Rattan bell pendant
Đông Chí
The Đông Chí (Winter Solstice) pendant: a rattan bell 48 cm tall, closely woven except for one open band that lets light out sideways. For bedsides and hallways. VND 2,400,000 before VAT.
2,400,000 VND before 8% VAT
- Shade
- Dense rattan with one open band
- Light
- The closed weave hides the bulb; light leaves through the open band as a strip at eye level, so there is no glare when you lie down.
- Hanging
- Bedside: the open band at the eye level of someone sitting up against the headboard. Hallway: at least 2.1 m from floor to lamp; under a 2.7 m ceiling, choose the 36 cm size.
- Cable, bulb
- 1,5 m · E27 · 2700K · 6 W
Your configuration
Đông Chí, named after the Winter Solstice, is a rattan bell 48 cm tall. The body is closely woven, with one open band running around the middle. The bulb sits behind the closed part, so from the pillow you never look straight into it.
Who makes it, and how
Lâm Văn Lộc bends the bell frame from brass rod softened with a torch, on a wooden jig, about half a day per frame. Huỳnh Thị Mến weaves the body over a mould of the same shape, tight at the top and bottom, switching to an open weave for the middle band, then seals it with a matte moisture coat. The mould means the lamps on either side of a bed match. Tô Minh Khang wires it with 1.5 m of fabric cable, fits the E27 socket and runs it for 24 hours.
What the light does
A 6 W LED at 2700K, the yellow-white of an old incandescent, plus a spare. Light leaves through the open band as a horizontal strip and prints a line of pattern on the wall behind the bed. Sitting up, there is enough to read a few pages. Lying down, nothing glares.
At Nhà Chín Phòng, a nine-room homestay in Đà Lạt, we hung nine Đông Chí pendants at the bedsides and swapped the 6 W bulbs for 4 W ones at 2700K, same price. Guest rooms want to be dimmer than your own bedroom. Why every lamp we make uses 2700K is in our note on 2700K vs 3000K for bedrooms.
Where it fits
- 36 cm tall (VND 2,100,000): low hallways, a single bed.
- 48 cm tall (VND 2,400,000): either side of a double bed.
- 60 cm tall (VND 3,000,000): high hallways, a stair landing.
How high to hang it
At a bedside we hang it so the open band sits at the eye level of someone sitting up against the headboard, and Khang fine-tunes it with someone sitting there. In a hallway, keep at least 2.1 m from floor to lamp. Under a 2.7 m ceiling the 36 cm size fits: 2.1 m plus 36 cm leaves about 24 cm for cable and canopy.
Looking after rattan
A dry cloth or soft brush once a month. No sprays, no bathrooms. In damp places like Đà Lạt, keep air moving through the room; the moisture coat slows down how much water the rattan takes up, but it cannot replace ventilation. More on the rattan page.
Options people usually pick
- Dimmable bulb (VND 90,000) and wall dimmer (VND 350,000): to turn the light down before sleep. A pair of 48 cm lamps with dimmable bulbs on one dimmer: 2 × 2,400,000 + 2 × 90,000 + 350,000 = VND 5,330,000 before VAT.
- Matte black frame: only the top of the bell shows metal, and black disappears against a dark ceiling.
- Cream cable: against a white ceiling it almost vanishes.
- A 4 W bulb: just ask when you order; no price change.
To see where the strip of light lands on your own bedroom wall, send a photo through the light mock-up page.
From the workshop journal
- 2700k vs 3000k
2700K or 3000K: choosing warm light for a bedroom
2700K is the yellowish white of an old incandescent bulb, 3000K a warm white with less yellow. Which room suits which, what the box says, and why we use 2700K.
- unlacquered brass patina
Raw brass darkens over the years, and that is normal
Why uncoated brass lamp frames change colour, whether you can keep them bright, and when a matte black or white frame makes more sense.
- pendant light over dining table
Pendants for the living and dining room: three numbers to know
How far above the table, how wide compared with the table, how much light, and an open or closed shade. With a lookup table by table size and ceiling height.
