Pendant lights and wall lights solve different problems. A pendant hangs from the ceiling on a cord or rod and throws light down onto a table, an island or the middle of a room. A wall light (a sconce) is fixed to the wall and lights the wall itself, a bedside or a corridor, without taking any floor or table space. This guide compares the two with the real sizes of our pendant lights and wall lights, so you can choose room by room.
The short answer
Choose a pendant when there is something to light from above: a dining table, a kitchen island, a desk, or the centre of a room with no other ceiling fitting. Choose a wall light when you need light at eye level, when the ceiling is low, when the floor or tables are already crowded, or when you want to light a long space such as a hallway evenly. Most rooms work best with both: a pendant for the main surface and one or two wall lights for softer light around the edges.
Pendant lights vs wall lights at a glance
| Pendant light | Wall light | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the light goes | Down onto a surface, and sideways through the shade | Onto the wall: up, down, or both |
| Best rooms | Dining room, kitchen island, living room centre, bedside on a long cord | Hallway, bedside, stairs, bathroom mirror zone, living room edges |
| Space it takes | Height below the ceiling | Depth out from the wall |
| Low ceilings | Only flat shapes, or over a table where nobody walks | Unaffected by ceiling height |
| Installation | Ceiling point, cord length adjusted on site | Wall point; most of ours are hardwired |
Real sizes: how much room each option takes
A pendant takes vertical space, a wall light takes depth. These figures come from our product pages.
| Product | Type | Size | Space taken | Room size stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Silk Saucer Pendant | Pendant | Ø 40 × H 16 cm to Ø 60 × H 25 cm | 16–25 cm of shade height, 150 cm cord | 5–10 m² |
| Hand-Knitted Cloth Pendant | Pendant | Ø 45 × H 32 cm to Ø 65 × H 40 cm | 32–40 cm of shade height, 120 cm cable | 10–15 m² |
| Scalloped Glass Globe Pendant | Pendant | Ø 30 × H 31 cm | 31 cm of globe height | Not stated |
| Travertine Walnut Pendant Light | Pendant | Ø 17 cm | Adjustable 170 cm cord | 3–5 m² |
| Two-Tier Plaster Wall Sconce | Wall light | W 32 × H 13 cm | Up and down light | 1–3 m² per sconce |
| Vintage Shell Glass Sconce | Wall light | W 28 × H 24 cm | 13 cm from the wall | 3–5 m² |
| Aluminium Cone Wall Sconce | Wall light | H 13 × W 10 cm | 18 cm from the wall | Not stated |
| Vintage Brass Flower Wall Sconce | Wall light | H 25 cm | 25 cm from the wall | 3–5 m² |
Worked example: under a 240 cm ceiling, a Hand-Knitted Cloth Pendant in Ø 65 cm hung on a short drop of 30 cm (cord plus canopy, measured to the top of the shade) has its lowest point at 240 − 30 − 40 = 170 cm. That is fine above a dining table, but too low for a walkway, where a common guide is to keep about 210 cm clear. In the same corridor, a Vintage Shell Glass Sconce only takes 13 cm of the width. For more on this, see our guide to lighting for low ceilings.
Room by room: which one to pick
Dining room and kitchen island
Pendant. The table or island is the surface you need to light, and a pendant puts the light right above it. See dining table lights and kitchen island pendant lights for how many and what size.
Hallway and stairs
Wall lights. A row of sconces lights a long space evenly and keeps the ceiling free. Our hallway lighting guide lists sconces by how far they stick out from the wall.
Bedroom
Either. A pair of wall lights frees the bedside table entirely; a small pendant on a long cord, such as the Travertine Walnut Pendant Light (Ø 17 cm, 170 cm cord), does the same from the ceiling. Heights are covered in bedside sconce height.
Living room
Both. A pendant gives the main light, and wall lights add the softer layer around the edges. See living room lighting ideas.
Going with wall lights? See wall sconces for the living room for placement and height, and vintage wall sconces for brass, glass and fabric styles with real sizes.
Choosing a wall light? Our guide to wall sconces with shades compares fabric, paper, glass and ceramic shades, and our guide to modern wall sconces covers stone, plaster and crystal designs, both with real sizes.
Frequently asked questions
Can wall lights replace a ceiling light?
In a small room, yes. Add up the room sizes stated on each product: two Vintage Shell Glass Sconces (3–5 m² each) cover about 6–10 m². In a larger room, use wall lights with a pendant or floor lamp.
Are pendant lights or wall lights better for a low ceiling?
Wall lights, because their size does not depend on ceiling height. If you want a pendant, choose a flat shade such as the White Silk Saucer Pendant (16 cm high in Ø 40 cm) or hang it over a table where nobody walks.
Do your wall lights plug in or need wiring?
Several are hardwired, including the Vintage Shell Glass Sconce, the Aluminium Cone Wall Sconce and the Knitted Shade Wood Wall Sconce. Check the installation line on each product page, and message us if you are unsure.
Browse all pendant lights, wall lights and glass wall sconces, or read what is a pendant light and what is a sconce.
