Pendant Spacing for a 6' Kitchen Island
Seeking some design advice. I'm going with three small pendant lights (no greater than 6" diameter) over my 6' island. Ceiling height 9.5'. Seating is in a L fashion with 3 stools along the width, 1 on the side. No stovetop or sink, just flat countertop. I like the look of three pendants over two so will ensure I select small ones to try and not overwhelm the space.
Lights will be dimmable to serve as both task and accent lighting as there will be both seating and food preparation taking place here. Given I'll need task lighting, I need to ensure I have ample light coverage of the entire island. Even spacing will have the lights set 18" apart, starting 18" from the edge of the island. With a 6" shade, that leaves approx 12" between each fixture. Is that uncomfortably close for people's liking?
Also, does 18" from the edge of the island sound too far for visual aesthetics and light coverage? Should I start closer to the edge of the islands, say 12-15". That would increase the distance between each fixture to about 15-18".
What will look visually better and be more functional: narrow, even spacing or wider, uneven spacing? How noticeable is this? The island is part of an open plan kitchen living room, so it will be a highly visible space. Many thanks in advance!!
Comments (11)
Rachel L
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Seeking advice on kitchen island pendant lighting
Comments (0)I am doing a kitchen remodel which will increase our kitchen size (going from galley style to a U-shape with an island. Proposed layout from the cabinet builder is attached (I penciled in the bar top and I put circles where the cans approximately will fall). The island is sized to be 64" x 83" -- a prep sink in one corner and seating (15" knee spacing) on opposite sides of the sink. This puts the bar top off center of the bases. My wife has a preference of a particular 6" pendant. My questions are: 1) Do I install 2 or 3 pendants? (two looks too far apart for the 6" pendants -- three looks too close together at times to me) 2) Do I put the pendants on center of the bar top or on center of the base? Center of the base will put the pendants on the kitchen/food prep side, but I worry about symmetry. Your thoughts and recommendations are appreciated! If you need additional information or have thoughts outside of the two questions, I would appreciate them! Thank you!...See MorePendant lighting for kitchen island
Comments (6)I like them. Your kitchen is lovely. But I am not a lighting designer... Check out this link. I cut and pasted a little of what she wrote. She even has an amazing diagram. https://kathleenjennison.com/2015/how-to-pick-a-perfect-pendant-light/ Kathleen Jennison wrote: For example if your room is 9 feet by 10 feet, then your pendant should be great than 19 (9 + 10) inches in diameter. To calculate the size of each pendant in a threesome over a kitchen island, follow the same formula. For example, if you island is 6 feet by 3 feet, then each of your three pendants will be greater than 9 (6 +3) inches in diameter....See MorePendant Light dilemma- kitchen island
Comments (14)I will stop by the house tonight and see if they are hung yet. Hopefully this week sometime. I initially wanted the pebble shape too! I don't know what changed my mind, bc I felt this one was too school-house looking at first. But I made a couple mockups and just felt like this one went better. IDK lol, I'm making it up as I go haha. I also got the flush mount for over our sink. I went with the brass too to mix it up and am using brushed brass hardware on my island. Faucet is chrome. Everything else is ORB- perimeter cabinet hardware and doorknobs, etc. One thing I didn't realize is the metal rod is only like 1-foot long and the rest is a gold rope. Look at the picture of the canopy closely and you will see. I'm hoping it doesn't look stupid bc I'm keeping them. They were on sale several months ago but haven't been since. Sign up with an email and you will get a one-time use coupon code for 15% off. It's a ONE TIME use though. I had to use 2 different emails. :)...See MoreAdvice on spacing between kitchen pendant lights
Comments (1)Hiii 36 inches is perfect! That gives more than enough room, seeing that the shades are each 12 inches. You don't want them too close, nor too far. 36 inches is great space. Best regards, Janaé...See More
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4 years agowell, when working at a counter, which is 24.5" from the wall, I am ok having cabinets overhead which are 12" from the wall, but I have taller friends who would never put them over, say, the sink. so I think 12 is really pushing it. 18 might be ok, but I'd really want to see some tiny pendants before I believed that you could justify more than two.
This is the tightest I've ever done, and it was because I wanted to balance the cabinet a bit.Rachel L thanked acmRachel L
4 years ago
PRODelson or Sherman Architects pc
4 years agoHi Rachel. The wider spacing is the correct one. 24" on center and 12" from the edge of the island will give you the most even lighting.
Here's why: the illumination from each light spreads equally in all directions. So you can think of the glow as a circle centered under each light. With the above spacing, each circle kisses both the edge of the countertop and the edge of the adjacent circle. Any tighter spacing, by contrast, would give you overlapping circles and darker shadows at the edges.
The same concept applies to lighting a room. Just swap walls for countertop edges. Generally speaking, X-2X-2X-X gives you the most even illumination.
Rachel L thanked Delson or Sherman Architects pcRachel L
4 years ago- PRO
Delson or Sherman Architects pc
4 years ago Rachel L
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4 years ago
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