If you think of disco, peace signs and folk music when you think of swag lamps, you’re not alone. You might be surprised to learn, however, that today’s swag lamps come in the most ultra-modern styles imaginable. You can certainly find retro swag lamps that look like they’ve been lifted right out of a 1970s home decor magazine, but many designs are decidedly contemporary and stylish. Whether you’re looking for a hanging lamp with a traditional round shade or you’re looking for a metal and glass modern fixture, you should look at new swag lamp designs.
The difference between swag lamps and other hanging lamps might not be obvious at a glance. But there’s actually an easy way to tell them apart. You’ll find that even lighting stores might mix up the terms for all types of hanging lamps even though that’s incorrect. Pendant lights are simple hanging lights with one bulb or a small fixture at the end of a cord or chain. A chandelier is like a pendant, but it ends it set of branches or arms that each contain a light or lights. Bigger crystal fixtures have many layers or levels of these extended lights.
Swag lamps are hanging lights, as well, however rather than simply hanging down from the roof, they accompany a few feet of line or chain. It’s this, and the fact that they’re not actually mounted and installed in the ceiling, that sets them apart. The cord runs through a hook or loop that’s installed in the ceiling and then drapes or “swags” over to a wall, where it hangs down and plugs into a standard wall outlet. The cord that runs from the loop to the wall is typically draped with quite a bit of slack rather than stretched flush against the ceiling. It’s that drape or “swag” that gives the light a distinctive look.