Globe pendant lights spread light in every direction instead of aiming it down, which makes the shape the most forgiving in the category. There is no dark patch of ceiling above the fixture and no hard edge to the pool of light underneath it. Opal, clear and smoked spheres are all gathered here.
How to choose globe pendant lights
Decide whether the lamp should be visible. An opal sphere hides it completely and reads as a lit ball from every angle. A clear sphere leaves the bulb on show, which suits a decorative filament lamp and asks for a low output one. Smoked glass sits between the two.
The even spread is what makes this shape work in hallways, entryways and bedrooms, where a directional fitting would leave the edges dark. One in the middle of a room lights the whole of it without creating a bright spot, though it will not do the focused work of a downward shade over a counter.
Single or cluster is the last call. One sphere reads calm and architectural. Three at staggered drops fill vertical space in a stairwell or over a round table. Within a cluster, keep the diameters equal and vary only the height, since mixed sizes read as an oversight.
Globe diameter and hanging height for globe pendant lights
A sphere occupies more visual space than a flat shade of the same width, so size it slightly smaller than instinct suggests.
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6 to 8 inches: a hallway, a powder room, or a pair either side of a bed.
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10 to 14 inches: an entry, a small dining table, or a single fitting over a counter.
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16 inches and up: a stairwell, an open room, or a high ceiling with volume to absorb it.
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Clearance: 7 feet from the floor to the bottom of the sphere on any walking route.
Over a table the usual 30 to 36 inch drop is measured to the bottom of the sphere and not to its center, which sets the widest point higher than people expect. Where the fitting hangs beside a walking route rather than above one, check the diameter against the width of the passage too.
Questions about globe fixtures
Opal or clear glass?
Opal for even light with no visible lamp, clear for the look of the bulb itself. Opal is the practical answer in a bedroom or a hallway where the fitting sits in the sightline. Clear belongs where the bulb is decorative and the circuit runs through a dimmer.
Can one be the only light in a bedroom?
In a small room, yes, because the shape throws light at the walls and the ceiling as well as the floor. In anything larger, add a lamp beside the bed. A single sphere gives even light but not a great deal of it at reading level, which is where a bedside fitting earns its place.
How is the glass held on?
Usually a threaded collar at the top or three small set screws around the fitter, and both allow the sphere to come off for cleaning. Support the glass with one hand while loosening, and check the collar again a few weeks after installation, since fittings work loose as metal warms and cools.
You may also want Plug In Pendant Lights, Drum Pendant Lights, Cluster Pendant Lights and Bathroom Pendant Lights. This page is part of Pendant Lights.
