Getting horizontal has never been easier—or prettier. Linear suspension lights are dramatic attention getters in any interior space, and our favorite linear pendants feature both glamorous and understated designs.
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Suspension Lights Can Add Depth and Dimension to Your Home
Distinct among all the different styles of modern hanging lights are linear suspension lights—hanging light fixtures with long, horizontal profiles that illuminate a room broadly. Commonly used in dining rooms and kitchens, linear hanging lights are unique lighting options that inject architectural elegance into a room or space, and make sense for a room where a widely illuminated area is needed, and a clean, refined form is preferred.
Where Do Linear Suspension Hanging Lights Look Best?
Without a doubt, the most popular place for placing a linear hanging light is a dining room or kitchen. Kitchen islands or counters, in particular, are ideal surfaces above which linear hanging light fixtures makes a good deal of sense. By providing broad and practical illumination for kitchen-related tasks, and also acting as visual bookends to the horizontal surface areas below, linear hanging kitchen lights imbue kitchens with a clean, finished appearance.
Similarly, when linear hanging pendant lights are suspended above long dining tables, they provide both visual balance and practical lighting that extends over a horizontal surface area. Dimming features also can turn these functional lights into more atmospheric, nuanced hanging ceiling lights for dinner parties and evening gatherings. But while linear hanging lights are often optimal for dining rooms and kitchens, it may be helpful to note that, as with all modern design, there are no real rules for where specific lighting fixtures should, and their applications are limited only by taste and imagination.
What's the Advantage of Linear Hanging Light Fixtures Versus Other Types of Ceiling Lights?
The advantages of a linear hanging light are both practical and esthetic. In terms of practicality, the unique lighting quality of linear lights—specifically, their ability to act as several hanging ceiling lights in one by spreading light over a large area—makes them a great primary lighting source in a room. Installing a single linear suspension light is also simpler than installing several hanging pendant lights, providing broad illumination in one fell swoop. Esthetically, linear hanging lights, though available in a variety of designs, are typically more visually pared down, and, therefore, convey a more sophisticated, architectural quality.
Does Size Matter With Linear Hanging Light Fixtures?
As it does with all modern lighting, size is less about rules than about balance and proportion. If you're installing a linear hanging light above a kitchen island, for instance, you'll need to be mindful of its size in relation to the island, and the overall size and design scheme of your kitchen. Lights that are disproportionately large or small will distract from the beauty of the lamp itself, and diminish the beauty of all the other elements in the kitchen as well.
Before you purchase a linear hanging lights for your home's kitchen or dining room, be sure to measure the kitchen counter, island, or table above which the hanging light fixtures will be installed. Based on those measurements and the measurements of the entire space, you should be able to finding the size that best complements everything in the room.
Linear Suspension FAQs
- What is Linear Suspension Lighting?
Linear Suspension lighting is defined as a linear-shaped ceiling fixture perfect for adding light and style above rectangular surfaces like dining room tables, kitchen islands, or office desks and meeting spaces. This type of lighting fixture tends to distribute the light over a more narrow area than traditional lighting designs like pendants or chandeliers. Linear Suspension Lighting can be more traditional with a long, rectangular shape, or modern with various layers and unexpected forms. LED lighting is favored for its energy-efficiency and warm glow, but linear suspension fixtures can be found with incandescent and halogen lighting as well to suit your needs.
- How Long Should a Linear Light Be Over a Table?
If you are considering a linear suspension for your dining room, kitchen, or work space, you want to make sure it is between ⅓ and ½ the length of the surface it will be suspended over so the room looks balanced and cohesive. The height of the linear suspension should be a minimum of 30-34” above the surface of the table to ensure people can see clearly across with no obstructions.
- When Should You Use a Linear Chandelier?
A linear chandelier is a great option for both small and large spaces, but is typically best used in rooms where a large surface needs highlighting and is typically rectangular or square in fashion. Best used above a dining room table, kitchen island countertop, or office desk or conference table, linear lighting is available in a wide range of styles, finishes, and number of lights to bring the proper amount of brightness to any space in need.
