Are you going to be adding any color to the kitchen? Or do you want to keep it all white and tan?

The light fixture you picked would bother me because you see the light source which makes it harder to see. I prefer a frosted or colored glass to make the lighting softer.

I also see this as an opportunity to add an accent color to the space. I love glass and the colored shade options are so many...cobalt blues, deep reds, coppers, beaded shades, etc.

If you want to stay more neutral, as I did in my kitchen, I used this ombre effect shade.

My favorite lighting suppliers are quoizel and murray feiss...but any supplier will do if you like the light.

I love lanterns (I have 2 over my island! :) ) how long is your island? Mine is 8.5' and 2 is fine. (mine are pretty big, though...but the pic you posted looks big, too.) In general, I prefer big fixtures, rather than mini pendants.

Here's a pretty simple mock-up. I wasn't sure how many or what height or placement you were referring to. My concern with the fixture is the ease of changing lightbulbs. I like simple and easy & I can't tell how this one would be.
{{!gwi}}

@AnnieD: I think I will keep it fairly neutral. I tend to prefer calm, clean, and cozy. I have SW Pennywise (which is a rust color-and very bright in my world!) in my DR to the left of the kitchen-the entryway is b/w the pantry and the garage door on the far wall. So the accent colors in the family room (from where I'm standing to take the above pic) are rust and some olive green). I like the idea of colored shades though-to pop some color. Something with a rusty/orange maybe? Thanks for the lighting links and names...I'll check them out.

@nini-I forget the dimensions, but it's big. Someone who saw it said "Wait till your kids are old enough to know what beer pong is and then never leave them home alone with friends!" lol

@hilltop: Wow, thanks! I like them. The mockup helps a ton! My husband always has to see what I'm thinking in my head, before he agrees with a vision...so this will be great! I'd have to figure out the exact dimensions and maybe hang them a little lower, but it's what I had in mind. I wonder if they would give off enough light to do homework there. What do you all think?

And while we're on this topic, I still need barstools. Any suggestions here-size/color/spinny or not? We were thinking backless, so they wouldn't stick out and take up a lot of space, but personally, it's nice to sit in comfort I think, and backless doesn't scream comfort to me!

(If I didn't mention it before, the cabs facing us under the island still need 2 coats of paint. I just haven't had the time this week!)

Thanks again all! Any and all suggestions for lighting/barstools would be appreciated!

I don't think the lantern light looks right. I also wonder why you need lights over the island, there is a ton of light in the kitchen already. If you must have hanging lights, I would find some small pendants in black and put three up there.

I like them. Probably because they look a lot like ones I have in my entry!

Since you have so many recessed lights, I see this as primarily decorative or mood lighting, so I think you can do what you want.

Everything looks great!

We went with leather bar stools with backs on them. Most important and we're glad we did was to get swivel seats...especially given the height of the stools. We ordered ours from overstock.com.

Can you post a picture showing the kitchen into the family room? I think it would be easier to make suggestions for stools if we could see their relation to the next room. It might also help visualize how pendants would look from that view.

In a working room like the kitchen, it's important to keep the function of your lighting firmly in mind. For that reason, I think the lanterns, though wonderful looking, would be a mistake.

Pendants are used to give you task lighting when you are working at your island, and pools of warm light when you are eating there. In that case, it's best to see the light but not the source of the light.

For that reason I would do three things -

I would use two pendants with opaque shades to direct the light down, and a good spread to the shades to throw larger pools onto the island.

I would put them on a different switch from the ceiling lights.

And I would put dimmers on both sets, so that you can control the lighting, and not ratchet up your electric bill by running those bright cans full tilt when you don't need to.

Think about having friends in for drinks and snacks, and being able to dim the ceiling lights to almost nothing, and turn up the pendants to give warm pools of light to draw you in. And any time you aren't in the kitchen, you can have just a veil of light to see the space but not the dishes from the family room.

I have a peninsula in our new home that looks about the same size as yours. I chose 2 lanterns with dimmers and am very happy with the functionality and look.

The lightening is wonderful. But I am not sure; it will give off enough light to do chores. You can consider it as wall hanging or decorative item.

Thanks for the input everyone. The picture of my kitchen is somewhat deceiving, I guess, as we do need lights over the seating part of the island (mostly so the kids can do homework, and for mood lighting, etc). I know it may look like there are already a lot of lights, but there is a wide space irl between the cans and the end of the island and into the family room.

Much as I love the lights I posted, I think I've gotten my answer...they will not be very functional for our family's needs. So moving on...

@Bronwynsmom: Yes, the will be on a separate switch. That part is already completed, and it will be a dimmer switch as well. Thanks!

Thanks @AnnieD for the suggestion on bar stools.

@Downsy--what a lovely kitchen! So big and spacious, yet cozy!

Any pics of pendant lights that anyone can suggest?