Lantern Pendant Lights

Lantern Pendant Lights: A Soft, Familiar Glow Over the Table

Any light that drops down from the ceiling on a cord or a chain is a pendant lamp, and its job is to bring light closer to where people live. A lantern pendant light gives that idea a shape everyone recognizes: a shell or frame around the light source, inspired by carriage lanterns and street lamps, or by the round paper lanterns of Japanese tradition. It looks welcoming before it is even switched on, which is why lantern pendant lighting has never really gone out of style.

Within our wider range of pendant lights, this collection gathers 11 lantern pendant lights, all hardwired. Fabric leads with 4 designs, one of them in linen, then rattan, glass and iron with 3 each, plus bamboo, wood and wicker. Seven are Japandi, six minimalist and six vintage, with Scandinavian and rustic touches. The Wabi-Sabi Fabric Lantern Pendant Light, the Moroccan Colored Glass Lantern Pendant Light and the Black Iron Cage Pendant Light show how wide the family is.

Fabric, Woven, Glass or Iron: The Lantern Family

• Fabric and linen lanterns: a soft shell that diffuses light evenly, like the Linen Lantern Pendant Light or the Ribbed Fabric Lantern Pendant Light.
• Woven lanterns: rattan, bamboo or wicker that let light escape through the weave, as in the Woven Bamboo Lantern Pendant Light.
• Colored glass lanterns: jewel tones and patterned light on the walls, a vintage note.
• Iron cage lanterns: an open metal frame that shows the bulb and keeps the look graphic.

If you are searching for a paper lantern pendant light, the fabric and linen designs here give the same gentle, all-around glow with a sturdier shell. They sit at the heart of the Japandi look, which pairs Japanese restraint with Scandinavian warmth, and our Japandi-style pendant lights carry that calm into other shapes.

A Lantern Over the Dining Table

All 11 designs are listed for the dining room, and that is where a lantern feels most at home. Most lanterns glow sideways as well as down, so they light the faces around the table, not just the plates. For a single lantern, aim for a width of about half the table's width, and hang the bottom 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop. Over a table longer than 6 feet, two lanterns spaced evenly along its length look better than one oversized piece. Our dining room pendant lights add more shapes, and the dining room lighting ideas guide shows how to build the whole scene.

How Many Lanterns Over a Kitchen Island?

Four designs are listed for the kitchen. Lanterns are fuller than a simple shade, so use fewer of them: two medium lanterns usually suit an island up to about 7 feet, and three suit a longer one. Leave 24 to 30 inches between lanterns and keep the bottoms 30 to 36 inches above the counter, so they light the work surface without blocking the view. Over a counter, an open weave or a cage gives more usable light than a dense fabric shell. Browse our kitchen island pendant lights for sets that line up neatly.

Living Rooms and Bedrooms

Eight lanterns suit a living room, where a single lantern dropped low beside the sofa makes a soft island of light for reading; see our living room pendant lights for more ideas. Two are listed for the bedroom, where a fabric lantern in a corner, or one on each side of the bed, replaces a harsh ceiling light with something gentler. Keep at least 7 feet of clearance wherever people walk underneath, and hang bedside lanterns just above eye level when you sit up.

Bulbs and Glow

Seven designs take a standard E26 bulb and three have integrated LED. In a cage or a colored glass lantern the bulb is on display, so choose it as carefully as the fixture: a filament-style LED gives a vintage look, while a frosted globe bulb softens the glare. In a fabric or woven lantern, a frosted bulb spreads the light more evenly across the shell. Stay with warm white at 2700 K for that lantern-at-dusk feeling, and never exceed the maximum wattage on the product page. None of these lanterns is listed as dimmable.

How to Install and Hang a Lantern Pendant

Turn off the breaker and test the wires, then confirm the junction box is secure and rated for the weight; glass and iron lanterns are heavier than fabric ones. Mount the bracket, join the ground, neutral and hot wires, and close the canopy. To hang a pendant light with a cord, hold the lantern at the height you want, pull the extra cord up through the cord grip in the canopy and lock it once the lantern hangs straight. A licensed electrician is the right call for any new wiring.

Caring for Fabric, Fibers and Glass

Switch off and let the lantern cool. Run a lint roller or a soft clothes brush over fabric and linen shells, and use a soft brush to lift dust from rattan, bamboo and wicker. Wipe colored glass with a slightly damp cloth and give iron a dry wipe. A quick dusting every few weeks keeps the light bright and the colors clear.

Lantern Pendant Mistakes to Avoid

• Hanging a bulky lantern too high, so it floats above the table instead of grounding it.
• Crowding an island with three large lanterns where two would do.
• Using a clear, bright bulb in a cage lantern right at eye level.

FAQ: Lantern Pendant Lights

What are pendant lights?

Pendant lights hang from the ceiling on a cord, chain or rod. A lantern pendant surrounds the bulb with a shell or frame of fabric, woven fiber, glass or iron.

How do you install a pendant light?

With the power off at the breaker, make sure the ceiling box can carry the lantern's weight, mount the bracket, join the wires color to color and close the canopy. New wiring is a job for a licensed electrician.

How many lantern pendants go over a kitchen island?

Usually two over an island up to about 7 feet and three over a longer one, with 24 to 30 inches between them and 30 to 36 inches above the counter.

How do you hang a pendant light with a cord?

Have someone hold the lantern at the right height, slide the surplus cord up through the grip inside the canopy, and lock the grip when the shade hangs level.

How high should a lantern hang over a dining table?

Hang the bottom 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop, and choose a lantern about half as wide as the table.

What is a paper lantern pendant light?

It is a pendant with a light shell, traditionally paper, that diffuses light into a soft, even glow. Our fabric and linen lanterns give a similar effect.

Where can I buy lantern pendant lights?

Right here: this collection gathers 11 hardwired lantern pendant lights in fabric, rattan, bamboo, glass and iron, each with full details on the product page.

Explore More Lantern Shapes and Pendant Ideas

A lantern over the table looks even better when the same shape appears at eye level. Our lantern wall sconces carry the silhouette onto the wall, beside a sideboard or on either side of a doorway. If the woven designs drew you in, rattan pendant lights offer more natural texture, and for the colored glass and iron cage look, vintage pendant lights share that old-world charm.

Planning the whole room? Our dining room lighting page brings pendants, chandeliers and wall sconces together, so you can match materials and warmth from the table to the walls. A lantern overhead and a pair of sconces on the wall make a dining room ready for any evening.

Lanterns Chosen for the Evening

We gathered these lanterns for the moment the table is set and the light softens. Measure your table, decide how many you need, and check the hanging length and bulb base on each product page before you order. Every order ships free, with 30-day returns.

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