye level on a stair; clear glass is crisper and wants a decorative bulb. Alabaster and opal glass soften the light to a warm, even wash. Every product page states the exact metal and finish, so you know whether a fitting is solid brass, cast aluminium or a painted finish over steel.

Indoor and covered outdoor use

Our lanterns and pendants are made for indoor and covered spaces: verandahs, porches and covered courtyards that keep off direct rain. For a fully exposed position, ask us about weather-resistant finishes and fittings before you order.

Lanterns and pendants to compare

For a double-height hall, compare the 45 inch Governor Hexagonal Hall Lantern with the Gilded Hall Lantern and the Pavilion Grand Lantern. For a tall stairwell, the 36 inch Calcutta Cut-Glass Pendant pairs a hand-cut glass globe with a pierced brass band, in the manner of colonial Calcutta's hall globes. For a smaller foyer or corridor, the cast brass Belgravia Hall Lantern, the Fiorentina Gilt Leaf Hall Lantern and the Shimla Hall Lantern with Tulip Glass are 12 to 18 inches across. For a verandah or a heritage home, the bell-jar Repoussé Brass Lantern Pendant follows the Indian hundi lantern. Over a dining table or an island, look at the Alabaster Stack Pendant, the Holborn Ribbed Glass Globe Pendant and the fluted-glass Ribbed Cylinder Pendant. Confirm the ceiling height and the drop before ordering; see our double-height foyer guide.

Made in our own workshop

Because we manufacture rather than import, the size, chain or rod drop, metal finish and glass can be adjusted to your space. Production takes 10–14 days, followed by 4–6 days for delivery.

Need a different scale, material or finish? Explore our bespoke lighting and custom commissions.

Common questions