Do you have a room in your house that is lacking light? Could your kitchen be brighter and you want to install track lighting? Why not try pendant lighting? Pendant lighting is chandeliers in miniature except without all of the branches. These single lights hang from your ceiling and the shade on the lamp could be anything from crystal to colorful resin, metal and even fabric. If you need lighting somewhere in your home and you don't have room for a lamp, then pendant lighting is the perfect solution.
You can purchase pendant lighting for your home in sizes that range from 2 to 48 inches in diameter. These versatile lights are favored by architects and interior designers because they can be tailored to fit your color scheme, even if you change it. They are much more versatile that recessed and track lighting and when they are hung, you can stagger the length of the cord to make a different type of setting within the room.
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Pendant lighting actually has its own unique history. This type of lighting has been used since the 2700 B.C. by the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks would take lanterns that were made of clay, fill them animal fat, and then light them, hanging them around the room they were in. The Ancient Romans did something similar, except they used bronze lanterns filled with oil. With the discovery of glass, lighting became something more aesthetic and beautiful, leading up the multi-branch chandeliers, gaslights and finally, electric lamps.
One of the beautiful facets of pendant lighting is a glass shade. The light that shines through the glass shade is amplified, providing a stronger light that really helps chase away the dark. Colored shades provide an ambience of their own, especially if they are mixed with complimenting colors in other pendant lamps. Recently polyethylene shades were introduced on pendant lighting. These shades are more durable than glass, but give off the same type of lighting even though they are opaque.
If you are interested in adding pendant lighting to your home all you need to do is visit your local lighting store or a super hardware store and check out their collection. There is a large variety to choose from and the professional staff at these stores can help you make a decision that will add to your home's warmth and ambience. Keep in mind that a professional electrician should install pendant lighting for you as the electrical wires will need to be run up through the ceiling and connected to the junction box.
