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Absolutely not.

Pendant lights are still very much in style for their intended use. In fact, they are growing in popularity.

What is a pendant light?

A pendant light is a ceiling light that hangs or is suspended from the ceiling. There are many types of pendant lights.

While recessed lighting and flush mount lights are more commonly used in homes and used in more rooms of the home, for some rooms and locations, pendant lights are the first choice are used extensively.

What are the best places to use pendant lights in the home?

While there are examples of pendants used in every room, there are two distinct rooms and placements where they are very commonly used. Those placements are:

1. Kitchen

Specifically above peninsulas and islands. As kitchen islands grow in popularity, so too does the use of pendant lights. Pendant lights not only offer great light to counter surfaces, but they look great. The reason they work well over peninsulas and islands is you can’t walk in those areas so there’s no risk of bumping your head. Since they can look fabulous (in some cases be the star of a room), they’re a great option.

Example:

Kitchen pendant lights above the island.

See more examples in our article “kitchens with pendant lights“.

2. Dining Room

Specifically, pendant lights are ideal over dining room tables for the same reasons that they are really good above kitchen peninsulas and islands.

Dining room with pendant lights above the dining table.

Click here to see more dining rooms with pendant lights.

3. Foyer

Taller foyers offer a great opportunity to hang a chandelier, which is technically a type of pendant light. Mind you, 8 or 10 foot ceiling foyers aren’t ideal for a chandelier, but as more and more foyers are built with really tall ceilings, a chandelier or several pendant lights are a great option.

See more foyers with pendant lights here.

Alternatives to pendant lights in the kitchen, dining room and foyer

There are 2 alternatives. One I like and one I’m not so wild about. They are as follows:

Recessed lighting:

I like recessed lighting a lot. While it doesn’t offer much of an aesthetic, it’s concealing nature and ambient light is truly an outstanding type of light pretty much anywhere in the home.

Nevertheless, while I like recessed lighting a lot, I prefer stylish pendant lights above kitchen islands and peninsulas as well as dining room tables.

As for foyers, it depends. But if a really tall ceiling, it’s nice to drop the light down and offer an aesthetic piece within field of view.

Ceiling flush-mount lighting:

I get less excited about ceiling flush-mount lights when a pendant light works. I would always opt for a pendant light when it works in the area.

What do I mean by works in the space?

What I mean by this is that the light is not an obstruction. You wouldn’t want pendants hanging down in a living room where people will bump their head. In this case, flush-mount or recessed is much better.

Pendant lights will never go out of style?

Are you serious? Doesn’t everything come in and out of style? Yes, but that’s the beauty of pendant lights.

While certain styles, shapes and designs will go out of style, there really is no limit as to the different designs that can be created. The chandelier has been around for hundreds of years because the hanging or suspended light is the best option in certain spaces. Therefore, while I’m reluctant to make such strong claims (i.e. “never”), I do believe pendant lights will not go out of style.