Lantern Lighting Style: How to Avoid the Theme-y Look

A lantern looks themed when it is too small, covered in a faux-rustic finish and loaded with rope or anchor details. It looks designed when it is generously sized, made of a real material, simple in outline and dimmed to a soft glow. Get those four things right and a lantern works in almost any room.

It's very common to buy a lantern that feels like a prop, so don't feel bad if yours does. Most of the time the fix is size and finish, not starting over.

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What are the different types of lantern lights?

Lantern fixtures come in a handful of forms, and the form decides where they work best:

• Lantern chandeliers and ceiling lanterns for entries, dining rooms and stairwells.
• Hanging lantern pendants, usually in a row, over kitchen islands and counters.
• Semi-flush lanterns that sit close to the ceiling, useful where height is limited.
• Wall sconces and porch lanterns beside doors and on exterior walls.
• Floor and tabletop lanterns, which are portable and the most likely to get knocked over.

A modern lantern lighting style usually means a simple box or cylinder frame, clear or frosted glass and a matte finish. A traditional one leans on curved arms, seeded glass and ornate details. Both are fine; the theme-y look comes from mixing in costume details.

How big should a lantern be?

Undersizing is the most common mistake. A lantern is an open frame, so it carries less visual weight than a solid drum shade, and you generally need to go bigger than you think. In foyers and rooms with tall ceilings, a small fixture simply disappears.

• A common starting point: add the room's length and width in feet, and read the sum as inches of fixture diameter. A 12 x 14 foot room suggests a fixture about 26 inches wide.
• For an open-frame lantern in a big volume, I recommend going a little wider than that sum. The transparency needs extra width to register.
• With ceilings above 9 feet, height matters as much as width. A tall, narrow lantern emphasizes the height, while a squat one lowers the visual ceiling.
• Over walkways, keep the bottom of the fixture at least 7 feet off the floor. Go higher if tall people live in your house.

With 8-foot ceilings, look for a semi-flush lantern. It gives the same geometric look without a chain, and the bottom should still stay above 7 feet.

Which finishes keep a lantern from looking like a costume?

Real materials. Unlacquered brass, polished nickel and powder-coated matte black read as architecture. Paint made to imitate rusted iron or distressed wood reads as a prop.

Skip rope details and anchor motifs unless you are decorating a beach cottage, and even there, use restraint. A simple box frame or a classic Darlana-style lantern works in modern, transitional and traditional homes.

Glass changes the mood too. Seeded glass leans rustic, clear glass looks crisp, and frosted or milk glass cylinders soften the light if glare bothers you. Mixing metals is fine: a black iron lantern with brass cabinet pulls works if the tones share a warm or cool undertone.

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How do you hang a lantern pendant over a kitchen island?

For lantern pendant lights for a kitchen island, hang the bottom of each fixture about 30-36 inches above the countertop. Test the height before you cut any wire: tape the lantern up temporarily, or hold a cardboard mock-up, and check sightlines from where people sit and stand.

On a standard 7-foot island, two larger lanterns look cleaner than three small ones, and they mean fewer electrical boxes. Think about the gaps too. The space between fixtures sets the rhythm, and cramped lanterns look like clutter.

If your bar seating also needs sorting out, mixing bar stool styles pairs well with a pendant row.

What works for a lantern chandelier over a dining table?

On a rectangular table longer than about 84 inches, a single lantern tends to leave the ends in shadow. I'd hang two medium lanterns, centered over the table, with roughly 30 inches between them (adjust for fixture width). That spreads the light and gives the ceiling a more deliberate plane.

On a shorter or round table, one generous lantern is enough. Center it on the table, not on the room, if the two don't match.

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How do you control glare and shadows?

Lanterns usually have clear glass or open frames with visible bulbs, and a bare bright filament in your line of sight is uncomfortable. The frame also throws shadow lines on walls and ceiling.

• Use frosted candelabra bulbs so the source is diffused.
• Put every lantern on a dimmer. Run it low in the evening for a glow instead of a beam.
• Add recessed lights or sconces to fill in the frame's shadows.
• Choose warm white, around 2700K-3000K. Cooler light in a lantern looks like a streetlamp.

Color temperature is one of the main ways light appearance is described, and the U.S. Department of Energy explains it in its page on color and spectrum. Light also affects sleep rhythm: the DOE notes that "Light plays a key role in setting and regulating the body's biological clock." That is one more reason to dim evening lighting.

LED bulbs suit lanterns well, since they are efficient and long-lived. The DOE says good-quality white LED products are expected to last 30,000 to 50,000 hours or even longer, so you won't be climbing up to change them often.

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How do you use a hanging lantern light outdoors?

For a hanging lantern light outdoors, check the rating first. Fixtures on a covered patio need to be damp rated, and anything exposed to rain needs a wet rating. Indoor brass corrodes and pits quickly in humid air.

Aim the light down. The Illuminating Engineering Society and the International Dark Skies Association describe Five Principles that call for directing light "only where it is necessary," using the minimum amount needed and choosing color temperature carefully. A shielded, warm, dimmable lantern follows that advice.

For a softer, temporary option, see how to hang paper lanterns. Noguchi-style washi lanterns in white or cream read as classic, while bright party lanterns read as temporary decor.

Are floor lanterns safe with dogs and cats?

Tall glass lanterns with real candles are a bad match for pets. A wagging tail can tip one over, break the glass and start a fire. Choose LED candles for floor lanterns, pick heavy bases in stone or iron, and keep glass off low hearths and floor corners your dog patrols. For anything involving a pet that has chewed or swallowed something, check with your vet.

Glass-enclosed lanterns collect dust inside. If you hate cleaning, choose an open cage style with no glass panels. For glass ones, spray cleaner onto a cloth, never onto the fixture.

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For more lantern ideas in smaller spaces, take a look at reading nook lighting with lanterns and breakfast nook lantern lighting.

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