What "no wiring" actually means
A normal ceiling light is wired into the house: the supply cable comes out of a junction box in the ceiling, you join it to the fixture with wire connectors, and you switch it from the wall. That work belongs to a licensed electrician in most places, and in a rental it usually requires the landlord's written permission — plus putting the original fixture back when you leave.
A plug-in pendant light skips all of it. The fixture ends in a standard US plug instead of a length of bare copper. It gets its power from a wall outlet — the same one your phone charger uses. The ceiling is only involved as somewhere to hang the shade from. Nothing electrical is opened, joined, or modified, which is why there is no permit, no electrician, and no conversation with the landlord.
Worth being precise about one thing: "no wiring" means no wiring work. There is still a cord, and managing that cord is the actual skill. The rest of this page is mostly about that cord.
The three parts, and nothing else
- The shade — the moon or the star that you actually see. Ours are 3D-printed plastic with a textured surface, not glass, which is what keeps them light enough for a single hook.
- The cord with an in-line switch — 16.4 ft (5 m) on the moon pendants, 16.5 ft on most stars. The switch sits partway down the cord so you are not reaching to the wall.
- A standard US plug — 110 V, two-prong or grounded depending on the model.
An E26 LED bulb is in the box, so the light works the moment it is out of the carton. There is no transformer, no driver, and no app.
How far the cord really reaches
Do this measurement before you order, not after. Stand where you want the light to hang, then trace the path the cord would take: up to the ceiling, along it, down the wall, to the outlet. That path — not the straight-line distance — is what has to fit inside 16.4 ft.
| Where the outlet is | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Same wall, within about 10 ft | Easiest case. Plenty of slack, and the cord all but disappears against a white ceiling. |
| Behind a bed or a bookcase | Pull the furniture out a few inches and drop the cord behind it. Never let a leg sit on the cord. |
| Across the room, 12–15 ft away | Still fine — but plan a swag so the cord drapes to a midpoint hook instead of pulling taut to the far wall. |
| On the other side of a doorway | Change the hanging spot, or take the cord up and over the door frame with clips. Never across the walking path. |
| More than about 15 ft away | Pick another spot. Do not solve this with a daisy chain of extension cords. |
About the swag: instead of running the cord tight from hook to outlet, you put one hook near the outlet wall and let the cord drape in a shallow curve to the fixture. It reads as deliberate — the way hotels do it — and it buys you length you would otherwise not have.
Hanging it without drilling
Option 1 — an existing ceiling hook
Check first: plenty of apartments still have a swag hook or a small hook left by a previous tenant. If the hook takes the weight, you are five minutes from done. Our moon and star pendants weigh roughly 1.5–1.6 lb.
Option 2 — a removable adhesive hook
Buy one rated for several times the fixture weight, and respect the cure time on the package — usually an hour before any load, often a full day before the full weight. Adhesive holds well on smooth painted ceilings and poorly on popcorn texture or paint that went on in the last few weeks. Hang a water bottle from it for a day as a test. This is the most landlord-friendly option of the three.
Option 3 — a swag hook with one small screw
A hole a few millimetres across, patched with spackle at move-out. Many renters consider the trade worthwhile; ask first in writing.
Never hang a pendant from a ceiling fan, a smoke detector, a sprinkler head, or a drop-ceiling grid.
Which room, which light
| Room | What works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom, no ceiling box | Moon pendant, 7 in | Overhead glow that is not pointing at anyone, and nothing takes up floor or nightstand space. |
| Kids' room or nursery | Moon, or the galaxy moon | Warm setting at lights-out, and the shade itself is the decoration by day. |
| Kitchen island or dining nook | Gold farmhouse star, 7.48 in | Holds its own against a tabletop and throws light outward in every direction. |
| Hallway or entry | One star, or two small moons | Stars suit corridors because the light goes sideways as well as down. |
| Rented living room | Any plug-in model | Comes down in minutes and comes with you. |
| A home you own, with a ceiling box | Hardwired moon ceiling light | The one model with no cord at all — it mounts to the junction box, and we recommend a licensed electrician for the connection. |
How low should it hang?
- Over a table or island: 30–36 in between the surface and the bottom of the shade, and roughly one third to one half the width of the table in shade diameter.
- Over a bed: high enough that nobody sits up into it. The bottom of the shade should clear the head of the tallest person who sleeps there.
- In a hallway or entry: at least 7 ft of clearance under the shade.
- In a child's room: well above what a standing toddler can reach — and the cord well above it too.
The cord length is what sets the final height, so decide the drop first and then hang the hook to match, rather than the other way around.
Cord rules that are not optional
- Never run the cord under a rug or carpet — foot traffic damages insulation you cannot see.
- Never across a doorway or a walkway. If it must cross one, use a flat cord cover against the wall.
- Keep cords and fixtures out of reach of small children, and away from cribs and bunk beds.
- Keep them away from water: no pendant over a bathtub, none in a shower.
- Our lights are for indoor use, including covered, dry areas. Not rain.
- Do not plug a pendant into an extension cord that is already carrying a heater or an air conditioner.
- Unplug before changing a bulb, and pull the plug by its body rather than the cord.
Living with it
Dust the shade with a dry or slightly damp cloth — the 3D-printed surface is textured, so do not scrub it. The bulb is a standard E26 LED and is included; any standard E26 bulb works if you want a different tone or a lower wattage. Every order is covered by a 30-day return window and a 1-year replacement warranty.
