A pendant beside the bed frees the nightstand. Hung low where a lamp would sit, it gives reading light without the base and the cord, and a matching pair either side makes the bed the center of the room the way a headboard does.

What a bedside asks of a pendant

Light on the page and none in the eyes. A bedside pendant hangs low and close, so the shade has to diffuse the light or direct it down, and a pair should hang at the same height to the inch. Sixteen of our pendants suit a bedroom. Alba, Velina, and Zira glow through alabaster, Arabella hangs travertine orbs, and Angelica is solid brass with five or thirteen lights. Jetta is a minimalist gold drop, Emma pairs gold with pearl black, Jewels & Pearls hangs a Nordic orb, and Obsidian, Raven, and Celestial bring crystal in black and gold.

How to choose the right size

Beside the bed, a pendant 8 to 12 inches across, hung so the bottom sits about 20 to 24 inches above the mattress, just clear of a sitting reader's shoulder. Over the foot of the bed, one larger piece sized by the room: add its length and width in feet and read the sum as inches. Keep 7 feet of clearance wherever people walk. Fourteen of the 16 are tagged for 8 to 9-foot ceilings and twelve for angled ceilings.

Styles and rooms across the range

Alabaster is the bedroom material, soft from any angle, and the alabaster sconces page holds the wall-mounted version of the same idea for a room without ceiling boxes at the bedside. Black crystal suits a moodier scheme; a gold drop suits a minimal one. The rest of the room, the ceiling light and the wall lights, lives in the bedroom lighting collection, and the bedroom chandeliers page covers the piece over the foot of the bed.

Every one runs warm white, and 14 of the 16 dim from the wall switch. Hang the pair at one height, low enough to read by, and put both on the same dimmer.