Industrial Lighting

Industrial lighting keeps the working parts in view: metal, exposed bulbs, simple geometry. These fixtures suit a kitchen, a loft, or anywhere you want light that looks like it means it.

An exposed bulb is a design decision you have to follow through on. The bulb is on show, so pick one you want seen — a warm filament LED reads right where a bare cool-white tube does not — and put it on a dimmer, because a visible filament at full output is glare rather than atmosphere. Metal shades also throw light straight down in a tight pool, which suits a counter or a workbench and leaves the rest of the room to something else. If you want the warm filament glow with the bulb behind tinted glass instead of on show, brown glass pendant lights in amber and cognac do it.

Worth reading first: dimmers and what actually works with LED and colour temperature. Also see kitchen pendants and glass pendants.

Modern industrial, not reproduction vintage

The industrial style started as an accident - factory fittings built for output, not for living rooms - and the reproduction version of it can end up as costume. What holds up is the structure rather than the patina: a shade that is a plain geometric solid, a cage or arm that shows how the thing is held together, and a finish that is one honest colour instead of a distressed one. Black iron, raw metal and cement do that work here. Where the range leans modern it drops the aged finish entirely and keeps the geometry, which is what lets an industrial pendant sit over a new kitchen island without arguing with it.

Pendant, ceiling, wall and outdoor

Thirty-four fixtures, and the split matters when you are choosing: 24 hang as pendants, 4 mount close to the ceiling, 3 are indoor wall lights and 3 are rated for an exterior wall. Pendants are the ones to reach for over a counter, an island or a table, and they want a specific height - about 75-90 cm (30-36 in) from the worktop to the bottom of the shade, which pendant height over a kitchen island works through properly. Where headroom is short, or a door swings near the fitting, the four ceiling-mounted lights are the answer instead, the birdcage among them; the wider ceiling lights edit carries the cut-offs. Metal shades throw a tight pool straight down, so a single industrial pendant lights a work surface well and a room badly - pair it with something at eye level, which is what layering light is for. For the same metal-and-geometry language on a wall rather than a ceiling, see wall lights.

Industrial pendants: sizes and shapes

Most of the range is pendants, and several of them come in more than one size or shape. The Industrial Glow Adjustable Pendant Light comes at 30 or 40 cm across. The Modern Loft glass pendant is offered at 13, 24 and 32 cm, which is small enough to run as a row. The Industrial Vintage Iron pendant is a choice of shape rather than size: a 21 cm umbrella, a 25 cm disc or a 35 cm flat cone. Over a counter, 25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 in) per shade is the usual width, and the pendant size guide works out the number for your own room.
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FAQ

What actually makes a light industrial?

Exposed structure and honest material. The bulb is usually visible rather than hidden behind a diffuser, the shade is a simple metal or cement form, and the fixings are part of the design instead of something to conceal. If a fitting hides all of that behind frosted glass, it is doing the opposite job.

Is there an industrial chandelier in this range?

Not strictly. Everything here is a pendant, a ceiling light or a wall light - the closest thing to a multi-arm fixture is a three-head pendant such as the Retro Industrial black metal trio, which spreads three shades from one plate. If you want a true multi-arm frame, the chandelier range is the place to look, and some of it is metal-framed enough to sit in the same room as this.

Which bulb suits an exposed-bulb fixture?

A warm filament LED, on a dimmer. The bulb is on show, so its shape and colour are part of the design, and a bare cool-white tube undoes the whole look - colour temperature explained puts numbers on the difference. A visible filament at full output is glare rather than atmosphere, so check the fitting dims before you commit; the dimmable lighting guide covers what to look for.

Can industrial lighting go outside?

Three fixtures in this range are rated IP65, which means sealed against dust and against water thrown from any direction - not merely dripped on from above. The bell-shaped metal outdoor wall light is one of them. Confirm the rating on the product page before anything goes on an exposed wall, and see outdoor lighting for the rest of the weatherproof range.

What size industrial pendant suits a kitchen island?

For two or three pendants, 25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 in) each, spaced about 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in) apart. The 30 and 40 cm Glow Adjustable and the 25 and 35 cm Vintage Iron shapes sit inside that range. Hang the bottom of each shade 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 in) above the worktop.

Every light in this collection arrives in 6-9 business days.