Desig House: Rita notes: Wall and Pendant Lights

Rita Konig reveals her favourite sources for stylish wall and pendant lights

Wall-light selection can feel like a daunting prospect at the beginning of a project. When your contractor is chasing the wires into the walls, it is important to know what furniture and pictures will be beside them and what type and size of wall light you are using so that you get the height of the back plate right. This happens early on and so there is a risk it is before you may have finalised the actual lights.

If you want to have wall lights by your bed, make it a priority so that you do not find yourself rushing into something with the electrician breathing down your neck. I love seeing lights on the face of bookcases, either at the top or on the fronts with swing arms. Robert Kime has a very good selection, as does a company in Paris called Galerie des Lampes. When I need to pair these with something a little lighter on the budget, I go to Circa Lighting, based in Savannah in the US. It has a tremendous selection - its 'Boston' range is one of my favourites, and it will wire for and ship to the UK.

On online antique sites, one has to wade through old ormolu candlestick wall lights or a glut of Fifties Italian articulated designs. I must say that I am a bit of a sucker for the latter. Many are in quite bad nick and plenty of others are of questionable age, but now and again there are really pretty ones that look terrific over a desk or a bed. Fiona McDonald in Fulham Palace Road is a good source for this style. There are also lots of dealers in and around Church Street, NW8 that stock them, such as Bent Ply.

Dining rooms are an ideal place for wall lights and my absolute favourite comes from Soane. It is called 'Aten', a beaten brass dish with either a candle or electrified bulb in front of it. For a dining room, consider keeping it unwired and using candlelight instead for a prettier effect. Soane is a little more than reassuringly expensive, but it does have very beautifully made things and sometimes the splurge is worth it. It is always good to look at its selection and mix it with other cheaper things throughout the house, such as my new find, 'Egg of Columbus' by Seletti. I hung these recycled egg carton pendant lights in my hall as a temporary measure until I found the right thing - turns out they look so great I am no longer looking to replace them. They cost £25 from Made in Design, including delightful red flex.

Generally speaking, I prefer lamps to pendants, but there are situations where a hanging light is necessary. I love lanterns or bell lights in stairwells, entrance halls and over kitchen islands. One of my favourites is a glass bell with a rope attachment from Gordiola, a 350-year-old company in Mallorca producing beautiful glass. The New Craftsmen has a similar bell light made from glazed stoneware, also hung by rope - it is called 'Buoy' and is designed by Akiko Hirai. Norfolk Decorative Antiques and Dean Antiques always have beautiful copper lanterns, and Carlton Davidson on the King's Road is a wonderful dealer with a huge selection of hanging lights. It has a good line of chandeliers and much more besides - as does Shane Meredith on Lillie Road.

For enamel shades, I have discovered the terrific website of Enamel Shades. Its prices are unbeatable and it has a good selection of flex, particularly linen, which I love for these lights. The bonus of buying inexpensive shades is that you can spend the money you have saved on more expensive lightbulbs. Urban Cottage Industries is a great source for the squirrel-cage bulbs I like.