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Lighting Design Dilemma Kitchens

Help selecting island light size, number

3 years ago

Hi there!

I'm looking for input and advice on selecting island pendant lights for my kitchen renovation.

My island is 110" inches long and 40" wide. Because of a design constraint, my sink and faucet are not centered on the island. My faucet will be 41" from the end (island center is 55.)

I am wondering what size and how many lights I should choose. My kitchen style is modern and I was hoping to go with 2 larger pendants to cut down on the visual clutter. However 3 pendents seem to straddle the off-center faucet better.

If I go with 3 pendants, how big should they be? One product I was looking at comes in two sizes 8" and 14" diameter. Will 8" be too small? Would 14" will be too big? I live in a city townhouse so the overall space isn't that large.

Any advice on what I should do here? What size and what placement would you suggest? Would 2 pendants look odd if the sink is off-center? If I go with 3, how big should I go to retain a modern and streamlined look?

Thanks in advance for your input!

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Comments (10)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
I need to see the space IMO if the sink is not cenered tehn any lighting hung there will make that even more obvious so post a pic of the space and some idea of your style.
megs1030
3 years ago
8" is too small. I think you'd be fine with 14" and I would do 3 of them.
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First you must decide how many pendants of a given size are necessary to cover the entire length of the island you are trying to light. In your case I would lean towards 3, 14" pendants. With that in mind the basic premise is that if you have two pendants you want to divide the total length of your island into two equal sections, if you have three pendants you want to divide the total length of your island into three sections so on and so forth. From there you aim to place one pendant in the middle of each of those sections. If the total length of your island is 120", if you choose to utilize three pendants you will have three sections of 40". The center of one pendant should be placed directly in the middle of the island at 60". The center of each pendant on the sides should be hung approximately 20" in from the outer edges of the island. That will leave a space of 40" between the center of the pendants and 26" between the outer edge of each pendant if you go with 14" pendants. This setup will make the most efficient and effective use of light while covering the entire island. If you need any clarification please don't hesitate to ask. I hope all is well and I look forward to seeing your project because I am certainly not looking forward to our ILLINI play B-Ball these days! This post was edited by SaltLife631 on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 21:50
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Too small for what? Is that your island? I think they look nice and I would not go any larger.
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Thank you! I'm not home to give dimensions for the lights. I'll hopefully remember to come back and give you a size of lights. The faucets are Moen Align one handle pulldown faucets. I have 4 of these faucets and love them.
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I agree with Ms. Colwell re: non paper shades in a kitchen. Too much potential for grease/dust meaning almost impossible to adequately clean. Glass or metal shades are better choices for kitchens that incur heavy cooking/baking.
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Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi thanks for your replies. Here are some photos. The tape measure is where the faucet will be. The cardboard is to show the overhangs (L-shaped). The middle of the island lines up exactly with the hood.
Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
It’s kind of a basic gray and white. The counter and backsplash will be a quartz marble look top (Ceaserstone Statuario Maximus). The faucet is really industrial looking.
Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
Faucet
Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
I was thinking of going with maybe something like this the attached, but wonder if I will be overdoing the industrial vibe.
megs1030
3 years ago
I would blow up some balloons that are roughly the size of the pendant you are considering and hang them from the ceiling.

I like the pendant you found, but I think you can find something better. Your kitchen does not present as overly industrial, the crown moulding suggests something more traditional. But I see that you like that overall shape based on your ideabooks. Have you looked at Tech Lighting? They have some really cool pendants, one of my fave lighting companies. You can't buy directly from them online, but they provide a list of their online retailers.
Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Megs. I will check them out. Is there any particular product of theirs you really like?
Karen Rose
Original Author
3 years ago
And yeah, we already had crown molding in the house and I couldn’t bring myself to tear it down.. so I just left it and patched it up. I did take down a skinny piece of chair rail in the house though. It’s a 100 year old house so I kept some of the old detail.
megs1030
3 years ago
Sorry, had a busy afternoon. Not sure what your budget is on lighting, Tech can be the mid-upper end of cost ($500+ for a pendant). I'd also look at Hinkley which is more in line with the cost of the pendants you listed. Go to build.com and you can filter your search on size, cost, color, etc. I would vote for something a bit more bold that what you pictured above.

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