Pendant placement?

16 years ago

Please help me figure out the placement of two smallish pendants over a peninsula dividing my kitchen from family/dining room space. I'm stumped.

It's 6' long total. On the kitchen side, it's one leg of an L shaped working space, with a corner super susan (36") and then 36" more of 24" deep cabinet. That gives me 4' of working counter plus the 2 feet in the corner (and a longer length of counter on the other leg of the L).

On the dining/family room side there's a 15" overhang. A radiator must occupy the first 20" or so of the length near the anchoring wall. The remaining 4-plus feet are for an eating area with two stools.

Questions: Should the pendants be centered over the 40" wide peninsula or be edged more toward the kitchen or dining area side? And should they be spread equally over the 6' length, or only over the 4' length that juts out from the counter along the wall? I can/will have additional recessed lights in both the kitchen and dining area to supplement...not sure where to place them either!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

melissastar
Original Author
16 years ago
bump....still hoping for feed back and advice.
twosit
16 years ago
Sorry, I am horrible at visualizing space like this. Are the pendants going to be used primarily for looks or for lighting? My contractors have warned me not to expect much light from the pendants. They say I should expect most of the lighting to come from my recessed lighting.

Have you tried hanging balloons so you could get an idea of the spacing? I have seen several people do that there--and I think it is a great idea. Good luck with your decision.
Related Professionals
Birmingham Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Sarasota Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Covington Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Brooklyn Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · New York City Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Huron Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Sierra Vista Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Missoula Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Superior Kitchen Remodelers · Reno Kitchen Remodelers · Amherstburg Kitchen Remodelers · Montgomery Custom Countertops · Fayetteville Custom Countertops · Jackson Custom Countertops · Bakersfield Custom Countertops
palimpsest
16 years ago
Could you post some pictures?

I would probably center them over the 40" width but longitudinal spacing is a visual thing.
kitchenaddict
16 years ago
Hi melissa...

While my peninsula was a different size (8ft. by 3 ft.) I literally eyeballed where the pendants went. When I tried to do it by equal measurements, it didn't look right to me. I used 2 large bowls as visuals, but the balloon idea is great if you have some.
KA:)
kate20009
16 years ago
I have a peninsula that is 50 inches long, with two hanging pendant lights that are 20 inches apart. Ideally, though, I think you would want at least 24 inches between them. In terms of height, I had them installed at 38 inches above the countertop, but then realized that is a bit high. So I lowered them to about 32 inches above the countertop and they are perfect! Hope this helps.
dlr98004
16 years ago
Visualizing with balloons or anything (tin foil pie pans, etc) is a great help! I used matt board cut into 16" disks and hung them from the ceiling when the electricians were setting the boxes and then again once the cabinets/granite were in place. Not sure I got it perfectly right, but it was close. Our island is 72" wide but is separated from the adjacent cabinets by a 42" walkway all around. I spaced my pendants (2) close enough to look like one large "island/billard pendant" when installed - rather than 2 smallish pendants (we have a big structural beam directly above the island so we could not have just one fixture). We need the light that these fixtures provide - we ordered 2 mini-chandeliers with 4 candles x 60 watts each - over 500 watts of light right where we need it most. They are enroute now - hope I like them! Good luck in your decision.
melissastar
Original Author
16 years ago
We're still quite a long way from actually installing the pendants....and the peninsula for that matter. But the electrician wants to run the wires and rough in where they're going to go while the ceiling is all torn apart. I guess I understand that, but don't quite understand how it is that everyone else gets to mock up lighting after they can really see how it will work and I don't!

I think if I can give him a pretty good idea, I can insist that I have enough leeway to move them up to a foot or so in any direction, AFTER I can see how it works with the peninsula...ANd then I'll post a picture!

Meanwhile, you've given me some guidelines... thanks!
kitchenaddict
16 years ago
Hi again melissa..

I just want to clarify...my ceiling was all torn apart and there was no peninsula yet when I too had to make the choice as to were the pendants would hang. My contractor drew an outline of the peninsula on the concrete floor. This helped me "see" where the peninsula would be. Then I used the large bowls for a visual idea of the pendants.

KA:)