Wood & Walnut Pendant Lights
Wood-tone pendants carry the Japandi and Nordic look on their own: warm grain overhead, soft light below. Walnut runs darker and quieter, natural wood runs lighter and more casual. Either way the room gets warmer, and if you would rather the warmth came from glass, honey-toned amber pendants tint the light itself. See also our Japandi lighting (our Japandi guide explains the palette and bulb colour) and the paler Nordic pendant lights, where the grain gives way to opal glass and white metal. For the same warmth without visible grain, see the neutral pendants in beige; for wood that sits on the ceiling rather than hanging from it, the wood-toned ceiling fixtures. A place to start in this range: the Japandi Totora Rope Wrapped Oak Pendant Light.
Wood pendant lights: what is in the range
There are 48 pendants on this page, all of them hanging fixtures. The name does not mean every shade is wood. About a quarter of the titles say travertine, a handful say rattan, resin, iron or metal, and around sixteen say wood or wooden, so read the product page for what the shade is made of before you order. Most of them (35 of the 48) come with a colour or finish choice, and 14 offer a size or diameter, so the same pendant can suit a bedside or a dining table depending on which you pick.
Which wood pendant over which room
Over a dining table, hang the lowest point roughly 75 to 90 cm above the top and keep the shade to about a third of the table's width; the pendant size guide has the full table. A wood, rattan or travertine shade is not see-through, so most of the light goes up and out rather than straight down. Over a kitchen island or a desk, add a second source for the task light. Keep the bulb warm, around 2700K, because grain and stone both look flat and grey under cool white, and the colour temperature guide explains the difference.
For rattan and woven shades, the wabi-sabi lighting guide covers why an uneven, handmade finish is the point rather than a flaw.
FAQ
Are all of these made of wood? No. The range mixes wood with travertine, rattan, resin and metal, so check the product description for the material of each shade.
What size wood pendant for a dining table? A shade roughly a third of the table's width, hung 75 to 90 cm above the top. Longer tables suit two smaller pendants better than one large one.
What bulb suits a wood pendant? A warm white of around 2700K. The base type varies by fixture, so check the product page for it before you buy a bulb.
Can I use one over a kitchen island? Yes. Our kitchen island lighting guide covers height and spacing, and a dimmer helps if the island is also where people sit.
