Hanging Lighting and Choosing the Right Size Light

Read the sizing notes before the shopping list. Scale is the part that is hard to return. This note refreshes one of my most popular posts in my long-running decorating pointers series – this one's all about lighting! If you've ever struggled with how high to hang a chandelier over your dining table, what size lamp is just right, or the perfect height for sconces and kitchen pendants, this updated guide has you covered!

Dining, kitchen, and bedroom photos of lighting with infographic

What Is the Best Nightstand Lamp Height?

When you're picking out lamps for your nightstands, choose a lamp where you eye level falls between the middle and bottom of the shade when sitting on your bed. That way, you're not staring straight into a bare bulb from above or below. In most bedrooms, a lamp that's about 24″ to 28″ tall tends to be just right.

You don't have to have matching lamps on both sides of your bed – mixing things up can actually add a lot of style! Just make sure the lamps are about the same height so everything feels balanced.

If you're on the hunt for bedroom lamps, look at my post on bedroom light fixtures where The household has linked some of the preferred lamps that are well suited to bedside tables.

And while we're talking balance, nightstand height matters too! Aim for your nightstand height to be within 1-2″ of the top of your mattress. As for width, a nightstand that's at least ⅓ the width of the bed is a great choice. Of course, if you're short on space, sometimes you have no choice but to use a narrower nightstand. If that's the case, look at my post on narrow nightstands for some favorites, including the one we bought for our own bedroom.

What Size Lampshade Do I Need?

Most lamps come with lampshades, but what size shade should you pick when they don't? Choose a shade that's about two-thirds the height of your lamp base for a balanced, well-proportional look. Taking {this brushstroke lamp} as an example, the base of the lamp is about 16″ and the shade is about 11″ high which is right on target with the two-thirds rule!

Sources:Rattan mirror | Brushstroke lamp | Marble chain

When it comes to lampshade width, aim for one that's about twice the diameter of your lamp base at its widest point. Another rule of thumb is for the width of the bottom of your shade to be within two inches of the height of your lamp base.

All of these guidelines will help you find a shade that feels perfectly proportioned, but don't let them limit you. A lamp with an oversized shade can sometimes make a striking style statement!

Another detail to keep in mind when choosing lamps and lampshades is the harp size. As you probably know, the harp is the metal, U-shaped piece that holds the lampshade in place – and it's definitely not one-size-fits-all! Harps come in different heights, and getting the right size makes all the difference in how your lamp and shade look together. Here's how to measure harp size:

If you're buying a lamp that already comes with a shade, you usually don't have to think twice about harp size – it should include one that fits just right. But if you're mixing and matching your lamp and shade, you may need to swap in a smaller or larger harp to get the look just right. Here's how the same lamp looks with three different harp sizes:

The same lamp with three different harp sizes

You'll want a harp that's tall enough so the lamp shade doesn't overlap the lamp base, but not so tall that the lamp's bulb socket or harp are visible. In the example above, a 10″ harp is a bit too tall – the 8″ or 9″ options work best. depending on how much of the lamp's neck you want to see.

How High Should a Chandelier Be Hung Above a Table?

For 8′ to 9′ ceilings, your chandelier should hang about 30″ – 36″ above the table. If your ceilings are taller, raise your chandelier up to 3″ higher for each additional foot of ceiling height.

Chandelier over dining room table with text - How high to hang chandelier over dining table

What Size Chandelier Should I Put In My Dining Room?

When choosing a chandelier, there are two simple guidelines to keep in mind. First, aim for your chandelier to be about half to two-thirds the width of your table. Second, make sure that it's at least 10-12″ narrower than your table so no one bumps their head when sitting down or getting up. If your light fixture is tallest in the center and curves up at the edges like this large beaded chandelier in our dining room, you have a little more flexibility with size.

you can get away with your light fixture being wider than these guidelines, especially if you have tall ceilings.

The price on our chandelier has gone up a TON since we bought it – {this pendant} has a similar look and a much more budget-friendly price.

If you're on the hunt for a new dining room chandelier, take a peek at some of my favorites in my posts on dining room chandeliers and wood bead chandeliers.

What's A Reliable Vanity Light Height?

Vanity lights above a mirror should be hung about 75-80″ from the floor to the center of the light fixture. If you have a taller than average vanity (standard vanity height is about 32″), ceilings that are 9+ feet, or a large mirror, hang your fixture at the higher end of that range. In our powder room, the vanity is 34″ tall and we have 10′ ceilings so I hung it right at 80″:

Powder room with vanity lights over round mirror showing how high to hang vanity lights

It's also smart to pay attention to the distance between your vanity light and mirror because you don't want them to be too far apart. A measurement of between 1-5″ from the bottom of your vanity light to the top of your mirror typically works well.

While they're close to 4″ apart in our powder room, in the primary bathroom in our prior home I hung them only 1 ½″ apart because the clear glass shades allowed me to do that without it feeling crowded:

Double vanity with mirrors and vanity light showing best vanity light height

These are some kept bathroom vanity lights (most of them come in multiple finish options and options for a different number of shades):

Vanity Light Sources: 1. Globe lights (4 finish options) | 2. Vanity light with milk glass shades | 3. Mixed metal vanity light (tons of finish options) | 4. Brass & white enamel light | 5. Curved chrome light (also in black or gold) | 6. Modern matte black light (3 finish options) | 7. Classic brass vanity light (3 finish options) | 8. Brass & white industrial light (6 finish options) | 9. Brass globe light (also in polished nickel) | 10. Brushed nickel vanity light

What's A Reliable Bathroom Side Sconce Height?

When you're hanging sconces on either side of a mirror in a bathroom, mount the bulb of the sconces at eye level to best illuminate your face. Of course eye level is different for everyone but 60-65″ is a good ballpark figure. If you have sconces flanking the mirrors of a double vanity that you and your partner share, determine eye level for each of you and split the difference. Just make sure that the bulb itself isn't visible to the shortie of the duo because you don't want direct light blaring in your face.

In the powder room of our prior home, I hung the sconces about 62″ high:

Shows the best bathroom sconce height with two sconces flanking a mirror

The standard recommendation for how far apart to mount sconces flanking a bathroom mirror is 36″ – 40″ apart. However, the best distance also needs to be based on the width of your mirror (the position of your wall studs might also play a role too). Our bathroom mirror was fairly narrow so we hung our sconces 33″ apart in our powder room. Trust your eye on this one!

What About Kitchen Pendants?

When hanging pendants over a kitchen island, the bottom of your pendant lights should be 30 – 36″ above your countertop for standard ceiling heights. Add 2″ to 3″ for every foot of ceiling height above 9′.

The best height to hang kitchen pendants over an island

When choosing pendant size, the best size is going to depend on the size of your island and how many pendants you're using. A good rule of thumb is to choose pendants that are ⅓ to ½ the width of your island. If you're using three pendants, you can go a bit smaller.

How far apart should you hang your pendants? Spacing your pendants about
30″ to 32″ apart (measuring from the outside edge of each pendant) works well for most typically sized islands. You definitely want to leave at least 6″ between the outside edge of your pendant & the end of your island.

In our newly remodeled kitchen (all details are in my kitchen redo reveal) that has 9′ ceilings, our pendants are hung 31″ above the countertop (I went toward the lower end of the 30″ – 36″ range because our pendants are tall) and there is 32″ of space between them:

Pair of rattan bell pendants over kitchen island

Want help figuring out the spacing of your pendants over a kitchen island? Look at my post with detailed recommendations & pointers for the pendant light height over an island.

The Rule About The Rules

The household has got just one last little “rule” for you and it might just be the most important one… Don't feel boxed in by any of these guidelines! They're here to help when you're stuck choosing the right light fixture or figuring out how high to hang it, but decorating isn't about strict rules. It's all about what feels right to you! Sometimes breaking the rules leads to the most polished, unexpected results! Trust your eye – it's truly your best guide!

Free Home Lighting Printable

Want all my best home lighting pointers wrapped up in one easy-to-reference sheet? Click {HERE} to download and print your own copy or Pin the image below so you can quickly find your way back to this post when you need it!