Why interior designers love pretty French pendants and where to buy them
Overhead lighting gets a fairly harsh time in the interior design world and we all know spotlights are pretty much a no-no for most interior designers. One thing they can all agree on though is the eternal appeal of those charming frilly glass pendant lights that have been seen in many kitchens across the House & Garden archive. There is something so lovely about these pretty pendants and it's little wonder we see them a lot. The small shades bring a French country feel to any situation, while also diffusing light softly and without shading it too much. They twinkle when the lightbulb is on and gleam in the sun when it's off.
The best examples are vintage French ones, which can be picked up on Etsy, from Retrouvius and Fritz Fryer, but you can also buy some modern interpretations which are equally lovely. Howe has a brilliant crinkle edged design, with opalescent white glass and a clear edge to the crinkle, while Matilda Goad has reimagined the design in brass and enamel with cut outs for extra sparkle. Her brass option is a real winner for adding a softness and glamour to a space, and would work well in any room of the house.
Below are some of our favourite sources, as well as inspiration of how, where and why to use them.
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Astrid Templier1/11The light above the table in this Pandora Taylor house is the ‘French Milk Glass Pendant Light Shade’ from Stowaway London.
Michael Sinclair2/11In Natasha James' kitchen, the chequerboard floor is inspired by Monet's house at Giverny. It feels right, then, that the kitchen is filled with French-style glass pendants to heighten this look.
Owen Gale3/11The kitchen is Alix Reynis' favourite room in her Parisian house, where pendants hang over the island. These aren't fluted glass ones, but the white reflective surface is equally pretty.
Christoper Horwood4/11Lucy Williams is a fan too, having used Fritz Freyer pendants above the island in her kitchen.
Andrew Montgomery5/11As well as selling antique pendants via Retrouvius, Maria Speake often uses them in projects too. Here, a beautiful example has been added over the sink in the kitchen of Henrietta Courtauld of the Land Gardeners.
Paul Massey6/11Rita Konig is a fan of a pendant in the kitchen, using them above the kitchen dresser of her country house. Rita sourced the antique opaline-glass coolie lights from Howe.
Mark Anthony Fox7/11The kitchen in this house by Anna Haines is a beautiful, relaxed space, thanks to Patrick Williams of Berdoulat's design for an unfitted kitchen. The icing on the cake is the tiny antique fluted pendant over the sink, which feels both entirely historically accurate and wonderfully decorative.
Mark Anthony Fox8/11In the same house, a Christie Rise & Fall’ ceramic pendant light from Original BTC hangs above the oak dining table. This modern take on the design makes more of a statement, while keeping the same whimsical feel.
Andrew Montgomery10/11They are echoed in the adjacent pantry and made from a translucent white glass.
Michael Sinclair11/11In another project, Maria found a particularly decorative pair of glass pendants and added them to the hallway, which is a more novel place to find these lovely lights.
