| Q: “Randall, I need a pendant fixture for a den just to light the ceiling. I am looking for indirect light (uplight only, with a solid round base, perhaps made of metal). Do you have any suggestions?”
A: I am very glad that you are looking at a way of providing ambient (indirect) light for the room. It helps people look younger and more refreshed. Think of it as architectural Botox.
For this particular project, you have requested that the uplight come from within the shape of a traditional “bowl-shaped” fixture. You have a couple of options. One, which is more specific to your actual request, is using a bowl made of metal or possibly of another opaque material, such as plaster. A second choice is to consider a bowl made from a semi-translucent material, such as alabaster, which can provide both decorative and ambient light.
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This plaster pendant fixture provides an ambient light source
without the harder look of metal. |
If you absolutely want metal, take a look at JH Lighting & Brass Works. This company has three metal pendants in its line: the Kristine Tripod #C790, La Luz #C783 and the Lucite Crown #C730.
Also, take a look at Phoenix Day Co. It has three plaster fixtures that are opaque: the Tuscany Pendant #2930, the Shell #2826F and the Saucer Pendant #2624.
For alabaster fixtures look at JH Lighting, Boyd Lighting and The Basic Source.
These are only a few of the many companies out there that have opaque and semitranslucent pendant fixtures. I would recommend that you print out some examples and then stop in at your local lighting showroom to see what it has by other manufacturers.
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Randall Whitehead, IALD, is a professional lighting designer and author (his seven books include “Lighten Up!”) based in San Francisco. He has worked on projects worldwide and appeared on the Discovery Channel and HGTV.
