Collections · By finish

Chrome and Nickel Ceiling Lights at KES

714 ceiling lights in polished chrome, nickel and stainless, the largest finish group we hold.

Endon Toulouse 12 Light Pendant Light in Bright Nickel with Clear Ribbed Glass, lit, in a styled room. Editorial image for the Chrome and Nickel Ceiling Lights collection.

The largest finish group we have

Chrome and nickel overhead is the biggest single group in the shop, 713 fittings, because it covers everything from a £26 flush light to a Diyas crystal chandelier at £20,000. Chrome is the bright one. Bright nickel, which Endon uses on the Marietta and Toulouse, is a shade warmer and less mirror-like.

Diyas alone accounts for 149 of them.

What we'd tell you in the showroom

Chrome went out of fashion and has quietly come back, but only in the right rooms. A bathroom, a kitchen or a room with a lot of glass and pale paint will take it. A room with oak, dark paint or antique brass door furniture will not, and that is the room for the nickel versions instead.

If you are buying crystal, buy the lamps at the same time. A crystal fitting on a warm 2700K lamp sparkles. On a cool white one it looks clinical.

Reece Knight, sales and logistics

Chrome and Nickel Ceiling Lights Recommendations & Buying Advice

Neither is better in itself; we would choose nickel for a warm scheme and chrome for a cool one. Polished chrome has a crisp, slightly blue mirror shine that suits white and grey rooms. Nickel is warmer, and brushed nickel is a soft silvery grey with a fine grain in place of a mirror. This collection covers polished, brushed and black chrome alongside bright, satin, polished, brushed and antique nickel, so you can match existing taps and switches.

The finish does not decide bathroom suitability; the IP rating and the maker's stated use do. Most fittings here with a listed rating are IP20, for dry areas outside the bathroom zones, while some, such as the Endon Tabitha 5 light pendant in chrome, are IP44, which meets the IPX4 minimum for zones 1 and 2. A missing rating does not establish suitability. Our guide to bathroom zones and IP ratings explains where each can go.

Switch off, let it cool, then dust it with a soft, dry cloth. Avoid scourers, abrasive creams, wire wool and harsh chemicals, which can scratch the finish, and follow the maker's care instructions, which come first. Take particular care with fittings that pair chrome with crystal, such as the Diyas Alexandra in polished chrome, and check the maker's advice before cleaning the drops.

Many can, but how depends on the light source. Where a listing says 'Dimmable Lamps Required', the fitting dims only with dimmable bulbs and a compatible dimmer. Fittings with integrated LEDs, a small part of this range, need the dimming control or driver the maker specifies. About one in ten listings with a dimming spec is marked not dimmable. Check the product page, and ask a qualified electrician whether your existing dimmer suits it.

Not in England, where replacing a light fitting like-for-like is not notifiable work. New circuits are notifiable, as are additions or alterations to existing circuits within the defined area around a bath or shower, and the rules in Wales differ. The work still has to be safe, so we recommend a qualified electrician. Nearly all fittings here with a listed electrical class are Class I, which must be connected to earth.

When its drop would leave too little headroom. Check the overall height and minimum drop on the product page against your ceiling height and where people walk; around 2.1m of clear headroom is a sensible starting point, though you can go lower over a table. This collection also includes flush and semi flush fittings, such as the Endon Cordero flush and Quoizel Griffin semi flush, which sit close to the ceiling: see our semi flush ceiling lights.

Yes, provided you choose them by island length, drop and spread of light rather than by finish alone. A row of single pendants or one bar pendant, such as the Schuller Rocio 5 light bar pendant in chrome, can run the length of an island. Compare light output in lumens: the Rocio's integrated LED is specified at 2,400 lumens, while a bulb fitting depends on the bulbs you choose. See kitchen island lights.