Marjoriest, not sure if this is late but I would suggest that you and your DH stand in that area - the pendant should hang one inch above the tallest ones head. You don't want to hit your head on the pendant each time you stand or bend over the island. I put mine over the dining table 24" inches below the ceiling - the 24" includes the pendant itself and the track. I am planning to do the same for my island. Here are links to my pendants when the lights are on and off: http://s767.photobucket.com/albums/xx311/Newyorking_ny/Kitchen/?action=view&current=256.jpg http://s767.photobucket.com/albums/xx311/Newyorking_ny/Kitchen/?action=view&current=269.jpg

You can find recommendations for anything from 24'' to 40'' from the island, to 68-72'' from the floor, but it really depends on a few things. How high is the island, how wide is the pendant, how wide is the island, how tall are you, and what do you use the island for? You need to keep the pendant out of the way of your tallest cook while s/he is using the island, particularly for tasks like rolling dough which involves leaning forward. You also need to consider the shape of the pendant and the size of the area it will light, to avoid dark spots. Do you need the pendants high enough to avoid obstructing your view into an adjacent room? Better to figure out your own requirements rather than go by someone's set numbers.

We are removing soffits in our kitchen. The lighting for the counter area is currently in there. Once the soffits come out all we'd have is very high ceilings that are really part of the family room. So, we decided to build out ceiling from the kitchen so it extends to the countertop. We are hanging the pendends from that. May not be an option for you however. I'd like to hear what other have done with high ceilings.

There probably is a rule of thumb for pendants but, if so, I'm not sure what it is. For us, we wanted them high enough that they were not in our line of sight while we were standing around the island. That being said, I wished I had thought about what you see when you're sitting at the island. If so, I would have put them a touch lower so that you don't constantly have the glare of a lightbulb when you're sitting there. (I've sort of fixed it by getting smaller softer lightbulbs.) Good luck!