Swing Low, Sweet Pendant Lights...

16 years ago

Good Morning, fellow kitchen aficionados!

I am nearing the end of my DIY kitchen reno. So far, I believe I've made some OK choices; however, the pendants over the island are giving me slight agita. It's relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but I just can't seem to reach a decision regarding their height.

By most standards, they are too low -- only 24" above the island countertop. However, I'm a shrimp, and they look fine to me, whether I'm standing up or sitting down. They aren't very large so they don't obstruct my view.

I don't have pictures uploaded yet, so I apologize. Basically, they are on a decorative track system, with the rail that is suspended between two supports. My personal opinion is that if I shorten the cords to raise them up higher, because of the low ceiling, the cords will look disproportionately short.

At this height, the light spread seems fine to me. This may be purely subjective anyway, as a taller person may prefer them to be higher. Do you think I'd be OK keeping them at 24" above the island top?

Thanks for your input.

~UncleD

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Comments (3)

bmorepanic
16 years ago
Standard clearance is 36" or 72" from the floor. You will get a wider spread of light, too.
plllog
16 years ago
You like them, so what's the problem? You can raise them at any time. If raising them involves cutting the shaft, then it's harder to lower them.

Do the pendants provide light for the whole kitchen? Or are they mostly decorative?

Do you have other people living and working in your kitchen? Even on a frequent visiting basis? If so, ask their opinions. If not, listen to your own opinion.

Are you selling? If so, a more "normal" height might be a good idea, since people seem to fixate on things that aren't exactly as expected. If this is your space, do it the way you like it. Again, you can always change it later.
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uncledave_ct
Original Author
16 years ago
The pendant lights are for task lighting over the island, but they provide a little bounced light to supplement the cans. So it's a little of both, task and general lighting. I have them on a dimmer, though I tend to keep them on full.

Since I'm the only cook (for now), and have no plans to sell soon, decided to adjust them so they look good to me. I just had the granite installed yesterday, and ended up raising the pendants to about 30" off the island top. This seems to offer the best spread of light, and they look good at that height.

The only thing I'm wondering about is whether I want to add another pendant to make things a little brighter... I currently have two, over a 66" x 37" island top. Just wondering if adding a third will be too much. Since it's a track system, I can always add the third and if it doesn't look right I can easily take it back off.

Thanks for your input!

~UncleD