Have you seen the work the builder's designer has done in the past? Do you feel confident in their abilities? What credentials does the builder's designer have?

Large pendants are very much in style right now. Yours sound plenty big but I know a lot of designers prefer odd numbers. I think you're right about not wanting to obscure your hood but then again, I'm a chronic rule breaker. I've seen plenty of pics on Houzz that show only two pendants and they look good to me. :)

I don't know what her credentials are. She was assigned to us at the design center. This isn't a custom home. When we built our previous home, a custom home, the designer was the builders wife. I didn't agree with any of her choices either so I guess I don't play well with others. :). If there is a degree in being really pushy then she graduated Summa Cum laude. I guess I too am a rule breaker.

Our island is roughly 96" x 42", a bit smaller than yours but not a lot and we have 2 lights that are considerably smaller than yours (9'ceilings here) so I think you're fine with 2 of the size you mentioned. Our hood is also behind our island but unfortunately not centered and 3 lights for us would really have highlighted that offset. In your case 3 lights would be competing focal points. Trust your gut, not the designer.

I only have two pendants over a large island & I love them. Eff her. :)

NiNi what size are your lights? I think mine will hang lower than yours.

Unless the designer is going to be paying your mortgage, do what YOU want. Her job is to challenge your ideas and present you with new ideas. Ultimately, you still have to do what you want. Does she have the ability to do a mockup showing the 2 possibilities?

Oh, and I don’t know why it looks off-center...irl the hood is perfectly centered between them

No mockup. I'm fine with doing the two lights against her advice. I guess my panic now is based on the formula the lights I chose are too big. SO really my panic is more that I chose too large of lights for the size of the island. I took masking tape and taped the island size out on my floor today and taped the light size on it and they are large but didn't seem too large. But thats a one dimensional format. I'm concerned that when the original selection was made 6 months ago there was no challenge from her about 2 lights vs 3 nor about size. One thing I know for sure is 3 16" x 21" lights will be too big. But will 2?

I don’t remember what size they are...we built 6 years ago. The pic is all spread out...if you click on it, it looks more like it does in real life. Our ceilings are 10’. The bottom of the fixture is 3’10” from the top of the island.

I really love oversized fixtures...my neighbor just built 2 years ago. Her kitchen is to die for...and she has 2 enormous island lights.

i almost wish mine were bigger!

Me too! I chose a 42" rectangular fixture for over my table! I hate wimpy lighting! Go big or go home......unless it really is too big LOL!

Which is my debate right now !

I don't think 16" is too big. I have three 10" fixtures over an 11' peninsula and they're small. I didn't want large lights. I think two 12" would be too small.

I though at long as you could have 30” between them it was fine. My thought was 100” island minus 32” of lights minus 30” span between would leave 19” on outside of each light. Or if the lights were further apart less but still enough to have lights that size work. However the formula i was sent was take the foot length of island by the foot depth of island add those and the answer is the inch size of fixtures which is only 12”. The designer is recommending now three 16” fixtures ? I have to have an answer by Monday. Those would be huge i think with three there.

Just spoke to her again and now she said I’ve misunderstood her. She says three but to choose a different fixture no larger than 12”. She said the fixtures I’ve chosen don’t come any smaller so she said i need to come back and pick out new fixtures . I again said notif i only do two as planned. She then said it will be an extra charge to eliminate a third wiring source or i can choose to cap it off at no charge. WTH? Never did i ever choose three lights as an option.

OMG! Is it already wired?? Why on earth would removing a fixture cost more??? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. If you don’t want 3 small pendants (which I actually think is a tiny bit dated) you shouldn’t have 3 small pendants! Who is the homeowner here?

I would not want the pleasure of keeping 3 pendants looking free and shiney. ALSO, I don't want the heat of 3 lightbulbs on my head either. You could just put two recessed can lights in the ceiling and you would have PLENTY of light on your island...way cheaper than overpriced pendants tooo. You can always ask to have another designer assigned to your project. Sounds like she is working on her commission. Might want to put in a request for a different "helper" on this one, espeically if you have several other things to discuss as your project progesses. If you can't trust her on the little things, she is into more than just listening and offering opinions. That 3/2 thing would put me walking away from her...

After all, it's not like you are going to be doing root canals and neurosurgery on your island..... LOL

I did 2 lights on this large island and they look great.

Kitchen Remodels · More Info

Kitchen Remodels · More Info

I think your idea of 2 larger lights that frame the view to the hood sounds great. If it hasn't already been wired there should definitely not be any extra charge, even in a production builder house. After all, didn't they have you specify electrical outlets and switches as part of the design center process? This is no different. Get it done the way you want it. You'll be glad you did.

@Giz Design, do you think that 2 a 16” square X 21” tall open lantern style lights are too large for a 100 1/4” X 49” island? The ceilings are 10’ high. Cabinets are white.

Laurie , yes we did go over all of this at the Design meeting. We are going to drive out to the house tomorrow and see what they’ve done. I told my husband I’m wondering if they messed up and did three and now they are trying to make us change our plan to save them from redoing it. That’s the only explanation i can come up with for this sudden issue. We chose this all back in August.

We originally wanted only two pendants as well. But we opted for three in the end due to the size of lights we chose and the size of the pendant. We have the same set up with sink in island and hood fan on wall behind it.

Our island is 105" x 53". We have 2 pendants that are 16" wide. They are 30" apart and 34" from the base of the pendants to the surface of the island. The range hood is on the wall behind the island, fully visible between the two pendant lights. Other lighting configurations would simply not have worked nearly as well in my opinion.

In your case it sounds like they messed up and assumed three pendants for an island that size! If that is the case I personally would find the dishonesty more troubling than the original mistake.

Sis33 basically your island is roughly 5' larger than mine all around. I really don't think that is significant enough that the same size lights can't work.

It will be interesting to see if they've wired the area yet.

I apologize pink_peony! I made a typo in my post. Our island is 10' 5" (125") long not 105"! Using our island as a template I have visualized your island and pendants and I would have made the same choice you did, 2 16" pendants.

Trust yourself. With a stove hood in the center, it makes good sense that you'd want an even number of lights on each side. If your lights were smaller, you could use two on each side.

Your lights need to be low enough to provide sufficient light but high enough so you're not looking at/into the light. Don't hang them so the bottom of the light is below the bottom edge of the stove hood -- more at the bottom of the stove hood: you want to hang them low enough to actually provide light -- rather than shadows -- over the stove top.

Unfortunately the island and cabinets aren’t in yet so i can’t do the balloon thing but what a great idea! I did tape the measurement out on the floor and the lights are big but IMO not too big! I didn’t want them wimpy.

If the house has drywall, you can go ahead and do the balloon thing. You are trying to make a determination as to scale. The scale of the fixtures will determine two, three or four.

I’ve told them i wanted to stick to the original plan. We went to the home yesterday to find they had wired for three. Cut ceiling drywall for three. I’m suspecting they were trying to rectify their mistake by making me change a completely good and acceptable design plan to make their life easier. Sorry fix it and move forward because I’m sticking to my two lights. Thanks everyone.

What’s really strange is during our pre drywall walk through there was only wiring for two lights. Idk when this other was -added. The whole thing is aggravating.

Is there a rule of thumb how high above island stove top I should place a pendant light Thanks Loretta

Two pendants sound great for your space. Glad you were able to resolve it and get it done the way you want!