Collect Lighting by ferm LIVING: Sockets and Shades Compared

ferm LIVING's Collect Lighting is not sold as finished lamps. You choose a socket pendant, then decide whether it hangs bare or wears a shade, and the combinations run from a small bedside light to a wide fixture over a dining table. This guide sets the sockets and shades side by side so you can see which pair belongs where.

How the Collect system works

Every Collect lamp starts with a socket pendant: a slim iron barrel that holds the bulb, hangs from a 3 metre fabric-covered cord and is finished with a canopy in the same colour. A decorative brass ring comes with it. On its own, with a decorative bulb, the socket is already a complete pendant. The shades are separate pieces in powder-coated iron, and each one is made to fit any socket in the series.

That separation is the point of the system. Socket and shade are bought separately, which means you can start with a bare pendant and add a shade later, swap a small shade for a larger one when you move, or run a row of identical sockets with different shades above a long table. Both sockets and the shades shown here come in the same five colours (Cashmere, White, Black, Brass and Light Grey), so you can match socket and shade exactly or set a Brass socket against a Black shade for contrast.

Each socket takes an E27 bulb, with a maximum of 25 watt incandescent or 13 watt LED. The bulb is not included, and the fittings are rated IP20, which means indoor use only.

The two sockets: Low or High

The Collect Pendant Low is the compact version, 6 cm in diameter and 10 cm high, weighing 0.5 kg. It is the more discreet of the two and disappears almost entirely inside a deeper shade, so the shade does all the talking. Hung bare, it reads as a small cylinder of colour with the bulb showing beneath it.

The Collect Pendant High shares the 6 cm diameter but rises to 17 cm, at 0.6 kg. The extra length gives it more presence when it hangs without a shade, and with a shallow shade fitted, more of the barrel stays visible above the rim. If you plan to use the socket bare over a table, the High version has the stronger silhouette. If the socket is only ever a fitting for a shade, the Low version keeps the lamp tighter.

There is also a Collect Pendant Bell, wider at Ø9 cm and 10 cm high, for those who want the socket itself to have a flared outline.

The shades side by side

The shades cover a wide range of scale, from a small disc to a broad, shallow canopy of iron. The two most versatile are the cone and the dome. The Collect Cone Shade borrows its conical form from the classic Coolie and Empire lampshade shapes and has a white interior that reflects the light back out. The Collect Dome Shade has a shallow, drum-like profile with a retro feel, and its white interior directs a strong pool of light downwards.

All of the shades are powder-coated iron, so the difference between them is shape and size rather than material. The deeper forms (cone and dome) hide the bulb from most angles and throw light down. The flatter ones (disc, record and angle) sit like a lid above the socket and leave the light more open to the sides.

Pairings for a dining table

Over a dining table, the shade decides how much of the surface is lit. The Dome Shade at Ø38 cm is the natural single choice for a round or square table seating four: wide enough to light plates and faces, with a white interior that sends light down onto the tabletop. Fit it on the Pendant Low and the socket sits mostly inside the dome, giving a clean, compact outline. Fit it on the Pendant High and more of the barrel shows above the shade, which reads as a taller, more vertical lamp.

For a long rectangular table, two or three Cone Shades in a row often work better than one large shade. At Ø25 cm each, they light the length of the table evenly and keep the space above it open. Because socket and shade are bought separately, the same row can also be three bare Pendant High sockets with decorative bulbs, a more minimal look where the bulbs themselves become the feature.

The Angle Shade, at Ø58 cm and 2.1 kg, is the largest piece in the series and suits a bigger table or an open kitchen and dining space where one lamp has to carry the room. Hang any pendant over a dining table roughly 60–70 cm above the tabletop, low enough to light the surface and high enough to keep sight lines clear across the table.

Pairings for a bedside

A pendant hung beside the bed frees the bedside table for books and a glass of water, and Collect is well suited to it. The scale needs to come down: a shade that looks right over a dining table will crowd a bedroom wall. The Pendant Low with the Cone Shade is the most balanced choice. At Ø25 cm and 12 cm high, the cone is large enough to read by, and its form keeps the bulb out of view when you are lying down.

For a narrower bedside, or a pair of lamps on either side of a double bed in a small room, the Pendant Low with the Disc Shade (Ø12 cm) is lighter still. You can also hang the Pendant Low bare with a decorative bulb, though at bedside height a bare bulb is more noticeable, so choose a low-glare bulb within the 13 watt LED limit. The 3 metre cord gives room to hang the lamp at a reading height and, if needed, to loop it to a hook on the ceiling to the side of the bed.

Choosing colours and building a set

Since every socket and shade shares the same five colours, the simplest approach is to match them: an all-White lamp nearly disappears against a pale ceiling, while an all-Black one draws a firm line in the room. Cashmere and Light Grey are the softer options and sit comfortably with oak and linen. Brass is the warmest, and since every socket comes with a brass ring, a Brass shade picks up that detail.

Mixing works too. A Brass socket under a Black dome, or a Cashmere socket under a Light Grey cone, makes the modular build visible rather than hiding it. Because the parts are separate, you can also change your mind later and replace only the shade. If you are weighing other lamps built on the same idea of interchangeable heads and shades, see our guide to how the Bell Light pendant's heads and shades combine.

To compare Collect with other hanging lamps, from Danish classics to sculptural shades, see the full Pendant Lamps collection.