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Lighting Design Dilemma Kitchens

Too many lights?

last year

I have a newly renovated kitchen with a monster island. We have three pendant lights fairly substantial. Then two sconces (clear glass shades) over shelves flanking the range. An the end of the island there is a breakfast nook that we will place an oval table in. The chandelier now installed looks crazy big to me. What do I do? Take it out all together and add another canned light or Find a smaller chandelier for this space?

The dining room is also adjacent to the kitchen and has yet another chandelier (which I love).

Any thoughts?

Featured Answer

PRO

JAN MOYER

last year

Nook light needs to go : ) To something more compatible with the rest...

Sconces at the range? Why? A hood is generally well lit. Maybe you don't need those.

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Comments (15)

Lynzy
last year
I’d remove the island pendants and add in more recessed lighting. If you don’t want to do that, maybe replace them with something smaller and less obtrusive. Maybe a single horizontal fixture could work there????
PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
I don't mind the lighting. i'd wait until everything is done though.

on your pendants, I wish they were a little longer, especially since the light portion is so wide. It looks like they were chopped at the knees! proper height is no more than 30-36" above the countertop.

similar lights. these look more proportioned because of the longer cord.
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Come on, Stax. Can we please stick to a more polite tone. Ad hominem attacks are really unwarranted. As ridiculous as it might sound, this situation isn't really that uncommon with modern open floor plans. For instance, on our main floor, we have a good dozen different light fixtures (and that's after combining some fixtures onto the same switched circuit). And since this is an open floor with almost no walls, you can see these lights from almost everywhere. That can make it challenging to find good placement for light switches. In practice, we find, there are two different needs that have to be addressed: individual lights need to be turned on/off or dimmed. This usually happens in close physical proximity to the light fixture. So, as long as there is available wall space, that dictates the placement of the switch(es). it is frequently necessary to switch a combination of lights all at the same time. A noteworthy special case is at the end of the day, when all lights on the same floor need to be turned off. The solution is readily available with modern home automation systems. Instead of having dozens of individual light switches next to each other, you end up with one or in rare cases two keypads each in a handful of convenient locations throughout the floor. These keypads usually have six switch positions, and they also allow for dimming. You can program each of the buttons to either operate an individual fixture, or to activate a pre-programmed "scene". And that includes a "turn everything off" scene. You can also program automated timers, including timers that depend on sunset/sunrise times. Physically, when you are running wires, the keypad doesn't actually control all of these lights. Instead, in most scenarios, you install actual conventional light switches for all your fixtures; and these light switches are remote controlled from the keypad. In practice, some of these light switches might function as just that: a normal wall switch. But sometimes your physical light switches would now get mounted in some inaccessible and unobtrusive location. They could even be in a wiring closet in the garage. They are there to facilitate wiring, but they never get operated other than through the remote keypads. There are a few more technical details and variations (e.g. some lights come with built-in drivers that require low-voltage control signals instead of traditional dimmer switches), but your electrician would be able to sort that out for you. Things have progressed a lot from a time when people had small individual rooms with one or two fixtures only. These days, you often find large rooms with different fixtures in different areas, with changing lighting needs during the day, and with customized lighting fixtures that no longer have just a single light bulb at the center of it. LEDs give a lot more flexibility, but also complicate the work of the architected, interior designer and/or electrician.
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RL Relocation LLC
last year
I love the dining and kitchen lighting, I do not love the nook lighting, it doesnt seem to blend well with the others, it seems a bit "lite" making the others look heavy. Id also probably hold of on installing the sconces until you are a bit closer to the finish line. Everything here feels a bit traditional, while that feels a bit too modern.
wishiwereintheup
last year
The breakfast nook light looks like something out of the Jetsons - a style which doesn't fit the rest of the room. It also looks to be way too wide. If it were me, I'd start by replacing that fixture with something narrower and closer in style to the island lights. See how that looks and go from there.
everdebz
last year
Idk that this can help, but the globes are clear glass, and in the photo, don't seem so 'obvious'. What does it measure? and how wide is the table, etc...

All the lighting has simple lines which is a good thing.
PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
last year
last modified: last year
@Beth H. : I think the reason the pendant lights are so high up is that the faucet is extremely tall. Not sure how to fix that, but a different faucet might be in order.

I agree with everyone about the nook lighting--it's not in keeping with the overall style of the room/house. Jan's suggestion is much more attractive.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Hard to tell what her ceiling height is, ditto "monster" Island, which would perhaps be better with two larger pendants only......and nothing directly over the architectural faucet. They do appear too high a hang.
PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
last year
Just eyeballing the photo and assuming that the island/cabinets are 36" tall, I'd guess that the ceiling is 8 to possibly 9 feet at the highest. I would probably change out the pendants so that I could have one over the sink--not having light while I'm working at the sink is a pet peeve of mine. Or get a shorter faucet and lower the existing pendants. But that's just me.
kl23
last year
Take out the crazy big nook light and please ship it to me. I love it the organic glam look. It would be perfect over my dining room table. 😊

OK, seriously, I am unnerved by the crazy big faucet. I imagine that sort of faucet is more suitable for a wall-based sink. It's very popular now though, right. Still… you probably ordered it right? I bet the pros can fix it. Maybe Jan's suggestion of TWO lower-hanging pendants over the island will help. Or did you buy the island pendants too?

I like Jan's light fixture choice for your nook. It is in keeping with the one in the dining room…lovely! Also, the gold coloring will counter the strong blue of your monster island base cabinets…wow, that's a strong color statement! Have you Delftware or willow-ware? I love it!
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I do not like the candleabra one with the kitchen one. BTW a dining room fixture should light the table not the ceiling You should have come here for the kitchen plan I have no idea how a table will go in that bay window with the oven there
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
chandeliers have been up lit for a very long time, the notion that it is not ok for the light to go up is silly, Im not trying to dine under a spot light. that fixture has some many bulbs I would imagine its on a dimer. a resolve to under lighting there would be balancing with wall sconces, or recessed light. Sorry but I disagree with that.
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
In the nook, how does the table sit in front of the oven doors? I feel like something is off weather it be the light or the perspective.
ci_lantro
last year
I love the Sputnik light and really dislike the island lights. I would remove the island lights and use recessed lighting there. If you do that, then the Sputnik light can stay because it is the only ceiling fixture in line of sight. If you don't do that, I call second dibs on the nook light. (Oh, I also like the candle chandelier.)
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
If we KNEW the size of the "Monster"?? And the faucet placement and if it is dead center? We could advise. Also the ceiling height: ) Don't forget it matters, as do ALL lighting specs, including max /min hanging heights.

Those look high and will look high, if there is much more than 36 inches bottom pendant shade to counter top.

The faucet isn't really crazy big.......but the pendant are making it appear so. : ) Need just two, and WIDER and further from faucet

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