KITCHEN ISLAND LIGHTING

The kitchen island is one of the most versatile and functional areas in the home. This is centrally located and serves as the ideal place for that morning breakfast, dinner prep, even a work station as well as a gathering spot for showcasing your decorative kitchen accessories such as your appliances. For the best experience in your kitchen, it is best to use a combination of lighting through layering. Layering lighting suited for different purposes is essential in creating a space where you can comfortably carry out all your kitchen tasks, from cooking to chatting with friends and bonding with family. The first step to unlock your kitchen’s potential is to make use of the general ambient lighting like your kitchen ceiling lighting or recessed lighting and combining it pendant lighting. Pendant lights are a kitchen island’s favorite.

Pendants are light fixtures that hang from your ceiling, roof or trusses. Pendants come in different shapes and styles and are available in a multitude of materials and finishes such as glass, metal, slate, wood and even concrete!

vital feature in creating that unique ambience for your kitchen. There’s a wide range selection of kitchen island lighting to choose from which includes classic, traditional, rustic and futuristic.

When it comes to choosing the correct pendant lighting for your kitchen island there are two critical factors which are size and placement. Some island lights look and work best when lower or closer to the island and others look best when suspended closer to the ceiling. The number and placement of pendants over the kitchen island is best determined by the size of the kitchen countertop. It is highly recommended to use an odd number of pendants over the countertop as this creates a focal point and an even balance on each side or the commonly accepted plumb rule of 3.

a sense of balance and refinement that creates a pleasing aesthetic. To achieve this look, consider larger or oversized pendants for longer islands and slimmer silhouettes for smaller islands. Ensure that the fixtures that you choose can be spaced evenly and that the shade does do not overlap the island on either end.

When hanging multiple pendants, the diameter of the pendant is a determining factor. Ideally it is best for the space between each pendant to be the same as the width or diameter of each fixture, for example if you have 45cm pendants, the space between each fixture should be 45cm. This rule of thumb remains true, even if the pendants are hung at staggering heights. Generally, pendant island lights should hang at a range of about 1,5 - 1,7 meters above the floor although this is also dependent on if there’s also seating on the kitchen island. You can always make adjustments according to your personal taste, overall lighting effects, size and shape of pendants.