Getting Pendant Lighting Right for Your Kitchen Island

Pendant lighting is a stylish option for kitchen island. It instantly transforms your kitchen island to an inviting and welcoming space your family would love. Pendant lights come in an unending variety, which are beautiful and functional. Depending on the functionality and aesthetic style, you can pick out a pendant light for your kitchen island.

Selection of the light would also depend on the lighting already installed in your kitchen, apart from the natural light available. Read on to find out which factors you have to consider while buying a pendant light: 

Types of lighting

There are four types of basic lighting – decorative, task, accent and ambient, which can apply to your kitchen too. You can choose a pendant light depending on these four basic types of lighting.

Decorative 

Lighting which is just a decorative feature is not targeted or strong lighting, as it does not have to fulfill any particular function. If your kitchen has enough ambient and task lights already, you can choose a pendant light as a decorative element. These lights glow softly, and can be the star of your kitchen. Some pendant lights have beautiful fixtures and their forms cast a beautiful shadow on the ceiling as well.

Drum chandeliers and drum pendants can be used for kitchen islands as they look beautiful and add charm to your kitchen.

Task

 

Lighting which illuminates a specific area helping you to perform your tasks is called task lighting. If the purpose of having a pendant light in your kitchen is to light up your kitchen island in order to help you perform tasks like chopping, reading cookbooks etc, you’ll want to go for a pendant light which targets light down, with a translucent or open bottom, to illuminate a greater area of light. You could install a dimmer to reduce the harshness of the light, once your chores are done.

You can buy mini pendant lights to illuminate your kitchen island for prepping meals and to have enough light to sit down and have a meal too, with family and friends.

Ambient 

Lighting which illuminates gently an entire area or room, instead of targeting a spot, is called ambient lighting. If the purpose of your ambient lighting is to brighten the whole kitchen, then you should choose pendant lights which have multiple bulbs, for a soft and even glow. If you want to use your kitchen island as a space to mingle, rather than for chores, consider choosing lights which produce an intimate and soothing atmosphere.

Multi-pendant lights can be hung over your kitchen island, especially if you have a big kitchen. You can install a pendant light which has a definitive presence and is elegant and illuminates your kitchen, along with your kitchen island.

Accent

 

Accent lighting is installed to enhance design elements such as paintings. In your kitchen, you can use pendant lighting as accent lighting is you have a particularly beautiful worktop made of wood or stone and you want to highlight that. Pinpoint pendant lights will also highlight the sparkle in polished materials or flecked stone.

Mini pendant lights can be used as accent lights too, and can focus on the special features of your worktop.

The right height 

It’s important to get the height right to get the maximum out of your pendant lights. How to determine the correct height of your pendant lights? Well, this depends on what primary role your pendant light plays in your kitchen. If the primary function is to serve as task lights, then you should hang them 30-36 inches above the worktop. To avoid them intruding on your senses, select slim fixtures which will provide the required illumination and won’t jar your line of sight either.

Decorative pendant lights can be hung higher and are usually less intrusive and out of the sightlines. But they have to be hung low enough to make an impression. This height is usually 12-18 inches beneath the ceiling for an 8 ft ceiling. Add 3 inches to the length for every foot that the ceiling is taller by. Before you buy, check if the height can be adjusted by you or not. 

The kitchen is more than a place to prepare meals these days and pendant lights create an atmosphere which is warm and inviting for you and your friends and family.

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