Well, the obvious answer is size. Minis are smaller, and generally have only one light source (one bulb). There is no "official size" where a mini becomes a full size pendant. What you select is really based on what you want for your kitchen. Of course, you will need more minis to project the same amount of light, so it will cost more to hang them (or take more work if you DIY). There are three primary considerations for pendants (or minis) over an island: light projected downward, light projected upward, and appearance. Pendants with opaque shades will only project light down, so you will need other light sources above the pendants (such as canisters). Mini pendants, even those with clear shades, will generally project less light in every direction. You want sufficient task lighting on your island, without shadows or glare. Pendants without lenses (open at the bottom) may glare, because if they hang at about eye level or just above, you have this bright bulb just a couple of feet from your eyes. This can be worse with smaller pendants because they use smaller, but extremely bright lights, like xenon. Some of these are like staring into a flash bulb. As you can likely tell, we went through all these considerations. What we ended up wanting for our island, which is smaller than yours (6 1/2 feet X 2 1/2 feet) were two full size pendants, with lenses, that would hold at least two bulbs each, and had clear shades. We ended up with Restoration Hardware Clemson units (from the outlet store, luckily): These are 14 inches across at the bottom, and take two normal bulbs each. They throw a lot of light downward, and around the room, which kept us from having to put as many canisters in the ceiling. And since I did all the installation work, that saved me time and money. Plus, we just like the looks of these big, bold pendants more than having three smaller ones. That's just personal preference, however.

I cant believe you just commented on this chris. I was actually searching for similar photos/threads last night and found one threat that was several years old where you had posted that photo and I liked the look of your pendants but didnt know how low they were hanging. I was going to comment and ask how long they were but it was a long thread, a few years old, and you only posted once in the middle of it so I figured it was a waste of time. I am concerned that 26" is too low since they will be in my sightline but thanks very much for jumping in!

Hello Laurie, You have a lovely home! Because there is already a pendant light in the adjacent room, a pendant light in the kitchen will confuse the eye. In lighting, negative space is just as important as filling it with a beautiful fixture. If you're looking to update your kitchen, why not try recessed lighting with a different trim? As a general rule, pendant lights should hang between 30 and 36 inches from a countertop. Your height and the height of your ceiling should be taken into consideration as well because you want to be able to see across the counter without the light being in your way. Hope that helps! - The Globe Electric Team

definitely do not need pendants if the lighting is adequate. dimmer can give you evening ambience . you might regard pendants as a feature that delineates a seating zone.... but if you have a feature filled space / with your cabinetry/hardware/floor/ and tile etc, you don't have to. Cabinet cost is large part of kitchen expense..many folks must stay within a cost conscious selection of cabinetry and function always beats form ....So the painted two tones/ features w trim /toe kicks/matching interiors can easily be edited out. So lighting and hardware as in newer finishes and those pendants can up the style quotient in a personalized way much cheaper than all the add ons in cabinetry. it just depends.