A pendant in a living room is a smaller decision than a chandelier and often a better one. Hung low over a side table or in the corner by the reading chair, it gives the room a second pool of light, so the evening does not depend on one thing overhead.

What a living room asks of a pendant

Layers. A living room lit by one overhead piece goes flat after dark; a pendant hung low in a corner, over a console, or beside the sofa adds a second, lower source at the height people sit. It also frees the floor and the side table of a lamp. Twenty-two of our pendants suit a living room. Alba and Velina pair brass with alabaster, Zira is a single alabaster dome, and Arabella clusters travertine orbs. Luka is an LED bar in black or copper, Jewels & Pearls hangs Nordic orbs in brushed gold or black ash, Aurelius folds steel into a sculptural plate, and Obsidian, Raven, and Celestial bring crystal in black and gold.

How to choose the right size

Scale a pendant to the furniture it serves, not the room: over a side table or a console, a piece 12 to 18 inches across, hung so the bottom sits 60 to 66 inches from the floor, about standing eye level. In a corner over a chair, hang it lower, around 48 to 54 inches, so the light falls on the page. Keep 7 feet of clearance anywhere people walk. Eighteen of the 22 are tagged for 8 to 9-foot ceilings and seventeen for angled ceilings.

Styles and rooms across the range

Alabaster and travertine suit a soft, layered room and sit with the alabaster collection sconces on the same wall. Black crystal suits a moodier scheme; a Nordic orb suits a mid-century one. A living room pendant is one layer of three, and the living room lighting collection holds the wall lights and ceiling lights that make up the rest; where the room wants a single overhead statement instead, the living room chandeliers page sits alongside.

Every one runs warm white, and 19 of the 22 dim from the wall switch. Hang it where people sit, not where they walk, and let it be the second light in the room.