A look at how to use pendant lights in the kitchen.
If you think of the kitchen as a workspace, then it’s only logical to want to see it infused with good lighting. Proper task lighting makes reading recipes easier, allows your kids to comfortably do homework and helps to add beauty to your gourmet creations (hopefully).
Of course, with the average homeowner infusing the kitchen with just as much style as function, the overall look of your lighting scheme is just as important as the wattage of your bulbs. To achieve this combination of high style and practical lighting, one of the best options for kitchens is a pendant light that provides task lighting while still being decorative.
Pendant Light Designs
These gorgeous statement lights are among the most beloved kitchen design trends in recent years. Pendant lights come in such a wide variety of shapes, sizes, finishes and style that there is quite literally something for everyone.
The popularity of design styles like industrial, farmhouse, contemporary and coastal has given us kitchen pendant lights that are big and beautifully finished, without being fussy. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a healthy dose of glamor and glitz in among the more pared-down offering.
Some of our favourite pendant lights for kitchens.
Orbit
Source: House Trends
Orbit lights are made of several metal rings, all intertwined and surrounding a chandelier at the centre. This type of light often juxtaposes rustic styling with traditional elements of classic chandeliers.
Lantern
Source: Home Bunch
This type of pendant light takes style cues from old street lanterns. The boxy shape of the lantern consists of a metal frame housing glass panels. A series of candle-like lights are housed within the lantern.
Globe
Source: Lonny
Simple, yet impactful, globe kitchen pendant lights offer a chic interplay of metal and unencumbered glass. The large, glass globe is typically either translucent or opaque white, and accented with simple, metal details.
Industrial
Source: My Sweet Savana
Industrial isn’t so much a specific style as it is an overall look. Industrial lights look like something that was harvested from a warehouse or factory. Shapes are often an inverted dome with industrial detailing, such as bulb cages and exposed hardware. Industrial pendant lights are available in a combination of metal and glass, all metal, or all glass. Distressed finishes are not uncommon, but also not the rule for this type of lighting.
Pendant Light Placement
Pendant lights are typically placed over a kitchen island or the shorter end of a peninsula. Although, they can also be seen in several other places in the kitchen, such as over the sink in front of a kitchen window.
To achieve the most polished and balanced look when hanging pendant lights over an island or peninsula, you’ll want to consider two primary factors: spacing, and scale.
Spacing – The typical rule is to have about 12 – 18 inches of space between each light, and the same amount of space between the light and the edge of your island. For an island or peninsula at average height, your pendant lights should hang between 30 – 36 inches above the surface.
Scale – The size of your pendant lights depends on the size of your island. The bigger your island, the bigger your lights can be.
Installation
While there remain a few plug-in style hanging lights as well as some newer styles that actually screw into an existing light socket (like a bulb), that majority of pendant lights will need to be wired into the ceiling. If you are simply updating your lighting and have experience changing a wired-in light, then you can probably do this yourself.
However, if you are uncomfortable with the idea of changing a wired-in light, or if you want to add a pendant light to a spot without an existing junction box, then you’re going to need to contract the services of a professional electrician.
Finding a licensed, local electrician is easy. Simply browse the listings here on eieihome.com, and request quotes from a few professionals providing service in your area. Read reviews, consider their quotes and then choose the electrician who sounds like the best fit for your project. Then, before you know it, you will have gorgeous new pendant lights in your kitchen.
