Buyer’s Guide:
How To Choose Kitchen Pendant Lighting
The kitchen requires lighting that can play double duty, illuminating everyday tasks and adding personality to the room's design. Use these kitchen pendant lighting ideas to get the job done.
Kitchen lights tend to be more functional than decorative, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with the fluorescent panel reminiscent of your college apartment. But picking a light purely because it's beautiful isn't the best solution, either. Whether you're lighting a kitchen island or a small dining table, there are few types of pendant lighting that are just right for the kitchen.
PRO TIP: HANGING HEIGHT
The ideal height to hang pendant lights between 28 and 36 inches above the surface of the countertop or table. It should be higher than eye level, but low enough to provide ample light on the surface.
Mini Pendant Lighting
Over most kitchen islands or bars, having a series of standard 8- or 10-inch pendant lights will overwhelm the kitchen's "skyline." That's where mini-pendants can come to the rescue. Mini pendant lights offer enough task lighting for meal prep and other kitchen duties. But they also add to the room's warmth and style, as the kitchen is becoming the primary place for casual gatherings with family and friends.
PRO TIP: GO BOLD
If your kitchen is filled with calm colors and complementary decor, experiment with an unconventional pendant shape, material or color.
Linear Suspension & Multi-Light Pendant Lighting
Both linear suspension and multi-light pendants can hang beautifully over kitchen islands or over rectangular dining tables. They work best in kitchens that are spacious enough to handle a fixture with more length and presence. For both bright task and decorative kitchen lighting, use a decorative suspension along with recessed lights and under cabinet lighting.
PRO TIP: PUT A DIMMER ON IT
A dimmer is a must for changing the mood of the room between parties, gatherings and quiet dinners. Browse light dimmers for great options from Legrand Adorne.
Drum Pendant Lighting
Instead of mini pendants, consider placing 2 or 3 drum pendant lamps over a kitchen island. Drum pendants and drum-shaped chandeliers are not the first thing that comes to mind for kitchens, but they can offer a beautiful touch of elegance—elevating the charm and warmth of your kitchen when entertaining guests.
Bear in mind that certain materials aren't as functional in the kitchen as in other spaces. Fine crystal and porous fabrics aren't as easy to keep clean in a functioning kitchen, whereas glass and metal are much more easily brought back to factory-new polish after particularly greasy recipes.
Pendant lights offer ample general lighting and focused downlight to illuminate all your kitchen tasks—the hardest part is choosing your favorite.
