Hanging pendants and drum shades are everywhere. They’re stylish and usually a quite inexpensive way to introduce a little pop into your lighting. Hanging drum shades is a great way to cast a warm glow in any space. The resulting light is warmer and less harsh than your typical overhead lighting. But sometimes it’s difficult to know how/where exactly to hang the buggers.
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When hanging over a table, the bottom of the drum shade should be between 26 and 36 inches above it. The lower it’s hung, the warmer and cozier the light. It is doesn’t have a table under it and will be walked beneath, hang it 7 feet from the floor. You probably don’t have any friends taller than 7 feet, right? Oh, and they look great in pairs!
Getting a harsh view of the bulb from underneath? You can find a diffuser disk to fit inside the shade at a lamp-parts store or online.
Make your own custom hanging fixture by buying a plain hanging drum shade using spray adhesive to attach fabric.
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You can hang most pendants from a regular ceiling fixture, or find a pendant with a cord and plug. Then you can hang it wherever you like with a hook and plug it into a wall outlet. Or, find shades you love and buy a light/cord kit to make your own. Shades of Light is a great source for all kinds of options.
Use a pair instead of bedside lamps to give you more space on your bedside tables.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful your furniture or accessories are – without good and varied lighting, the whole room will fall flat. My clients are generally amazed at the difference the right lighting makes!
Good Morning Kristie…
Just went to Shades of Light website. Love it!!! Thanx for sharing.XoXo
I like to look at the Shades of Light catalog and then say, “I could do that. And cheaper.” Of course I haven’t yet, but one can dream. Right?
ok that bedside example photo really piques my interest….
what do you do when you don’t have ceiling wiring at those exact spots? Just use a cord and swag it?
Lee, Directly above each bedside table, screw in those hooks you use to hang a plant (available at hardware stores). Then you use a cord and swag it over the hook and plug in a regular outlet. If you don’t like the look of the exposed cord, you can use those fabric cord-covers. You can easily make your own in any fabric you like – it’s just a thin sleeve of fabric bunched up. Hope that helps!
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I have to nominate someone for the stylish blog award and I love your blog so much I will definetly add you to the list.
I hope you don’t mind!
Thanks, Radhika! I just joined your Facebook page – loved looking through your blog. Thank you for the nomination 🙂
Here is the post with your blog listed.
http://houseonashwelllane.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylish-blogger-award.html
Thank you for the award!!! You made my day 🙂
Congrats on your award!!
Great post- I am looking now to buy a drum shade for some reading light between two chairs. I am going to hang from the ceiling. I think I will hang lower because no one will be walking below it. The only problem I am having with that though is I am afraid the shade is going to block the views outside. Another decorating dilemma. 🙂
love the pic of the hutton 🙂 just stayed there this weekend!
Thanks so much for featuring my lampshades! Talk about making my weekend!!
Wow! Finally I got a blog from where I know
how to actually get valuable facts concerning my study and knowledge.
I am hanging a lampshade on both sides of my bed. How many inches should the bottom of the shade be from the floor, or how high above the nightstand?
I would like to know the answer to this question too. Thx!
Hello, I have an old, 5 light, brass chandelier I would like to revamp with a drum shade. The problem is, I need at least a 21″ diameter shade to be able to fit over the lights. The only thing I’ve found is a custom shade maker that would cost near $130 just for the shade! I looked on the shades of light site and the largest they have is 20”. Any other advice?
Hi Brandon,
$130 for a custom sized shade is actually not at all unreasonable. Nice standard shades can run that high. I wish I knew of a source where you could get them for less, but I don’t. I have vintage oversized lamps that I have searched high and low for the proper size shades, with little luck. Think of it this way: it’s a lot cheaper than replacing the chandelier itself!