The desk needs task light, and a pendant does it better than a lamp because it takes no space on the surface. Hung over the desk it lights the work; hung in the corner over a chair it gives the room a second place to be.

What a desk asks of a pendant

Even light on the work and no reflection in the screen. A bar over a desk lights its whole width; a shaded pendant beside it lights the keyboard without a hot spot on the monitor. Thirteen of our pendants work in an office. Luka is an LED bar in black or copper at 100, 120, or 150 cm. Alba, Velina, and Zira are alabaster, Arabella is travertine, and Angelica, Avery, and Kinsley are solid brass, Avery and Kinsley in brushed gold or matte black. Emma pairs gold with pearl black, and the two Solara pendants bring crystal for a study.

How to choose the right size

Over a desk, a linear pendant should run about two-thirds of the desk's width: Luka at 120 cm suits a 72-inch desk. A single shaded pendant sits 12 to 18 inches across, hung so the bottom is 30 to 36 inches above the desk, off to the side of the monitor rather than over it. Keep 7 feet of clearance where people walk. Nine of the 13 are tagged for 8 to 9-foot ceilings and nine for angled ceilings, which a loft office often has.

Styles and rooms across the range

Solid brass suits an office with wood shelving; a black bar suits a white room with a standing desk; alabaster softens a study. Every bar option sits together on the linear pendants page. The overhead layer, the ceiling light for a low room and the desk lamp, lives in the office lighting collection, and the office chandeliers page covers the room-centering piece.

Every one runs warm white, and 11 of the 13 dim from the wall switch. Hang it to the side of the screen, never behind or above it, put it on the dimmer, and let the desk lamp go.