How to Size a Pendant for a Stair Void
Stair voids are where most pendant orders go wrong. The fixture is either lost in the space or hanging where someone will walk into it.
Stair voids are where most pendant orders go wrong. The fixture is either lost in the space or hanging where someone will walk into it.
Measure From the Landing Not the Floor
A void chandelier is looked at from the landing more often than from the floor below. Measure the height from the landing level to the ceiling, because that is the height the fixture actually has to fill.
Keep Two Metres Clear Over Every Walking Route
Whatever the design height, allow at least 2100 mm clear below the lowest element wherever people walk, including on the stair itself and on the landing.
Depth Matters More Than Diameter
A single 800 mm ring seen edge-on from the landing is a line. A stepped pair of rings or a spiral form has depth from every level. In a void, choose the fixture with vertical extent before you choose the one with the larger diameter.
See High Purity Alu Pendant Light SD2341-2RM
Confirm the Drop Before the Ceiling Closes
Our suspensions come at 1500 mm and are cut on site, or cut at the factory if you send the measured height. Send the measured height, not the drawing height, because built ceilings move.
See High Purity Alu Pendant Light SD2237-RM
One Fixing Point Is Usually Enough
Our multi-ring fixtures hang the whole assembly from a single canopy, so the ceiling contractor needs one point rather than a coordination drawing.
Related Products
Chandeliers and Pendant LightsHigh Purity Alu Pendant Light SD2341-2RM800 mm and 600 mm stepped double ring pendant, 75 W, grey and goldView specification
Chandeliers and Pendant LightsHigh Purity Alu Pendant Light SD2237-RM600 mm matt gold ring pendant with acrylic diffuser, 36 W, drop 110 to 1500 mmView specificationProjects Where This Mattered
Case StudyChandelier Project in FranceThe fixture had to be read from the ground floor, from the stair itself and from the landing above, which rules out anything flat.Read more
Case StudyThree Metre Chandelier Project in BangladeshA three metre fixture is a transport and installation problem before it is a lighting problem.Read more
Questions On This Topic
How much clearance should a void chandelier have?
At least 2100 mm below the lowest element over any walking route, including the stair and the landing.
Diameter or depth, which matters more in a void?
Depth. A flat ring reads as a line when seen edge-on from a landing.
Can you cut the drop at the factory?
Yes, if you send the measured ceiling height rather than the drawing height.
Apply This To Your Order
Send your fixture schedule and we mark up the decisions covered in this guide against your line items.