Short answer: For a pendant in the middle of a room, add the room's length and width in feet and use that number in inches as the shade diameter. Fit a warm 2700K LED bulb of about 800 lumens. Hang it 30 to 36 inches above a table, or with at least 7 feet clear underneath where people walk.
A paper pendant spreads its light in every direction, so the ceiling, the walls and the table all catch a little of it. You get no hard shadows and no bright bulb in your eyes, which is why one paper lantern can make a plain room feel calm at night.
This guide covers what size to buy, which bulb to put inside, how high to hang it, and how to get one up when there is no ceiling fixture where you want it.
What is a paper pendant light?
A paper pendant is a lampshade made of paper stretched over a thin metal frame. It hangs from a cord with a bulb socket at the end.
Some paper pendants are sold as a complete light, with the cord and socket in the box. Many round lanterns are sold as the shade alone. You fit the shade to a cord set or to the socket already hanging from your ceiling.
So check the listing before you buy. Our Round Paper Lantern Pendant Light is a shade: paper on a metal frame, made for an E27 bulb, with one lampshade in the package. You supply the cord and the bulb.
The style has a long history. The Japanese American designer Isamu Noguchi started his Akari paper lamps in 1951, using washi paper over bamboo ribs. Round paper lanterns have been in homes ever since, in plain rice paper, pleated paper and sculpted shapes.
What size paper pendant should you buy?
Start with where it will hang.
In the middle of a room. Lighting designers use a simple rule. Add the length and width of the room in feet. Use that number in inches as the shade diameter. A 10 by 12 foot bedroom gives 22, so a shade around 22 inches across fits the space. A smaller shade still works. It will read as a softer, quieter light.
Over a dining table. Pick a shade between half and two-thirds the width of the table. A 36 inch wide table suits a shade of 18 to 24 inches.
Beside a bed or in a corner. Go small. A 12 inch shade gives a soft glow without taking over the wall.
The Round Paper Lantern comes in 11.8 in (30 cm) and 15.7 in (40 cm). If you want something larger and less formal, the Paper Cloud Lampshade is a paper shade you shape yourself into a cloud or flower form. It comes in three sizes, up to 33.5 by 21.3 in (85 by 54 cm). It is also sold as the shade only.
Which bulb goes in a paper shade?
Use an LED bulb. LEDs give the same light for far less heat. The US Department of Energy's consumer lighting guide says LEDs use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and less energy in means less heat near the paper.
A few more rules keep it safe and good looking:
- Stay under the wattage limit printed on the shade or the cord set.
- Keep the bulb centered so it never touches the paper.
- Pick the brightness by lumens, not watts. About 800 lumens matches an old 60 watt bulb, according to the FTC. That is plenty for a lantern in a living room. Over a bed, 400 to 500 lumens is enough.
- Pick a warm color. A 2700K bulb looks like the old incandescent glow. Paper warms the light a little more. Our Warm White Filament Bulb is a 2700K E27 LED that lights in all directions. For more on color, read 2700K vs 3000K.
Thin paper shows the shape of the bulb. A frosted bulb gives an even glow across the whole shade. A clear filament bulb shows as a brighter spot in the middle, which some people like and some do not.
How high should you hang a paper pendant?
Over a table: the bottom of the shade sits 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop. People can see across the table, and the light still lands on the plates.
Where people walk: keep at least 7 feet between the floor and the bottom of the shade, so nobody walks into it.
Beside a bed: hang it low enough that the shade hides the bulb when you sit up to read. Then the light falls on the page and not in your eyes.
Can you hang a paper pendant without an electrician?
Two of the three ways need no wiring at all.
1. Use the ceiling socket you already have
If a bare bulb or an old shade already hangs where you want the lantern, switch the light off and let the bulb cool. Fit the new shade onto the existing socket, put the bulb back, and you are done.
2. Use a plug-in pendant cord set
A plug-in cord set is a long cord with a bulb socket at one end, a plug at the other, and an inline switch. Hardware stores and lighting shops sell them. Screw a ceiling hook into a joist, or use a toggle anchor rated for the weight. Hang the cord from the hook, run it across the ceiling with small cord clips, then down the wall to an outlet. A paintable cord cover on the wall hides the run.
This is the route most renters take. It leaves only a hook hole and a few clip holes when you move.
3. Hardwire it
If you want the lantern on a wall switch with no cord on show, an electrician can connect a pendant cord to a ceiling junction box. Hire a licensed electrician for this one.
Where do paper pendants work best?
Bedrooms, living rooms, reading corners, entries and over a dining table. Paper softens the light, so these rooms feel calm in the evening.
Skip paper in bathrooms, where steam softens and stains it, and near the stove, where grease and heat build up.
Want the same glow at table height? The Japanese Rice Paper Table Lamp is a lantern lamp for a nightstand or shelf. The shade is rice paper on an iron frame, 8.3 by 9.1 in (21 by 23 cm), and the E14 LED bulb is included.
Prefer a woven texture to paper? The Bamboo Lantern Pendant Light is 12 in (30.5 cm) across with a woven bamboo shade. It takes one dimmable E27 LED bulb, sold separately.
How do you clean a paper shade?
Dust it with a soft dry brush, or blow the dust off with a hair dryer on the cool setting. Never use water. Keep the shade out of strong direct sun, since sunlight yellows paper over time.
Keep reading: Japandi lighting ideas and 2700K vs 3000K.
FAQ
Are paper pendant lights safe?
Yes, with an LED bulb that stays under the wattage limit and does not touch the paper. LEDs run far cooler than old incandescent bulbs.
Can I hang a paper lantern if my ceiling has no light fixture?
Yes. Use a plug-in pendant cord set, a ceiling hook and a few cord clips. The cord runs across the ceiling and down the wall to an outlet. No electrician needed.
What size paper lantern suits a living room?
Add the room's length and width in feet and use the total in inches. A 12 by 15 foot living room suits a shade of about 27 inches. A smaller shade gives a softer, more local glow.
Is one paper pendant enough to light a room?
Over a table, yes. For a whole living room, pair it with one or two lamps at table height, so the corners are not dark.
Does the Round Paper Lantern come with a cord?
No. It is the shade only, on a metal frame for an E27 bulb. Add a pendant cord set or fit it to your existing ceiling socket.
See every shade, lantern and cord-hung light in our pendant lights collection. Shipping is free in the US, and you have 14 days to return.