Handmade Straw Coastal Pendant Light

Woven by hand from natural straw and bamboo in the Southeast Asian island manner, this pendant carries the loose, slightly irregular texture that machine-made shades never quite reproduce. The weave is open in places and tighter in others, so light escapes unevenly and the pattern it throws across the ceiling is organic rather than regular.

It belongs in a room that wants warmth and texture more than precision: a coastal kitchen, a boho bedroom, a dining room with linen and pale timber, a garden room. Hung over a table it becomes the focal point and softens everything around it, and it works particularly well in a space that is otherwise plain, where one natural handmade object does more than several manufactured ones. The tone of the straw sits with white plaster, rattan furniture, terracotta and unfinished wood, and it warms up a modern room without making it look rustic.

Straw and bamboo are natural materials, so colour, grain and weave vary from piece to piece and each shade is slightly different. Fibres may settle or shed lightly at first. Bulb is not included; use a bulb that runs cool and keep it clear of the weave, and do not use a high-wattage bulb in a woven shade. Installation should be carried out by a qualified electrician.

• Shade: hand-woven natural straw and bamboo
• Style: coastal, tropical, boho, Southeast Asian
• Best for: dining tables, kitchens, bedrooms, garden rooms
• Effect: organic, irregular shadow pattern when lit
• Bulb: not included, use a cool-running low-wattage bulb
• Note: handmade, each shade is slightly different