Hi everyone, I've been a long time lurker and occasional poster on this site and always find excellent suggestions here. I was wondering if I could have some advice on where to place pendant lighting over our kitchen island (with raised breakfast bar area). We ordered 3 pendant lights but am not sure where we should hang them. I'm attaching a link to the floor plan of my kitchen for reference. The island is sort of a stretched L-shape, so the placement is causing us some confusion. Specific questions I have are: 1) Do you center the lights over the work/prep area or over the raised bar area? 2) How high to do you hang the lights (how much space between counter/bar and bottom of light?) 3) Do we spread the lights out or have a closer grouping of 3 lights on one side of the l-shape? If the shorter grouping, which side - sink side or the other side? 4)How far apart do you place the pendants? Thanks so much in advance! DB Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Floor Plan

This doesnt address your question, but is the downdraft a telescopic unit that pops up when you use it and then retracts, or an in-cooktop downdraft of the Jenn-Air type configuration. I ask because a lot of people are unhappy with the exhausting power of the in-cooktop configuration. As for lighting, I would do recessed lighting over the island rather than introduce asymmetry.

Your questions are so generalized that's it's almost impossible to respond. Everything depends on the type of lighting fixtures--task lighting or ambient lighting. An island is a work space, so task lighting is the important type of lighting. Task lighting may be achieved with certain types of pendants or with surface or recessed ceiling down lights, but not both. You seem to be worried more about decoration and lights on either side of the range hood than proper lighting on the large island. And yes, for many fixtures 62-inches is too far apart for two fixtures. From your description, I'd suggest your two choices are: 1) Three pendants over the island, or; 2) Downlights (either surface cans or recessed cans) over the island and no pendants. Good luck!

Hi Vicki. It sounds like your draftsman didn’t have direction from you as you stated you asked him and he told you the cabinet maker. It sounds like when you took control of placement you were happier. Just the indication I got from the change in your writing style. I’m not sure how to provide a suggestion without an image. If it’s possible for you to take paper and draw out what you’re identifying it would be most useful. The article from the architect stating place the sink in front of stove was interesting. Remember your kitchen remodel or builds should reflect your life and how you utilize the space. I have had sinks in front of my stove and I love that setup. It works well for me. Lots of people talk about the triangle. That’s nice but it’s not always what people want or need. A lot of big name chefs don’t do the triangle. Some do some don’t. So what does that tell you. It’s all about you, not a rule. It’s should be viewed as a guide not a law. Designers aren’t suppose to tell you what to do and how to live. They should be listening to what you need and what you want. And then help you see your vision. Not theirs. Designers have forgotten they work for the client and not the other way around. Far too often they want you to do too much so they can enter a competition or magazine or make a name for themselves or something. Things they never do in their own homes. But there are still some that are there for you. suggestion suggestion; It sounds cheap but I suggest going to a big box store and get help for layout. It’s free and they do kitchens all the time: Home Depot, lowes, ikea, menards, online: cliq, sorry brain fart can’t recall anymore. But you get the idea. The Benifit is they can help you figure out what you want and make helpful suggestions an dprovide you a layout you can then take home and sleep on for a decision. For free. Back to the lights. Sorry I digress. To get a sense of placement. Go to big box store or dollar store. They have hockey puck lights and tape. They are light weight. Place the lights how you’d like and location. tape to ceiling or wall depending on potential pendants or sconces. See how you like the lights. it’s cheap. It sounds crazy but it works for perspective. Some are quite bright. At most $30-$50 total investment. Just to get an idea. If you get the click kind you can use a broom to turn on and off. some have remotes. this also help So you can see light at night. how the light would work. It’s a lot to take in but it sounds like you kinda know what you want and like. You just need some support and constructive criticism. If you provide measurements, I’ll quickly draw you up a simple layout on my designers program so you can better see and share with friends and family and get input from people that know you. That know what you like and dislike. Hope this helps. ( measurements would best serve if exact but for placement and to get a general idea, you can guesstimate.)