How to Select the Best Pendant Lights for Your Kitchen Island

Lighting is a main factor in our lives whether required in a hall, room or somewhere else. But it becomes very much important for the heart of your home, your kitchen. Because it is the main hub of your home activities apart from cooking and eating.

There are plenty of lighting options available to modify the vibe and aesthetics of the kitchen lighting. From recessed lighting and chandeliers to pendant lighting and track lights, there are infinite options.

All these lightings have their functionalities bringing their own set of advantages. All we need to do is to find out the perfect balance between the style and function of the lighting to generate a perfect ambiance for your kitchen island.

What Is the Best Light for Kitchen Island Lighting

The most popular choice around the World is pendant lights. A pendant light is a kind of light fixture that hangs from the kitchen ceiling using a chain, cords, metal rods etc.

In contrast to the flush-mount ceiling lights (attached directly to the ceiling), pendant lights drop some inches or feet down into the room, aesthetically catching the eye and adding visual interest to your space. Pendant lights can help provide your kitchen with a new look and feel.

They create a warm welcoming environment. It also provides you with efficient task lighting to work with confidence in the kitchen. However, it can be a challenging task to select the right and perfect pendant lights for your kitchen island.

With a variety of sizes, finishes, and styles available, it is not easy to choose the right and perfect one. But if you just consider a few key factors which we’ll discuss later in the blog, you will not only find the perfect pendant lights to meet your needs but also augment the aesthetics of your kitchen.

Things to Consider Before Planning Kitchen Island Lighting

Here are some thoughtful questions with their respective answers:

1. How Big Should Kitchen Pendant Lights Be?

To answer this question, we need to consider the following points:

• Area of Your Kitchen and Island: The size of your kitchen and island will determine the quantity and type of lights you need. A big space requires larger fixtures and a less space needs fewer light

• Height of the Ceiling: The distance from the ceiling to the island will determine how low we can hang the fixtures. We just need to ensure that the pendant lights are high enough to not hinder the eye view as well as low enough to effectually lighten the island.

• Kitchen Style: The kitchen pendant light also depends on your overall kitchen style. Most hotels and restaurants have modern kitchen islands and might suit sleek fixtures. On the other hand, some businesses prefer a traditional look for their restaurants so they prefer traditional design pendants.

• Functionality: We must keep in mind the tasks that we will be performing on the island. For Example: You’ll need a bright and focused light for the island if you are going to use it for cooking. But if it is just going to be used for social activities like gossip etc. then ambient lighting would be preferable.

2. Kitchen Island Pendant Spacing

To answer this, let’s consider the following points.

• Island’s Size: Greater the size of the island, more the lights will be needed and vice versa. One thing to keep in mind is to have equal space between the lights regardless of their quantity.

• Number of Pendants: Islands around 2 feet long are suitable for one pendant light. And islands for 3 to 4 feet long can accommodate two pendant lights. For islands around 5 feet or long may fit in three pendant lights or more.

• Spacing Between Pendants: The main goal is to have a balance between each of the pendants regarding their sizes. So, we just need to customize the positions of these pendants keeping in mind the size of the island and the pendants to ensure a balanced look and achieve an ample light distribution.

• Height Above the Island: You can easily hang Pendant lights with their bottom around 30-36 inches above the countertop. But it still can be However, this can be attuned depending on your preferences and the height of your ceilings.

Once decide on which type of lighting we shall go, the second thing we need to consider is the layout, size, and shape of your kitchen island. It all depends upon the space you have got for your kitchen island lights.

For instance, if the area of the kitchen island is small then it is better to use a series of small-size pendant lights and vice versa. The best thing about these lighting is they blend seamlessly with whatever type of kitchen you have. Further, we’ll discuss which type of lighting is best for kitchen island.

How do I Choose the Right Kitchen Pendant Light?

It is always our concern to choose the right and budget-friendly items when purchasing. Here are some main factors you need to take on:

1. Light Fixture Layout:

The outline of your light fixtures should be acknowledged by the shape and size of your kitchen island. A single pendant light may be sufficient for a small island. For a larger island, you may need two or more pendant lights evenly spaced to ensure that the entire island is functional and light.

2. Budget and Cost:

It’s a saying that you can either buy a quality product or a cheaper product, there is no in-between. Because expensive products have better materials, design, and quality.

That’s why you need to set up your budget first to deal with your range of pendant lights. Just try to get the best quality pendant you can while being in your budget as well.

3. Style and Aesthetic:

Kitchen pendant lights are just like glitters that will enhance and beautify your kitchen island. Pendants have different variety of styles ranging from rustic and vintage to modern sleek and slim shapes.

You just have to select the one that best matches the environment of your kitchen island and increase its aesthetic appeal.

4. Energy Efficiency:

Energy-saving lighting is what the world needs nowadays. Because it not only saves you money on energy bills but is environment friendly as well. LED bulbs are much more efficient as compared to other traditional bulbs.

Common Mistakes In Kitchen Island Light Installation

We just need to avoid these minor errors that may affect you greatly later while setting up lighting over your kitchen island:

• Misjudging the Layout: The outline of your light pendants should be synchronized with the layout of your kitchen island. It may not look so great with the pendant lighting much smaller or much bigger than the kitchen island if the measurements are not taken seriously.

• Overlooking the Budget: Pendant Lighting may vary in price significantly. So, it is important to calculate a budget before purchasing to not feel guilty later.

• Neglecting the Style and Aesthetic: The style of your pendant lighting must match the environment of your kitchen island to beautify and enhance the aesthetic of your kitchen. The most common mistake people make is selecting fixtures that clash with the decoration of the kitchen.

• Improper Installation Height: The pendant lighting height must be calculated and checked properly. Because it directly affects the visibility of the viewer and aesthetic appeal. Hanging them too high makes them ineffective and hanging too low can obstruct vision.

Why Choosing LED for Kitchen Pendant Lighting?

LED lights are the new top trend in the world of lights for many reasons. Some of them are listed below:

1. Energy Efficiency

The most important factor of these LED lights is their nature of being energy efficient. It consumes very little energy as compared to the other traditional lights.

Costing lower electricity bills has made them the first choice for Businesses and Homeowners. Being a sustainable product, LED lights are environmentally friendly and reduce carbon footprint as well.

2. Longevity

According to different tests and surveys on LED lights, the lifespan of LEDs is more than 25000 hours, which is almost 25 times longer than other incandescent bulbs. Thus, saving more time and money in the long run.

3. Safety

While selecting electrical items, the main concern of every business owner is that the product must be safe to use and does not harm his business or environment. LED bulbs generate less heat energy than other bulbs and do have a lesser risk of getting fire.

FAQs

Let’s dive into some important questions that might you think about.

Do Kitchen Islands Only Need Pendant Lights?

It is certainly not necessary to add pendant lighting to your kitchens especially the ones with shorter ceilings. But if there is a specific height and space for pendent lighting then you must install it as it enhances and aesthetic of your kitchen island as well as illuminates the area.

How Many Pendant Lights Should Be Used In A Kitchen Island?

It all depends upon the size of the kitchen island. On average, 2 feet long island is suitable for one pendant light. And islands around 3 to 4 feet long can accommodate two pendant lights. For islands around 5 feet or long may fit in three pendant lights or more.

What Is the Exact Height for Pendant Lights?

The ideal and most commonly used height of the pendant lights is between 30 to 36 inches.

How Should Pendant Lights Be Spaced Over A Kitchen island?

Spacing the pendant lights varies according to your customized needs. But mostly, around 45cm to 76cm space is maintained between the pendants to avoid a crowding look.

Conclusion

Pendant lighting is a versatile and perfect solution for kitchen island lighting. It not only provides the required lighting but also enhances the aesthetic of the kitchen. One must select the pendant lighting based on their sizes, the layout of the kitchen island, and the decoration of the kitchen.

LED lights are mostly used in these pendant lighting to generate less heat and save more time and energy.

We just need to be careful while installing these pendants about improper spacing, inappropriate height, and overlooking of the pendant style that may clash with the overall aesthetic of the kitchen.

RC Lighting Solutions Helps You Enhance the Aesthetics of your Kitchen Island With Top Pendant Lighting

Knowing all the details we have mentioned in this blog, we hope you have made up your mind to make your kitchen a next-level masterpiece. Just follow the guidelines we have mentioned in this article and you will be on top of purchasing and installing a new pendant lighting for your kitchen.

We at RC Lighting, offer a complete range of pendant lights. Visit our website or contact us today to get started to beautify and enhance the aesthetics of your kitchen island.