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leennp

Seeking opinions of lighting above main sink

leennp
10 years ago

Happy New Year! I am trying to evaluate options for kitchen lighting. While the ceilings are down we will be putting in recessed lighting, and upper cabinets will have under cabinet LED lighting. But I am truly puzzled about the lighting for main sink. The sink is a Kohler stages 45, it will be centered under a six foot wide window and there will be no upper cabinets on that wall, whole row of cabinets will start with trash pull on left, 48 inch sink base, then dishwasher, then drawer stack at end. Wonder about any pendants over the run looking out of place, have only seen pendants over an island, or over sink with upper cabinets to each side. Should I just stick with recessed lights above the cabinet run? The length of the whole cabinet run is 10ft, if you did consider pendants, would you do large single or multiple smaller?

Comments (7)

  • elphaba_gw
    10 years ago

    Our layout sounds like it might be somewhat similar. And we definitely will have two relatively large pendants over our 6 1/2 ft long, 42 inch wide island. I thought about 3 smaller pendants but decided on two. And then the light over our cleanup sink which is in the middle of a 7 ft wide window will be the same kind of pendant. No upper cabinets on walls around window in our kitchen either.

    And then we will have 4 can LED lights (6 inch diam each from Home Depot). Two can lights on either side of the island, above the aisles and lined up above the cabinets lining each side of the room.
    Here's a picture of the pendant - of which we will have 3:

    Style of our kitchen is rather modern - Ikea Abstrakt -- very modern and not like this picture but wanted to show you the size - from what I read somewhere, guideline for our 42 inch wide island was 20 inch diameter for each pendant. Sorry I can't remember where I read this. Pendant in picture above is 19 inches in diameter.

    We will also have a short length of undercabinet lighting which will be dimmable (and other lighting also dimmable).

    Do some searching for "lighting guidelines" "over island" and maybe you can find some opinions that are not shy about being very specific. Good luck!

  • leennp
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Forgot I had that section of kitchen in elevation format. So am attaching the picture. The solid door pictured to left is actually a full view glass door to the back patio area. While we are discussing the wall, any opinions on how to orient the kohler stages, picture above shows interior shelf to right, but could reverse and have shelf to the left, but my thoughts was keep on the right as the larger counter space is on that side of the sink. There is another prep area on another counter top run that is to left of cook top, with about 4 ft of counter prep space over there.

  • GauchoGordo1993
    10 years ago

    I don't like pendants in front of windows, but ymmv...

  • leennp
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    That is another excellent point. The window overlooks a park like back yard, the main reason I made us go to the expense of moving the plumbing to accommodate and replacing the window to one that would fit above the counter top was to be able to look out over back yard while standing at sink. Would not want a pendant blocking the view out the window, and even up high, the top edge of the window is only about 1.5-2 ft from ceiling edge, as you come walking in the room it would block the view out of window. So does that sound like better idea would be just the recessed lights or would you consider some time of flush or semi flush mount fixture?

  • robo (z6a)
    10 years ago

    Not sure of your style, but I have seen sconces or goosenecks used above the window in this situation:

  • ineffablespace
    10 years ago

    There is no symmetry in the elevation (which is fine), but two lights would have to introduce either symmetry over window or over the run of counter, (each of which would be "off" one or the other) so I think that I would use recessed lights.

    I think pendants can help to modulate or frame views though. Eye level for most people between 5' and 5'6'', and you have 9', so a pendant that hung down even 30" would only block the eye level view of someone seven feet tall.

  • leennp
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes I agree, the symmetry is off mainly due to the stages sink, in the elevation picture, the faucet is centered on the center of the deep bowel of the sink, not the true center of whole sink, if was on the whole sink, then might look more symmetrical, but functionally I think the faucet might work better if centered on the bowl, plan to look at that exact issue a little further when time for countertop fabrication, as that is when need to make final decision on faucet placement