Thanks for all of the input!!! It sounds like a pendant may not be in my future. I loved the idea of it but as I was looking at it more, I was worried that there might be too much going on there. I was having second thoughts and wanted to get opinions from all of you. Holly-Kay: we are planning on changing out the chandelier above the table to a bronze finish to tie in with the darker wood and fireplace things. But I see how a pendant above the sink might be too much. Snookums2: we removed the dark screens and it looks much better. I can't wait for everything to get started! I thought about tiling to the ceiling but wasn't sure since our cabs don't go to the ceiling. We are going to add a taller crown but nowhere near ceiling height. That may be the subject of another post. Nosoccermom: great idea about hanging a balloon. I don't have photoshop but maybe I could cut and paste something there and post again. Thanks for the suggestions!

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'd wait until you have completed the kitchen and have moved out all the boxes, etc. to decide. When the kitchen is clean and decluttered, you can make a more educated choice. I think they look good, but aren't necessary.

Yes...to do a proper job, you would need to hang it central to the table...sorry! Normally, I, too, like the look of pendants...but you have three doorways, space above your cabinets, a mosaic backsplash, many recessed lights, and a contrasting color island. It's a lot for the eye to take in and it seems as if you're trying for ALL of the trends... Adding to all of that would be, in my opinion, too much. In your case, a cleaner look is better. Perhaps, down the line aways, you could consider a more streamlined backsplash and pendants?