Beautiful kitchen! I think two lovely pendant lights over the island would be perfect! :)

Thank you, htmwood5! Hanging pendants have been up for debate for a long time and it's time to put it to rest! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!

Pendants, for sure

Pendants without question! I see oil rubbed bronze or copper. Also, I would make 2 other small changes per the picture below:

Paint bottom of island the same white as your house trim. Paint bulkhead above cabinets the same as your wall color. If you’re able to put some uplighting on the high ledge when installing the pendants, I think it would add some ambiance.

I also like the idea of two pendants.

Such a pretty kitchen!
I vote pendants!

Thank you, everyone! Darzy, I love that pendant, and adalisa, I love your ideas and the way you altered the pic is so cool! Thank you!

Hi, I would definitely add pendant lights to your kitchen as it would make the space look finished. They would also add a nice atmosphere to your kitchen. Some inspiration for you:

we've been here no?

Thank you, Tonya! :) Yes, you have, Flair Lighting, and I love you! You helped me last year when I was asking advice about changing the color of my island, which was white at the time, then green, and now gray! I loved your suggestions. Unfortunately, my husband wasn't convinced at the time, and I was hoping that I would get enough responses on this new post to sway his opinions on the matter. So far, so good!

My husband's concerns are that the pendants would look strange because the ceiling is almost 12' high. However, I think that may be in their favor. Also, there is concern it would be too busy because of the decor above the cabinets?? Neither of us have any design background, so I rely heavily on the good people like you all who are kind enough to take your time to respond.

Another vote for pendants! I also love your décor above the cabinets and think some lighting up there will really top it off.

Thank you, mamadubbs!

If your husband thinks that it would look too busy with the decor above the cabinets then I would suggest removing some or using smaller decor pieces. You don't want the decor on your kitchen cupboards to take away from the overall look of the room.

12' ceilings are in your favour! Ceilings that are that high will definitely give your hanging pendants more of an impact visually. It will also fill in that "empty" space you have above your island.

Here's another view, which is an older pic from when the island was white. It shows how pendant lights would be contending with the ceiling fan. Not sure if that would change anyone's opinions. :)

Thanks so much, Tonya! Last year we actually removed all of the decor because I didn't like my eye being drawn up there all of the time, and we left it empty for a couple of months. We decided it looked too plain and put everything back! But yes, the decor has been an issue before and I have actually asked for advice about that too! The consensus was to have decor on top, but less of it, like you mentioned. :) Here's a pic of the kitchen without decor, and with a green island!

Thanks so much, miacometlady! I also love the idea of clear glass, and the ones you shared are great!

I would keep some decor up top although not as much as you don't want it to look too busy. I actually like the island in both green and white. The green gives the island emphasis.

Maybe try hanging some pendants to see how the kitchen will look? Then your eye won't be drawn to the top of the cupboards. The pendants will give your eye something to focus on.

My votes: keeping some items on the top (normally I dislike), as I think they give some character to your kitchen without feeling old fashioned or cluttered. I wouldn't paint the two trim areas, as I feel it would make it too patchy. In regards to the pendants, after seeing the fan, they make it feel too busy. I'm sure you have other lighting options like potlights and under counter? You could also add a great lamp on the desk where have the potted plant.

Excellent! Thanks so much, Tonya!

Yes, Maureen, we do have those other light sources. I'm glad I posted the pic with the fan! Thank you so much for your great thoughts and suggestions!

No problem!

Looks like everyone is in agreement with this one. Pendants would look great over the island!

I don't care for the 1st pendants posted. Too large, too costly & too many watts. The look was nice though. I'm loving the butter yellow color you picked for your gorgeous kitchen and I agree with painting the wall above the uppers with the yellow, however do not use white for the island toekick. Maybe a charcoal which is a standard toekick color.

I also think you have accessorized to perfection above the cabinets. Check Ikea for LED string lights to place up on top to highlight that area. They can be put on dimmers as well. I also suggest LED for the pendants for the island as they are so economical & bulbs last for about 20,000 hours. Your husband should love that.

I do think you should put down light pendants for the island. Don't be concerned about the pendants fighting with the ceiling fan. They will look fantastic & with that high ceiling you need more direct light over the sink & eating area. You have been given some great examples for lights. (Just try LED for the pendants.)

You might want to try pendant lights that are linked to hint at definition of the area. Something like the 3-light Elysburg from ELK -- with longer stems, of course. Even wider stems would look great.

Two ribbed glass dome pendants would be perfect.

I'd like to see the cabinet decor a bit less regimented, with greater variation in size and placement of objects.

I think pendant lights would be a great idea! Having 3
medium-small pendant lights would be most ideal. I would suggest traditional looking ones like these

Hi Vintage Green, just wanted to post photos of the pendant lights over our island to help you or hubby visualize what it looks like with a ceiling height at over 11 ft. (but less than 12 ft.)

Hope this helps to convince hubby....I think your kitchen would look great with pendants!

PS I don't know why these pictures are posting sideways, sorry!

Also, we too have other light sources in the kitchen, but still love having pendants. I think it'll add a nice touch to yours, as others have mentioned.

Consider one large glass canopy with 3 lights inside.

I like the things you have on top of your cabinets. Seems to balance the darker tones nicely. I love the idea of painting the bottom of your island to match the baseboards too.

so, I think then I said two pendants, which is still true. I might go for two school house globes with chain rather than a rod, more vintage feel. and do satin not bronze. that will blend better into the cabinets.

of course bronze can work too....

I like the way bronze picks up the black hardware and black counters. Seems to balance very well. But either will work.

Don't know if you went ahead and got yourself some pendants, but here's another suggestion. How about the Thomas O'Brien Hicks pendant. I think the brass ring will go well with your wall colors and look great over the green island. Of course the bronze too half matches your hardware.

Thank you so much everyone! I love all of your suggestions. Avery, your lights and kitchen are beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I have been a huge fan of schoolhouse pendants and think they would go great in our kitchen. ceemimi, those lights are amazing. Love them so much! Oh, it is so very hard to decide!

Thank you Vintage Bean for your compliments on our kitchen...it means a lot coming from someone who has a kitchen like yours that could be easily someone's "inspiration kitchen". :-)

Pendant lights are hard to choose because there are so many nice ones out there. I think that's why we just decided to go simple....it was a safe enough choice, lol! But now looking back, I almost wish I did something like the Visual Comfort pendants by Thomas OBrien -- the ones posted by ceemimi. I love those pendants and they would look great in your kitchen especially with the color of your island too....and particularly if you have navy/blue and gold/brass accents in the kitchen and adjacent spaces.

I also really like the schoolhouse pendants posted by Flair Lighting. I agree...those would look fabulous over your island too. :-) Good news is that I don't think you can make a bad choice....you obviously have great taste!

inspiration

Keep bulkhead color as is. Makes cabinets proportional to high ceilings. IMHO

Like the decor over the cabinets. It personalizes the kitchen.

I love the way Grover rearranged your stuff over the cabinets.

We just installed the lights that miacometlady suggested and they are absolutely gorgeous! They can be found online at Pottery Barn.com.

I'm tickled pink. Such a wonderful compliment. Please post pictures when you have a moment!

Thank you so much, Avery, and everyone! I love what Grover did too! I especially love the new height of the plant and I will probably be looking for a taller one now! Love everyone's lighting suggestions! Yes, mamadubbs, please share a pic if you can!