Two of the most popular questions I get on social media are “I’m trying to figure out how many pendants to use, How big is your island?” and “Where are your pendants from?” So I figured it’s time for a post on tips about kitchen lighting. I’ve included sources for some of my favorite pendants and barstools as well.
When we were building our home I had to decide early on how many pendants I wanted and how far apart I wanted them. That’s not an easy task when you haven’t picked your lighting. If you have decided on your pendants you’re already ahead of the game compared to me ;). We were installing shiplap (you can read a post on that HERE.) so I had to know where we wanted the wiring. *Tip**If you are building a home and aren’t sure What to tell your electrician, have him wire for them and leave the wiring in the ceiling. That way you can have the wires pulled when you are ready to install your lighting.
I decided the best way for me to figure it out, was to mark out where my island would be according to my cabinet plan. My island is just under 7′, 83″ to be precise… I lean towards oversized pendants so I planned on using 2 pendants. We ended up spacing them about 30″ apart from the center of each light box. I was happy with the spacing, but ended up not loving the original pendants I chose. I switched them out for the Savoy House Penrose pendants (you can find them HERE) they are a little more substantial than my first choice and I’m quite happy with them.
I’ve included a few of my favorite kitchens for inspiration. Like this one from Old Seagrove homes It’s one of my all time favorite kitchens!
You can find these pendants HERE.
I love the look of Lanterns, you can find similar options to these HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Similar lighting to the ones pictured below can be found HERE and HERE.
More lighting options can be found in the slider below
I’ve also included some of my favorite barstools below
I hope you are feeling a little more confident to make decisions on your lighting placement now. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!
Xx,
Jen
Love your pendants! Are they satin nickel or polished nickel?
Thank you, 🙂 they are polished nickel.
One more question if you don’t mind. If I want those pendants and all my appliances and faucet are stainless steel, do I go with satin or polished nickel? Thanks!
Sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. I have a mix in my kitchen, my knobs and pulls are brushed nickel and my faucets are polished nickel. I like the polished nickel for my kitchen. It is ok to mix if you like the polished nickel better. If you think it will bother you to have mixed finishes you might want to stick with the brushed. I don’t know if that helped at all 😉
I love your kitchen! My kitchen has a very similar feel, except that my white cabinets have oil rubbed bronze hardware (and dark floors). I have been unable to make a decision on my pendants. Do you think dark pendants would be too contrasting with the white cabinets, or should I stick with polished nickel ?
Hi Catherine, I apologize that I didn’t get right back to you. I don’t think it’s too contrasting to have dark pendants at all this one from my post is the same concept https://www.stylehouseinteriors.com/blog/ or here’s another example https://www.hgsphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/White-Kitchen-With-Dark-Wood-Floor-9.jpg I hope that helps you make your decision!
I have 4 kiddos (all under 10). Any barstool recommendations for easy clean? Love your blog!
Hi Jen, I am doing two Penrose pendants above my kitchen island. Direct.y in front of the island, I will have a farmhouse table and will center the light fixture with the pendants. Do you have any suggestions for a light fixture that would coordinate well with the Penrose Pendants in satin nickel? Thanks for your help.
My countertop/penensula is 6 ft long. Can I use 2 12 in glass globes and how far apart should I place them.
I would like to ask one question. You have said placing between pendants. Can you also tell us exactly the pendants placed with the island position. Like exactly center or close to where we sit or close to other side?
I think you are asking where to place the pendants in relation front to back of the island? If so they should be centered, there may be a few circumstances where it might different, such as if the bar is raised and you are using mini pendants, in that case I would put them in the center of the raised part of the bar.