How to Style Bedside Tables with Pendant Lights Above Them: 10 Expert Tips & Ideas

Today, I want to talk you through how to style bedside tables with pendant lights above them, because it does require a different approach to styling bedsides with lamps on top.

It’s something I see a lot of people struggle with in my work as an interior designer, but I promise you that getting the look right is easier than you think. I’ll walk you through it below so you can get styling styling like a pro at yours in no time.

Drop me a comment at the end of the post and let me know if these tips were helpful.

1. You Need to Style Three ‘Moments’ at Different Heights

I’ve been very clear to suggest three moments be styled on top of your bedside table at different heights. That’s because many people say three objects but that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to creating a resolved look.

In the vignette you create on top of your beside, the grouping might have four items but three moments. The image above is a good example of what I mean.

See the ornament on top of the book? Together they are one moment because they’re very connected; one sits on top of the other. You then have two other objects around that moment, which gives us the perfect setup for styling a bedside table with pendants above.

2. Clearly a Lamp Can’t Be One of Those Moments

In a bedside setup where there’s a table lamp involved, things seem easier on the styling-front because the lamp takes up so much space in the scene, both in height and in width. You essentially only need two other moments around it and your work is done.

When there’s a pendant light installed above, you have a little more work to do in creating visual interest on the tabletop because there’s a lot more space around it.

You still want three moments in your vignette, but the common mistake people make here is that they don’t find an item as large as a table lamp, and so the whole look falls apart because everything feels teeny-tiny on the bedside table top.

3. Without a Table Lamp, You Need Something Else With Height

With a table lamp out of the equation, you need to think big. The object that replaces the table lamp in this styling equation is going to be the tallest item in your vignette. The other two moments are going to be shorter.

In terms of what that object will be, flowers in a vase would be my first go-to. It’s the easiest way to introduce height, plus it affords you the opportunity to bring a little nature into the room, which is always appreciated.

If you don’t want flowers in a vase (or some quality fake stems), then you should opt for a large ornament that sits tall. There are some examples in the images of this post.

4. Ensure The Tallest Item Isn’t Too Close to the Pendant Light

You want the style your bedside table with one tall item, but do ensure it doesn’t encroach too much on the pendant light itself. You want to ensure there is an adequate gap between the base of the suspended light and the top of your bedside table vignette.

The idea is that the vignette is connected visually to your bedside table. It, and the beside, have a relationship to the pendant light above, but they are separate to it. Put simply: Don’t have your tallest item touch your pendant light.

The image above (which I adore) is from a display home, so the bedside table styling with the pendant light above isn’t in a real-world setting. In a real, usable bedroom I would suggest the flowers be shorter or the pendant light suspended a little higher.

5. Stagger the Decorative Items at Different Heights

So we know you want three moments to sit on top of your bedside table beneath the pendant light. The crucial piece of the puzzle is that the three moments do need to be at different heights. That’s because you want your eye to go on a journey.

And I know, that sounds weird. But it’s true. Your eye should move from bedside table, up the three moments on top of it, then up to the pendant light. Your eye is taken on a visual adventure of sorts.

If all of the items were the same height. The story would end. It would fall short. Your eye would move up the bedside, to the vignette and stop at a rather large section of blank wall. We do not want this story for your bedroom.

6. Don’t Sit Your Decorative Items In One Line

You’ve got the concept of height nailed when it comes to styling a bedside table with a pendant above. But now you have to get a grip on depth. And by that I mean, the items on top of the bedside need to go on another journey: front to back.

The error to avoid is sitting your three styling moments in a row on top of your bedside table. They are not perps in a lineup on Law and Order: SVU. You want them more like a tenpin bowling configuration. Except this is three-pin bowling and ideally none of them topple over.

7. Give Your Three Decorative Moments Some Space to Breath

When styling a bedside table with a pendant above, you want to ensure all of your pieces have a little social distancing on top. You don’t want them all squished together, but on the flip side you also don’t want them spaced oddly apart.

This is a hard one to give you an exact measurement on, because it’s not an exact science. I would suggest you have a play with the three moments when you’re styling until you get a configuration that you’re happy with.

There is something to be said about your gut instinct. When I’m styling, I swap a number of items in and out until the three moments click. There’s nothing better than that click when it all comes together. So, have a play. You’ll come up with a look you love.

8. Ensure You Have a Variety of Shapes Going On

Because of the misinformation out there, variety of shape is something that doesn’t get explained enough when it comes to bedside table styling.

People tell you to have things at different heights, sure, but if you have three round vases all at different heights that is indeed going to look rather unfortunate. It’s too repetitive. So, variety of shape is key.

When there’s a pendant light above the bedside table, be careful not to mirror the shape of the light in a piece on the bedside beneath it. Think a round glass light with a round glass vase below it. The more variety in the profiles of the pieces, the better.

9. An Odd-Shaped Ornament Goes a Long Way

I can’t state this one enough: odd shapes in any vignette are the key to taking it from OK to OMG. It’s what dazzles the eye, makes a statement, and breaks up any styling monotony.

The image above is the perfect example of this tip in action. Look at the shape of that candelabra. The curve is everything and brings such dimension and interest to the scene.

You’ll notice there’s a variety of shape at play, things at different heights, and no big round shape that mirrors the pendant above it. Plus it’s styled with flowers. Tick, tick, tick.

10. Styling Bedside Tables with Pendant Lights Above is a Texture Story Too

Texture; a rooms secret weapon. I swear, the rooms that fail to impress or the ones that feel cold and clinical are always lacking a variety of texture. The same approach applies when you’re styling a bedside table with pendant lights above: different materials are crucial.

You want glass, you want ceramics, you want metallics, you want timber – all playing together. You might not necessarily call on every one of those materials (your bedroom might not call for a metallic, for example). But if nothing else, please avoid three moments all made from the one finish.

11. Ideas for Styling Bedside Tables with Pendant Lights Above

Always remember that your bedside table styling should be a ‘sisters, not twins’ situation. You want them to be cohesive/related but not mirror images of one another. With that in mind, here is an easy way to style each of your bedside tables when there’s a pendant light above:

Flowers, A Frame and an Ornament is Great for One Side

Keep the flowers tall in a vase with an interesting shape. Stepping down from that in terms of size, try a photo frame in a portrait orientation. Then finish off the look with a candle in an interesting vessel.

A Large Ornament, Plant, and Books with a Dish for the Other

Because you have flowers on one bedside, opt to a large ornament in a quirky shape on the other side of the bed. Stepping down from that, a plant that doesn’t take up too much space. And then for your third moment why a small stack of book with a dish on top.

12. Lastly, Style Bedside Table Vignettes In-Store

Any retail store worthy of your dollars needs to accept and encourage in-store styling. I do it all the time when I shop for clients and I’ve never had any pushback from the staff.

I take multiple decorative items from all over the store and find a tabletop to place them on. You’d be wise to go with measurements though, Namely, the gap between the bottom of your pendant light and the top of your bedside table.

From there, create three moments that address all of the rules I’ve listed above and you’re going to have a bedside table with pendant light above styled to perfection.

Has this helped you nail how to style bedside tables with pendant lights above? Drop me a comment below and let me know if these tips have helped.

A big shoutout to the team from Carlisle Homes, which is where the dreamy bedroom images from this blog post were sourced from.