Looking to up your game in the lighting department? Then it’s time to forget about the desk, leave the wall behind, and move on up. Up to the ceiling! The world of pendant lights is a surprisingly expansive one, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to round the best ones up, both to buy and DIY.
1. Washing Machine Drum Lamps (contact to order): That title is for real. These lamps are made out of recycled washing machine drums and painted in a variety of candy colors.
Utensil Holder Pendant
West Elm Inspired Globe Pendant
Industrial Fan Turned Light
Enameled Colander
Giant Tin Can Pendant Lights
Tart Tin Lamp
Recycled Cardboard Pendant Lights
Geometric Wire Lampshade
10. Foxed Mirror Drum Pendant ($379): The vintage surface of this foxy mirror (sorry, I had to) begs the question: What does the foxed mirror say?
Cube Pendant Light
12. PolyGlobe Pendant Light ($263): The faceted texture of this pendant looks almost as if it were computer-generated.
13. Small Polyhedron Pendant ($295): There’s something slightly pagan about a collection of this polyhedrons, don’t you think?
Dodecahedron
15. 2X4 Light ($280): It is just what it sounds like. A 2×4 with light bulbs in it. While we aren’t wild about the price, we dig the minimal design and just might have to try hacking it ourselves.
16. Apollo (contact to order): This faceted shade has a masculine, industrial look that would add a welcome bit of dissonance to a fluffy white living room.
18. Sage Honeycomb Shade ($64): This has a definite vintage vibe and the frosted sage glass (or plexiglas) would add a nice glow to any space.
19. SHY Light ($11K): Why so shy? Maybe because you’re a lamp that costs over ten thousand dollars? Regardless, this piece of light art is a spectacle to behold.
20. FlowerPot Pendant ($370): This quirky flowerpot pendant looks like it’s straight out of a Super Nintendo game.
21. PXL Pendant ($1,072): Dear PXL, please send us 10 of these pendants for our office. Love, Brit + Co.
22. Bluff City ($550): A trio of solid design elements are at play here. You’ve got the electric blue cage, candy apple red drum base, and modern spherical bulb.
23. Riviera Pendants ($129-$199): We love the outlined nature of this collection of pendants, especially paired with those filament lightbulbs.
DIY Quilt Light
25. Bau Pendant Light ($250): Is it abstract art, a Calder-inspired wall hanging, or a pendant light? We’ll call it all three :)
26. Bell Jar Pendant ($198): Bearing no relation to the Sylvia Plath novel of the same name, the bold jewel tones of this jars look great together.
27. Downtown Minimalist Cord Pendant ($105): Simplicity at its finest. The mint green bulb base makes for an instant design win.
Halo Light Pendant
29. Bronze Copper Shade ($685): This beautiful bronze pendant is timeless and iconic, and would look good in just about any home.
Golden Lamp
31. Polished Nickel Pendant ($129-$149): There’s something about this that makes us think of poker night as portrayed by Kinfolk magazine.
33. Cloche Punched Pendant Lamp ($40): This vintage style lamp has gorgeous punched out details as well as engraved textures.
34. Rectangular Farmhouse Pendant ($250): If you’re going for the rustic industrial look in the dining room, this pendant is for you.
35. Gliese Pendant ($230): I think this might be my favorite light on the list! It’s an extra large lightbulb dipped in chrome. So good.
Rope Pendant Light
Fresh Flower Pendant Light
39. Bright Beads Pendant Lights (contact to order): One day, we will figure out an easy way to get beads onto pendant light cords. Until then, we’ll swoon over these.
Yarn Lanterns
43. Peel Pendant Lamp ($199): The peeled-apart look of this reminds us of a slinky on its side.
Paper Scraps
Fabric Garland Hanging Light
46. Urchin Lamp Kit ($130): Currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, this lamp design is based on sea urchins.
Chess Rook
48. Acorn Pendant ($420): Now that’s a modern interpretation of an acorn if I’ve ever seen one. Love the idea of whole collection of these in different sizes and colors.
Wooden Beaded Chandelier
50. Coco Mini Pendant ($1,800): Wait a minute, are those acorns too? On the extremely high end of the price spectrum, this are more like art objects than lights.
51. Woodchuck Pendants (from $750): Love the colors and woodgrain on these pendant lights. Stay tuned for a DIY inspired by these very lamps.
52. Slope Miniforms (contact to order): We’d love to see an entire ceiling filled with these at varying lengths.
53. Capiz Shell Pendant ($800): You’ve seen a capiz shell pendant before, but about one that is also a spherical grid? So cool.
Ombre Pendant Lamp
56. Form Us With Love Pendants ($132 each): This army of pendant lamps is here to send you their love.
59. Iron Petals Pendant Lamp ($148-$348): For a more permanent take on floral details, this Anthropologie creation is perfectly boho chic.
60. Encalmo-Stamen Modern Pendant Light ($1,295): Finally, this modern piece is made in the Italian discipline of fusing two separate entities of glass into one single piece. We love the clean design and rich hues.
