For a restaurant, cafe or office, choose hanging lights by the floor plan rather than the fixture: one pendant or a close set of three over each fixed table or counter station, the same design and bulb across the whole floor, and shades hung clear of kitchen steam and grease so they stay clean.
This guide is for cafe and restaurant owners, homestay hosts furnishing a common area, and anyone fitting out an office or shop. If you are counting fixtures room by room for a villa, our Goa villa and homestay lighting plan does that; this one is about how commercial spaces differ.
Do the lights follow the tables or the room?
In a home, the dining table stays put. In a cafe, tables get pushed together for a birthday and pulled apart the next morning. So the first decision is which seating is fixed.
- Fixed seating (booths, banquettes, a communal table, a window bar): hang one pendant, or a close set of three, over each. The light marks the table and makes it feel like its own space.
- Movable tables: do not tie pendants to a layout that will change. Hang them in a regular grid, or in clusters over zones, so any arrangement of tables sits under some light.
- Counters: give each station its own light, such as billing, pick-up and the coffee machine. A set of three small shades over a pick-up counter reads as one feature and lights the work surface.
For hanging heights over a table and spacing along a run, use our guides to pendant lights over a dining table and pendants over a kitchen island. The measurements carry over to a restaurant table and a service counter.
Mixed table sizes are where many cafe schemes go wrong: a big shade over a two-seater looks heavy, and a small one over a six-seater looks lost. Choose a design that comes in several sizes, so the look stays the same while the shade scales with the table.
Four sizes from 12 to 20 inches in one design, so two-seaters and communal tables share a look.
From Rs 1,699
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Wicker Pendant Set of 3 - Erish
Three small wicker shades as a set, sized for a billing or pick-up counter.
Rs 3,999
Shop NowWhy does one design across the floor matter more than a hero piece?
Guests take in a room as a whole before they notice any single light. A floor with one design repeated at every table looks planned; a floor with five different shades looks like it was bought in stages. Keep the statement piece for one spot, such as the entrance or the bar, and repeat a quieter design everywhere else.
Handwoven shades are made one at a time, so small differences in weave and tone are part of the material. Pieces bought months apart show those differences more. Order the whole floor at once, and write the exact design name and size into your fit-out drawing so a contractor cannot swap in something similar.
Match the bulbs as well: one brand, one model, one colour temperature across the floor. Warm white sits around 2700K on the colour temperature scale, according to the US Department of Energy, and mixing it with cooler bulbs is the quickest way to make a matched set of shades look mismatched.
Offices, reception areas and shops: where woven lights fit
A woven pendant is a character light, not a workstation light. Desks need even general lighting, which your office's lighting designer or contractor will plan. Woven lights earn their place where people wait, meet or pause.
| Space | Where woven lights work | What to pair them with |
|---|---|---|
| Office | Reception desk, meeting table, pantry, a manager's cabin | The building's general lighting over workstations |
| Office lounge or corner | A floor lamp beside a sofa or in a windowless corner | A table lamp on a side table |
| Shop or showroom | Over the billing counter, a display niche, the trial-room waiting area | Bright general lighting over the merchandise |
| Homestay common area | Over the dining table and the sitting area | Wall lights along the verandah or passage |
Floor lamps are the easiest way to warm up an office corner, because they need no ceiling point at all; our rattan and bamboo floor lamp guide compares the types. For booths and banquettes, a wall light above the seat back lights the table without a ceiling point.
A 118 cm bamboo floor lamp for a cabin corner or reception lounge, with no ceiling work needed.
Rs 7,499
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A slim rattan wall light to repeat above a banquette, one per table.
Rs 2,899
Shop NowHow do you keep woven shades clean near a kitchen?
Any shade near an open kitchen, a tandoor or a coffee machine collects a film of grease and dust, and a woven shade holds it in the gaps of the weave. The answer is mostly placement, with a simple routine after that.
- Keep pendants out of the steam path. Nothing woven should hang over the kitchen pass, the dishwash area or directly in line with an exhaust.
- Dust dry, often. A soft, dry brush at closing time, once a week, keeps grease from building up. Our shades carry the same care note: wipe with a soft dry cloth and keep away from damp.
- Never wash a shade or spray cleaner on it. Moisture that stays trapped in a material is what lets mould grow, so keep woven shades away from wet areas and let the room air out after mopping.
- Choose open weaves near food. An open weave brushes clean quickly; a tightly woven drum holds dust on its top surface.
Homestays near the sea have humidity to manage as well; our guide to cane and rattan in humid coastal homes covers the routine.
Planning for repeat orders and a second outlet
A cafe that works often opens a second branch, and the branch should look like the first. Keep a one-page lighting spec from day one: the design name and product link, the size, the SKU from the listing, the bulb model, the drop length and a photo of each fixture in place. A few matching spares from the first order cover breakages without a hunt for a match.
Trade buyers can filter the full range and download it as a PDF from our trade catalogue, which is useful for a fit-out file or for sharing with an architect.
What should you ask before placing a trade order?
Ask these before you commit to an opening date, not after.
- What is the making time for this design at my quantity? Many designs are made to order, so the answer depends on the design and the number of pieces.
- Can every size I need be made together, so the whole floor arrives as one set?
- Can I see one piece before confirming the full order? It is the easiest way to check colour against your interiors.
- Are bulbs included, and what is the fitting? Our listings state the holder, E27 or E14, and say bulbs are not included, so budget for matching bulbs.
- Is the design returnable? Made-to-order pieces are marked non-returnable on the listing.
- What is the trade price? Trade pricing is on request. For bulk or export orders, send your quantities through our wholesale and export page.
