Is the skylight over the sink, so the light will hang in front of it?

#6 and #7 are my favorites

I like your kitchen, with all that nice space!

Nancy

I'm picking 1 and 5

Skylight is past the sink, over the 39'' aisle between the prep sink and the cooktop.

Thanks Nancy, we actually moved some furniture back in over the weekend, finally looking a little less stark...

The big circle on top of the island is a 24'' cutout, to give an idea of size of light size.

Love 5 and 4. And your paint color!! Would you mind sharing?

I like #2 and #7. Do some of these shine light up, and some down? Would that be something to consider?

I choose NUMBER 3

#2 and #6 are the most classic and I think you would tire of them the least. #2 will put the best light down onto the work surface, which is what you want from an island fixture. I also like #8's style and classic yet updated look, but I have concerns about it being too large in diameter and almost hitting your faucet when it's hung at the correct height. If it's available in a smaller size, that also might be a contender.

The other size dimension that you need to be concerned with is fixture height. With an 8' ceiling, the ones with the elongated fixture arms will be too tall. #3 and 4 are especially unsuited to an 8' ceiling over an island. They might work with the shorter table height in a DR, but they also might not even work there.

I like 3, 5 and 6. I like #1 a lot, but wouldn't hang it across from a cooktop.

Numbers 2 and 4 are too fussy, and while I like 7, it doesn't tie in with your kitchen as well for me.

Seeing the adjoining rooms, I'm favoring 3 and 6. Is there one that really calls out to you -- one that you want to greet you each morning when you go to make coffee, etc.?

Thanks all for the feedback and comments so far. They're greatly appreciated. Paint is BM Vancouver Day, in their Aura paint.

I really liked #1 best but then wondered how I would keep it clean, with the shade and not being able to stand right underneath it.

I WOULD like to find a light that makes me as happy as my KK faucet, thank you for the reminder of that lascatx. So far, none of these make my pulse race.

lwo - Great point about the downward light. I will add this to the list of requirements.

How about I don't post again on the subject until I've visited at least one local lighting store? :) I think I do need to see some of these (and others) in person.

I think #2 would give you the best quality of light for that area. I've had both up and down light chandeliers and in my opinion the down light gives the best lighting for a workspace. A fixture with both up and down lighting would be ideal but those are hard to find. I would, however, be concerned with fabric shades in a kitchen.

I'm also curious about your paint color in the adjoining rooms. I'm in the midst of a painting project that is frustrating me.

LWO has a point about the height of #3. I suspect that is one of your longest ones and I was thinking that the heights you talked about could be a problem. With a 36" counter height, you want the bottom of the fixture at least 66-72" and this site recommends 6 inches higher.

From kitchens.com
Chandeliers should be mounted so that the bottom is at least 6 feet, 6 inches, from the floor, so Rey-Barreau recommends using them only in kitchens with 9 foot or higher ceilings. He also cautions homewners to choose carefully to make sure the chandelier offers adequate task lighting in addition to looking good.
"Chandeliers without shades, such as traditional fixtures that use candelabra bulbs to simulate the look of candles, are very glaring and do not direct the light adequately down to the island counter," he explains.

That isn't a hard and fast, but it is reason to look carefully before you bend or break the guidelines. I went and measured my island fixture and it's higher than I thought at 42" above the counter. We are a tall family -- if you are shorter, you might be able to cheat things the other way.

Here's one that's totally different -- probably blows the budget, but it isn't too tall, would be fun to see how the light sparkles through the skylight, no fabric shades across from the cooktop and no unshielded bulbs. I saw the larger version of this in the lighting store where we bought our more traditional dining room fixture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crystal drum

I love #6, simple but elegant!

They are all nice in their own way -- I guess it depends on what kind of look you are going for. I kind of like #4 (although it is hard to see what is on the bottom of the lamps). Good luck!

With that BIG TALL faucet on the island, and the a little too tall mantle hood behind it, I'm really not thinking a chandelier is the best choice for island lighting here. I think simple recessed lights might look better. With the recessed, all you see is the unbroken view across the marble to the hood. That's not a bad thing!

Or, if you really want a pendant look, 4 simple mini pendants spaced evenly in the quadrants around the island wouldn't compete with either the hood or the faucet and would give you decent down lighting onto your surface.

This 10" Lafitte mercury glass pendant from Jamie Young is all about simplicity and lets the material itself be the star without any additional fuss.

It also comes in a celadon, or amber, if you'd like to interject a bit more warmth into the room. I think the amber would be quite nice with your wood floors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lafitte Pendant, Mercury Glass

lascatx - hallway and pantry are painted the same (Vancouver Day, what can I say, I liked the color). Living Room, also off of kitchen, is another BM Aura - I'm not sure of the name (need to check the leftover can). It may be sisal, but when I check that online, it's an entirely different color. This is a great pale, grassy green which goes well with golds and blues. (Trim is not yet done in this room).

Now that light fixture is really something!! If I really, really fell in love, I might be able to rationalize the price (for the XS).

hollysprings -- I would prefer not to use the cans, if possible. The lighting is fabulous (I do like my crees) but it is neither elegant nor soothing. We have large windows now and feel like we're in fishbowl :)

The mercury glass pendants are gorgeous but I think I prefer one single large light, to the look of 4 pendants.

Thanks again.

I like #2. Hope that helps!

I like #8 because it has the largest circumference and think it will balance the size of your island, FWIW!!