How to Incorporate Pendant Lighting Above a Kitchen Island
Pendant lights can add style and function to almost any room in your home. They’re a popular choice for kitchens as a great design element, and they can provide task lighting over kitchen islands and sinks. Learn how to incorporate pendant lighting above a kitchen island in this Build.com video:
Pendant lights are fixtures that hang down from the ceiling by either a cord, chain or metal rod. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. Depending on the space they’re hung in, pendants can be installed individually or in groups of two, three or even more.
When you’re shopping for pendant lights, style will probably be your first consideration. You can shop by shape, finish and decor style to narrow down your options.
Once you know what look you’re trying to achieve, it’s time to determine the size of the fixture, taking into consideration the overall size of the kitchen and the length of the island that your pendants will be hanging over. There are three different size categories for pendants:
- Mini: < 10 inches
- Medium: 10-20 inches
- Large: > 20 inches
To get the right look, it’s important to space the pendants correctly and hang them at the proper height. Find the center of the island. This will be your reference point for positioning the lights. You’ll be spacing the pendants evenly over the island. For hanging an odd number of pendants (typically three), center the middle pendant over the island, then measure out so the other two are evently spaced. If you’re hanging an even number of pendants, space them out evenly over the island, so measure out from the center or the island to determine where to evenly space them. Finally, transfer the measurement to the ceiling. A laser level is really handy for this step, or you can use a plumb line. Now your electrician can install electrical boxes for your new fixtures.
Once the new electrical boxes are installed, it’s time to decide how high to hang the new pendants. The distance between the countertop and the bottom of the fixture will typically be between 30-34 inches. Choose the height that looks best, but remember that you don’t want the pendants to hang so low that they obstruct your view or cause you to look directly into a light bulb.
