Before touching anything, head to your consumer unit (fuse box) and switch off the circuit feeding the room. Use a non-contact voltage tester at the ceiling to confirm the supply is dead. Never rely on a light switch alone — it only breaks the live conductor, not both.

Cut your braided fabric cable to the desired drop length, adding at least 20 cm extra — you'll lose a few centimetres at each connection point. At both ends, carefully peel back approximately 5–6 cm of the outer fabric sheath to expose the inner wires.

Using wire strippers, remove approximately 8–10 mm of plastic insulation from the tip of each inner wire. Twist the exposed copper strands neatly together so none are stray — a loose strand can cause a short circuit.

• Don't nick the copper — weakened strands can break under tension.
• Don't over-strip — exposed wire beyond the terminal is a shock risk.
• Repeat at both ends of the cable.

Disassemble your E27 or B22 lampholder into its cap, body, and shade ring. Thread the bottom end of your cable through the lampholder cap first — don't forget this step before wiring!

• Connect brown (live) to the terminal marked L.
• Connect blue (neutral) to the terminal marked N.
• If using 3-core cable, connect green/yellow to the earth terminal.
• Tighten all terminals firmly. Tug each wire gently to confirm it won't pull free.

Reassemble the lampholder and screw the cap on. The fabric cable should exit neatly from the top.

Slide your lamp shade over the lampholder and secure it with the shade ring. Most shades with a standard fitter clip onto the ring below the lampholder body. Go ahead and screw in your bulb — but don't restore power yet.

Feed the top of your pendant cable through the strain relief in the ceiling rose cover. A standard UK ceiling rose has three terminal blocks: Live (L), Neutral (N), and Earth (E). There may already be multiple wires in each block from your home's loop-in wiring — that's normal, simply add yours alongside them.

• Connect brown to the Live (L) terminal — usually the central block.
• Connect blue to the Neutral (N) terminal.
• Connect green/yellow to Earth (E) if using 3-core cable.
• Tighten all screws and tug-test each wire.
• Tighten the strain relief so the cable is gripped at the outer sheath, not the inner wires.

Clip the ceiling rose cover back up to the ceiling bracket.

Head back to the fuse board and restore the circuit. Flip the wall switch — your pendant should light up immediately.

• Doesn't light up? Check all terminal connections and confirm the bulb is fully seated.
• Breaker trips immediately? There's a short circuit — isolate and recheck for reversed or touching bare wires.
• Flickering? The bulb may not be fully screwed in, or a terminal is loose.