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Help with Pendant Light Over Sink -- What Height??

13 years ago

We started to install our pendant light over the sink last night, but I couldn't figure out what height to hang it! If you have a pendant light hanging over your sink, how high off of the counters did you hang it? I don't want it too high, but then I also don't want it too in-my-face while washing dishes... Somehow the big decisions (cabinets, counters, appliances) came pretty easy to me. It's the details that are killing me! Thanks!

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Comments (4)

honeychurch
13 years ago
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!
chol1024
13 years ago
We just installed a pendant over our sink and had the same issue. My situation was a little different because we have a soffit that goes around our entire kitchen. DH and I are pretty tall and we ended up hanging it so it is about a foot over our head when we're at the sink. I thought it would look silly with only a little bit of a rod to hang it but it turned out very nice! Good luck!
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If you have screw in recessed can fixtures and want to visualize the mini pendants without doing the can tearout first--you can pick up a couple of recessed can/mini pendant light conversion kits--Lowes carries a couple (nickel Model #: MPA-1PNK or antique bronze [Model #: MPA-1JBZ]) with no bulb or shade that screws into the existing edison socket, has a decorative base that covers the recessed can. You can play with different light shades as well. We did this for our remodel, and never bothered to do the formal can tearout. I think there may be other conversion kits at Lowes, but the cover and the shade did not match our kitchen. Hope this helps.
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It's 25 percent of the view lost, and a head banger. I detest pendants in front of a sink window unless no other method, and a flush mount or recessed situation is better, almost always. You lean over a sink all the time........the reason no cabinets are place above : ) You would have to hang that so high, the "pendant" effect would be lost. Look for something you can love in a FLUSH mount.,,,,,,don't block the view.Or add recessed, and save the dangles for island or table in the kitchen.
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beekeeperswife
13 years ago
Just personalize it. Stand there while someone else holds it and see what is right for you. If you are very tall, you will want it higher than someone who is very short.

This is how we decided. I know, very high tech.

Here is a direct photo of it, wow, funny to see the kitchen in that state:

{{gwi:1594116}}

And here is a more current photo, you can see it there:

{{!gwi}}
kathec
13 years ago
I would just eyeball it. Depending on how big the fixture is, I'd guess about halfway down the upper cabinet. If you're very tall or it blocks the view out the window, adjust upward.

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