A paper pendant light is a ceiling light whose shade is made of thin paper stretched over a wire or bamboo frame, hanging from a flex with a lampholder. Choosing paper changes one thing above all: instead of a bright point you get a soft, even glow that doesn't dazzle, even when the shade hangs low over a dining table.
Glass and metal shades direct light; paper lets it through its whole surface. A paper globe lights the table, the walls and the ceiling at once, which makes a room feel calmer and a little taller.
The idea comes from Japanese paper lanterns. "Rice paper" is the name everyone uses, but the paper is rarely made from rice; it's usually a thin, long-fibred paper from plant fibres such as mulberry bark, often called washi. It's tougher than it looks and very translucent. You'll also come across silk paper, pleated paper, woven paper cord and stiffer card folded into geometric slats.
Inside there's usually a wire spiral or a set of ribs that holds the shape and keeps the bulb away from the paper. Many globes fold flat and are simply pulled open and clipped in place once they're up.
Read the listing carefully. Some paper pendants come complete with flex, lampholder and ceiling cup; many are shades only, meant to go on a pendant set you already have or buy separately. The shade normally clips onto the lampholder ring with an expanding wire bracket.
Check the lampholder too. UK pendant sets are often B22 bayonet, while paper pendants made for the wider European market tend to use an E27 screw fitting, with E14 on small shades. Swapping a pendant at the ceiling rose is work on fixed wiring, so leave it to a qualified electrician working to BS 7671. If the pendant is double insulated with no earth core in the flex, the circuit's earth conductor still stays sleeved and connected to the ceiling rose's earth terminal – it is never cut off.
Newer houses and flats usually have ceilings of around 2.4 m; Victorian and Edwardian rooms are often much taller, and that's where a large paper pendant of 70 cm or more really earns its place.
| Where | Shade diameter | Bottom of the shade |
|---|---|---|
| Dining table for four | 40–50 cm | 60–75 cm above the table |
| Long table for six to eight | 2–3 shades of 35–45 cm in a row | 60–75 cm above the table |
| Living room, 2.4 m ceiling | 30–40 cm, or a flattened oval or drum hung close to the ceiling | about 2.1 m where people walk underneath |
| Over a coffee table or sofa | 45–60 cm globe | can hang lower, as nobody walks beneath it |
| High-ceilinged period room | 60–90 cm | at least about 2.1 m, longer drop |
| Bedroom or nursery | 35–50 cm | well out of reach of heads and hands |
| Hallway, 2.4 m ceiling | 25–35 cm or a flat shade, tight to the ceiling | about 2.1 m off the floor |
| Stairwell with a tall void | 30–40 cm, several at staggered heights | at least about 2.1 m above each tread |
Over a table, keep the shade to roughly half the table's width. A row of smaller globes over a long table looks lighter than one giant.
Paper burns, so use an LED bulb. It runs far cooler than an old incandescent or halogen and won't scorch or dry out the shade. Never exceed the maximum wattage marked on the lampholder, and make sure the bulb doesn't touch the paper anywhere.
Paper shades are featherlight, so they sway in a draught – shorten the drop near a back door. Steam and cooking grease soften and stain the paper for good, which rules out the spot above the hob and the bathroom. White paper yellows slowly in strong sun. Dust it with a soft brush, a feather duster or a hairdryer on cold; water leaves tide marks. A small tear can be patched from inside with a strip of thin paper. On the plus side, there's no glass to break, which is why paper is so popular in children's rooms.
Over a table, about half the table's width. In the middle of a room, the higher the ceiling, the larger you can go. Under a 2.4 m ceiling, where people walk underneath, stay around 30–40 cm or pick a flattened oval hung close to the ceiling; keep a 45–60 cm globe for the space over a coffee table or sofa.
In tall rooms, stairwells and over long tables. In a low room, a 70 cm globe dominates everything and eats headroom.
Usually, if you have a plain pendant set and the shade's bracket fits your lampholder. Check whether it's B22 or E27 and that the bulb will sit clear of the paper.
With an LED bulb, an intact frame and the shade away from heat and steam, yes. The risk comes from hot incandescent bulbs touching the paper.
A frame that holds its shape, paper that glows evenly without seams showing, and a size that suits the room. Everything else is taste.
Dry only, with the light off and the bulb cool: a soft brush, a duster or cool air. Stains can't be washed out of paper.
More on drop heights and other shade materials, from glass to fabric: pendant lights. If a pendant set is already up and only the shade is missing, read on with paper lampshades.
