I'm not much help (sorry), but I have the same question! How high are your ceilings? How tall are you and your family members? I think these both factor into the answer. One site I found I believe said 30-40" off the countertops, but that might be for an island or table light, because 30" seems low (only 5' 6" from the floor if your base cabinets are 36"). I also seem to recall reading 6 feet off the floor was a good measure, but again, not if you are 6'4". You may just want to figure on a few inches higher than the tallest person in your house? Not to hijack, but I have 9'9" ceilings, and to complicate matters, a faucet that will reach up 32" from the counters, as well as a pendant I want to hang. So if I hang my pendant so the bottom is 6' from the floor, I have only 4" between the top of the faucet and the pendant, plus I would have to have 44" of cord for it to hang that low anyway (shade is 5" tall)! So obviously mine will have to hang at more like 7 feet, or maybe even higher to look proportional. I have seen it recommended here to hang a balloon or cardboard cutout on a string and live with it a day or two to see what height you like best. Good luck!

Kelleg i agree to using a similiar mounting height but if I'm seeing sources suggesting 30-36" above counter then add 3" for every foot that becomes more of a disparity than a few inches. I do have an electrician but I was trying to nail it down ahead of time so I don't drive him crazy before he comes to do the job. The pedants are large and are just under the max recommended for size of the room when I've done the math. I plan to do 2 . I won't know until I see them up and the problem is they are a little heavy and awkward. I'm going to try to see if I can get DH to just rest on top of a ladder or something so I can see. I've been trying to figure out how I could hang some beach balls from the ceiling to give me an idea Lol but I can't figure out how I can get up there! I even googled the cost to rent scaffolding haha. zorro I agree to some extent but after having a 24" pendant installed in the eat in dining part of this room I missed the mark slightly selecting the right size so I don't want to do that again. since that day I always saw something larger needed. The height I selected was fine at 36" off table so maybe I just need to address getting size of the pendants to fit the scale of the room? In hindsight I kept thinking I should have had the same size as what I had installed in my foyer. I guess I'm being fussy but I want it right ... just like you I didn't want to see bulbs in certain applications. I've read some great articles that have had some great guidelines that I had not considered here: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/21907-pendant-lighting-101/#.WRtHo_D3aEc https://www.google.com/amp/www.decoist.com/2013-03-21/hanging-pendant-lights-ideas-inspiration/amp/ The second one I agree with the point that your trying to almost bring the ceiling down visually so that it looks like a more normal height and also I'm trying to fill some of the empty space if that makes sense. I have plain empty walls where vault continues up and rather than hanging art thought it would be cool to have decorative lighting against that plain backdrop of wall space. Vinmarks it may just be what I like but again it's based on my experience with my current dining pendant being to small for the space and too much dead space above...just trying to find a balance. StanZ thanks I agree 100%. I'm 5'6" but my gang is on the taller side 6' to 6'3" i'm leaning to starting at least 36" but wondering how high after that? bbtrix great idea with balloons! Your look great. I definitely don't want vision obstructed either. I don't care for any pendants that low. I like how yours are placed. From that pic they look nice just above fridge with the white cabinetry as a backdrop. Also in first pic with balloons I do like that they are more down in front of the tops of the cabinets rather than floating in ceiling area. That picture helps! My pendants will hang the opposite way of your vault tho if that makes sense. How high is the vault at which your pendants are mounted from floor to ceiling?

I did a search for "hood over island", here's the result. Through the first 3 pages most didn't have pendants, but there are some and it will give you an idea. I personally would go with cans. :)

8' by 39" island / 9' ceilings Pendants are funnel shaped and measure 10" diameter 10" height How high should they be from the counter top? How far apart should they be spaced?