If you agree that a hanging pendant for an 8' ceiling is 30-36" off counter it then says for each additional foot of ceiling add 3" so if I'm hanging my first pendant at 11' I add 9" correct? So my pendant would hang 39-45" off counter? 45" seems high but then the next pendant the ceiling is even higher but obviously I want them even on the bottom ...help?! :/

Mine are 31 off counter. I have less than 8' ceilings in my kitchen. I think no matter how high your ceilings are, the pendants should still be a similar amount off the counter. Maybe 36? Do you have an electrician? They should help you decide and be able to hold up, etc. How big are the pendants? How many are doing? How big is the island and how visually "heavy" are they?

Just measured and the bottom of the pendants are 31 inches from my island top and my island is 37 inches high. They hang from a vaulted ceiling so of course the length of the cord is different but lights are equal. I had them hung so the bulb would not be visible when standing at the island. Dealing with a vaulted ceiling shouldn't make a difference as to the distance from the counter, only how long the 2 different lengths need to be.

Why would the height of the ceiling have anything to do with how high you hang the pendants over the island? My kitchen will have a vaulted ceiling as well and I'm planning to hang my pendants so the bottom of the pendants are 34 inches up from island countertop. It may change once I see the space.

I also have a vaulted ceiling. I hung balloons, as someone on this site suggested, and that helped me customize it to my family. We're tall and I didn't want my vision obstructed. I also considered the view from all sides. I ended up with 33 1/2".

Sorry Stan, I don't think it makes sense to just arbitrarily add 3 " for any ceiling over 9 ft. What if your ceiling was 14 ft? Balloons are a good method. My installer climbed on a high ladder and held my lower(on the vaulted area) pendant up for me to decide, then measured the cord of it.

Kelleg i agree to using a similiar mounting height but if I'm seeing sources suggesting 30-36" above counter then add 3" for every foot that becomes more of a disparity than a few inches. I do have an electrician but I was trying to nail it down ahead of time so I don't drive him crazy before he comes to do the job. The pedants are large and are just under the max recommended for size of the room when I've done the math. I plan to do 2 . I won't know until I see them up and the problem is they are a little heavy and awkward. I'm going to try to see if I can get DH to just rest on top of a ladder or something so I can see. I've been trying to figure out how I could hang some beach balls from the ceiling to give me an idea Lol but I can't figure out how I can get up there! I even googled the cost to rent scaffolding haha.

zorro I agree to some extent but after having a 24" pendant installed in the eat in dining part of this room I missed the mark slightly selecting the right size so I don't want to do that again. since that day I always saw something larger needed. The height I selected was fine at 36" off table so maybe I just need to address getting size of the pendants to fit the scale of the room? In hindsight I kept thinking I should have had the same size as what I had installed in my foyer. I guess I'm being fussy but I want it right ... just like you I didn't want to see bulbs in certain applications. I've read some great articles that have had some great guidelines that I had not considered here:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/21907-pendant-lighting-101/#.WRtHo_D3aEc

https://www.google.com/amp/www.decoist.com/2013-03-21/hanging-pendant-lights-ideas-inspiration/amp/

The second one I agree with the point that your trying to almost bring the ceiling down visually so that it looks like a more normal height and also I'm trying to fill some of the empty space if that makes sense. I have plain empty walls where vault continues up and rather than hanging art thought it would be cool to have decorative lighting against that plain backdrop of wall space.

Vinmarks it may just be what I like but again it's based on my experience with my current dining pendant being to small for the space and too much dead space above...just trying to find a balance.

StanZ thanks I agree 100%. I'm 5'6" but my gang is on the taller side 6' to 6'3" i'm leaning to starting at least 36" but wondering how high after that?

bbtrix great idea with balloons! Your look great. I definitely don't want vision obstructed either. I don't care for any pendants that low. I like how yours are placed. From that pic they look nice just above fridge with the white cabinetry as a backdrop. Also in first pic with balloons I do like that they are more down in front of the tops of the cabinets rather than floating in ceiling area. That picture helps! My pendants will hang the opposite way of your vault tho if that makes sense. How high is the vault at which your pendants are mounted from floor to ceiling?

It's 11' from the mount point to the floor.