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Need Advice - -Sizing Island Pendants

14 years ago

Help! We're nearing the end of our total house renovation and I need to purchase the pendants. Although it's completely empty-- - I plan to have white cabinets with soapstone countertops around the perimeter and the island centered, 4' x 8' - -black with a mahogany butcher block (end grain) countertop. There will be seating for 4 on one side. I thought hanging 3 pendants would look the best and like Restoration Hardware's Clemson. It comes in 8" and 14". The 8" seems too small. When mapping it out on the floor, the 14" seems to big. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice as to how one determines the right size?

Also- - The Clemson only comes with a polished nickel finish - -would bringing in a new finish look bad? I have copper sinks, copper hood with stainless steel straps, stainless steel appliances.

I'd appreciate all suggestions. .

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Comments (2)

firstmmo
14 years ago
The kitchen forum has a lot of people with good advice about this...they seem to know everything. I actually do not think a 14" pendant would be too big if you had two pendants, but if you have three, I would veer toward the 8". The 8ft island is a good size, but three 8" is 2' of that air space above.

I wouldn't hesitate with the mixing of finishes--especially if you liked the pendants, it can prevent everything from being too matchy-matchy! Polished might look super sparkly too.
festusbodine
14 years ago
Your kitchen sounds unbelievably tasteful! No need to think twice on the Clemson in PN. Nickel has a warmth that will look so nice with the other rich warm finishes (the wood island top, the copper.) An 8' island is pretty substantial. You're right that the 8" pendants will be way to dinky (my words, not yours.) I actually work part time for Restoration Hardware. Clemson - nice choice! I don't think the 14" will be too big. For reference, look at the Clemson double-pendant. It's 2 of the 14" pendants, but mounted to a single fixture that's only 36" wide. Now imagine only 3 feet of your 8 foot island having coverage under the span of that fixture. I think you can use 3 of the 14" without a problem. The look will certainly be dramatic, but better this than having the pendants disappear.

My kitchen is under construction now and it's also 8' long. However, we cut a corner off to give it an asymmetrical shape and provide seating for folks who can see each other. I considered the Clemson double, but eliminated it from the running because I want more than 36" of coverage. RH doesn't make other multi-pendant fixtures, so I have to shop outside the fold.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Bungalow Remodel Blog
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Love those pendants too, but I'm of the school that says odd numbers are more inherintly interesting, so I'd go with three. The nice thing with these being instantly height adjustable is that you could hang the center one a bit higher so they didn't seem crowded. The height adjustment would also make a single large one work-- it could go up for general light, down for more focused work. Do you need more light? Probably not, but it might still be nice to have. I really like undercab lighting, something to cut the shadow and make the counter sparkle a bit. I personally don't need super bright light there if there's good recessed lights overhead. It also makes a nice mood light when the others are turned off-- just a glow to enjoy the last of the wine, and reflect on the day. Or can be coupled with the pendant[s] without the overheads for a look that will focus attention on the island without being too stark...
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I found many answers to this when looking, but most were less than clear to me. I wish I could remember the source for this, but I copied and pasted and it makes wonderful sense. Lighting Above a Kitchen Island Pendants and mini pendants are commonly used to provide ambient and task lighting over a kitchen island or work surface. Make sure to account for equal space around each pendant. Use this formula to determine how much: Measure the length of the island/table in inches. Example: 60" wide Determine how many pendants you want and the diameter of each. Add them up for a combined diameter. Example: 3 pendants with an 8" diameter. Combined diameter = 24" Subtract the combined diameter from the length of the island. Example: 60" - 24"= 36" Add 1 to the number of pendants. This accounts for the space between each pendant and the ends of the island. Example: Since we started with 3 pendants, we’ll tick this number up to 4. Divide your subtracted value by the number of pendants. Example: 36" ÷ 4 = 9". You’ll want to aim for 9" of space in between each pendant.
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