There is an easy way to see what size you want to put over the island. Make a paper mock-up by drawing different size circles and hanging them from string. This will give you the chance to actually visualize what you are going to be looking at.

You can also go to your local lighting showroom and they should be able to assist you by showing different size globes. Also, check out www.hudsonvalleylighting.com for schoolhouse types. You may also want to look at their catalog. They usually have the pendant lights pictured over islands and you can get an idea from that.

Make sure that the globe you select will take the wattage necessary to illuminate the area. I would select a fixture that would take the maximum amount of light and then place it on a dimmer.

We have suggested to many clients that they take a light bulb and put it in a lamp at night. (We usually start with 100 watts in a kitchen.) Put the lamp in the area or try to hang it down (if possible) to see the amount of light they can expect. This is another visualization technique we have used and it helps.

ilitem - thank you for the feedback and suggestions. Our home is in the early stages of construction (foundation poured last week!) so I can't try the hanging string mock up in the space where they will be. Although it seems early to be ordering lights, some sites have indicated it takes ups to 6 weeks or more to get them in. When I have the electrician there ready to go, I want to make sure the fixtures have arrived and are not back-ordered!
What I can do is try to configure a similar space in my current home and try a mock up here. I'll have to make adjustments for ceiling and island heights, etc., (ceiling here is higher & my island is only counter height)which is why I was hoping for pictures from actual homes with similar setups.
I will go to the site you mentioned and request a catalog. That's one I had not yet heard of for schoolhouse lights.

One of the first things I had my husband do when we moved to this home was put dimmer switches on most of our lights. What a difference in atmosphere it makes in a space!

You might also want to check out www.rejuvenation.com There catalog has a lot of good pictures.

Thanks, Sovia! Their site and School House Electric are the ones I've been going back and forth on, but I haven't requested catalogs yet. Good idea -

I know this thread is really old, but I was wondering what size you went with. My island situation sounds similar to yours.

84" is a pretty big island. I think you ought to go with three pendants; remember that you're talking about an enclosed light fixture, which means the light must filter through the opaque glass -- and you don't want to skimp on good lighting over what will probably be your most common prep area. Plus things just look good in odd numbers.

I think 12" globes are the right choice.