Pendant lights for kitchen islands - 3 things to consider

The kitchen island remains popular and extremely effective. An island is a great way to add extra counter space and efficiency to a kitchen design. When included early in the planning process, the kitchen island can be a seamless and highly intuitive addition. We’ve talked at length about both island lighting and planning kitchen lighting before. Here, we’re focusing on pendant lights for kitchen islands and the big things to consider.

Size Matters

Size should be one of your first considerations. This doesn’t just go for the pendants, but for the island itself. Consider the size of the island you are trying to light before settling on fixtures. Once you have a measurement, consider how many pendants you’d ideally like to include. If it’s only two, you may be able to scale the fixtures up a little. Or, if you’re looking to include more pendants, shrink each one down to accommodate. With a few sums, a couple of sketches and a measuring tape, you'll get a good idea of the space you have to play with.

Spacing Out

So you’ve taken the size of the island into account, now consider the ideal pendant spacing. Take your measurements from the centre of each fixture. A general rule of thumb is to keep around 30inches (76cm) between each pendant. Obviously, this is just a guide. For shorter islands, this may need to be reduced. Ensuring a generous spacing between your pendants will likely have a large bearing on how many lights you can include.

How High?

One of the final things to consider is the height of your pendants. Generally, you should look to keep pendants between 80-90cm above the island surface.

This is particularly pertinent if you’re using a solid shade to focus light on the island surface. Keeping this height avoids glare and maximises task lighting lux. If you wanted to create a more general output, you can always raise the pendants slightly to maximise the spread of light. This is particularly effective with bare bulb pendants or transparent shades. The above is a general guide to pendant lights for kitchen islands. To avoid becoming a kitchen island castaway, consider the main points above and apply them to your own space.

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