marja, the pertinent dimension here is the size of the lights. If they are 3-4" it's fine, if they are 13-14" I'm going to come down firmly on the no side. Since they are probably somewhere in-between a measurement and picture of the light (you can probably find them on HD online) would help a lot.

The number of lights will determine where you place them (obviously), but so will the size of the lights, so again... it would come in handy.

Our island is a similar size - 65" X 30". Our two pendants are 14" across, and the bottom of the pendant is 37" from the surface of the island. Our ceilings are 8 feet.

I agree with brickton that three is too many unless they are smallish. We had several reasons for the ones we chose (Restoration Hardware Clemson):

1) They hold two lights each, so lots of light on the island, which is the visual centerpiece of our kitchen, and a key work area
2) They have a lens that covers the light bulbs, so no ugly bare bulbs.
3) The shades are clear, so they help illuminate the entire kitchen (important for us because we did not want a dozen canister lights)

As for the location, they need to be centered perfectly over the island IMHO. Some people are more sensitive to this than others, but if you are the type who can't walk by a picture that is crooked, you'll go nuts looking at your pendants for years that are off center to your island.

You should have the pendants about 18" in from each end of the island so you don't hit your head. There should be about 30" in between them (this is a little flexible of course, and depends somewhat on the actual dimensions and the shapes). There should be about 30" from the bottom of the pendant to the countertop. With that in mind, you would have 24" between 2, whcih I think would be fine. Eyeball it though, you may want to go a couple inches closer to the ends. Hold them up and have the tallest person in the household walk by and pretend to use the space and make sure that they don't bump their head. We did this to figure ours out. I have 2 pendants that are 8" wide at the bottom of the shade on an island that is (with the counter) 85" long. They are a little less than 30" apart, and are 28.5" from the countertop (mine are rods, so not much flex in the height).

brickton - the lights are 4.5" wide. The link I've attached is a close replica (HD doesn't seem to carry them on-line anymore).
vate - I never thought about looking up and seeing the lightbulbs! Do most people have covered bottoms?
The pendants only fit 15 watt compact fluorescents - will this be enough light for my island? (I plan to have at least 6 cans in the ceiling of my 13' by 11' kitchen.
BTW, can you please tell me the name of your granite? I LOVE it!!
hooligator - the reason GC wants ceiling finished is because it is oddly sloped - we are putting up pine planking to level it off, then painting it. He prefers it painted before he installs the cabinets and island.
I AM the type of person who can't take crooked pictures on a wall. I know it will really bug me if the lights aren't properly centred on the island.
p.s. thanks hooligator for the diagrams - that helps

http://www.tiffanystreet.com/p-10774-milan-fire-red-mini-pendant-lighting-3-w.aspx?source=nextag&;

Sorry, I think I've done the attachment correctly this time!

Sorry, I had some difficulty figuring out how to paste a picture, but I think I have it figured out this time! I have 3 pendants (similar to below), my island is 5' by 3'. the pendants are 4" wide (very mini!!). Is 3 too many? Also, will they give me enough light (they hold max 15 watt compact flourescent)? My kitchen is 13' by 11', I'm planning on 6 cans. Is this enough light? My one window in the kitchen is east exposure, window over sink looks out onto porch, so not a lot of natural light.

>>>vate - I never thought about looking up and seeing the lightbulbs! Do most people have covered bottoms?It seems that most pendants have open bottoms. For narrow pendants I don't think that's a problem. For larger ones, you have this ugly bulb right there above eye level, and it can throw off a lot of glare too.

>>>The pendants only fit 15 watt compact fluorescents - will this be enough light for my island? (I plan to have at least 6 cans in the ceiling of my 13' by 11' kitchen.Wouldn't be enough for us. We wanted lots of light directly above the island, not over the shoulder. But might be fine for you. However, those narrow pendants will tend to throw off more of a spot light than a broader light. Again, depending on where your canister lights are that might be fine for you.

One word of warning - depending on what is above your ceiling, once those junction boxes are mounted up there for your lights, and your ceiling is finished, no matter how many or what type you end up choosing, moving them or changing them is an expensive and time-consuming proposition.

>>>BTW, can you please tell me the name of your granite? I LOVE it!! Thanks. It's Cinderella Blue. Some of the money we saved building our own cabinets was invested in this granite! We got it at Earthtones Granite here in Atlanta:

http://www.earthtonesgranite.com/html/cinderella_blue.html

my electrician is in tomorrow and I'm totally panicking, lol! My island is 52 X 78 and I have 4 pendant lights. Is that too many? My husband wants to put them 2 X 2, and I said no way! They need to go 4 in a row right? Here is the link to my light - http://lighting4life.com/fizz-iii-mini-pendant/sku-G9P5  Please help.......thanks so much!

I'd love to know everyone's final decision. My island is 5x3 and I'm debating if two pendants (9 inches tall, 6 inches wide) will work. Thanks!!!!!

alishaies: you should start your own thread since the OP is probably no longer on GW.. you will get answers that pertain to only you!!