Do you have any photos you can share of the project where it is now? Has the electrician already done his work, or could he change the cans on the island to be on their own switch with a dimmer?

Do you have a pic of what the beam looks like and how it looks in the Kitchen, especially over the island?

Sure. Added a picture above. Wiring is done, ceiling is finished. Adding lights is easy, as the wiring is in place. Changing the switching would be more complicated.

wow GREAT kitchen!! FWIW I love these Original BTC pendants - super simple, no metal, no bling - the bone china creates lovely light -

Thanks! I love those too! Just not sure any pendant is a good idea. Open to being convinced though.

@la_la Girl--thanks for prompting me to browse the BTC site. What do you think of this option, a sort of recessed light with some flair?

ohh I love that fixture - so they won't straddle the beam but will be both on the same side of the beam?** If that is the case, then I would probably lean away from a fixtures at all as I think it would highlight assymetry

**So sorry I was thinking they would be on either side of the beam centered on the island - I didn't look at the diagram correctly 🥴

I'd probably skip pendants and use under-cabinet lighting for "cozy evening mood lighting ". However, when it comes to aesthetics, I usually defer to others as I'm more of a "techie". So, if others who are more "artistic" have a different opinion, I'd probably go with them!

More unobtrusive than pretty, I think a linear suspension LED light might work with that configuration. I have one over my perimeter counter that's 8 feet long and only 1 inch square in profile. I wanted it to be as invisible as possible.

I think a center feed might work best with your beam, something like

https://www.lightology.com/index.php?module=prod_detail&prod_id=755799

They also have end feed versions, where the power comes in on one end and the other end is just a suspension cable.

https://www.lightology.com/index.php?module=prod_detail&prod_id=617976

You can add two more cans over the center of the island. They can be on a dimmer with wide flood bulbs using a warm Kelvin led.

You could consider placing a lamp on the island for those evenings with friends. Choose either corded or battery charged. That might be the ambiance you're looking for.

If you can have three across (straddling the beam) the I would be tempted to use those small BTC lights you posted - would be nice light for sure - If it were me, I would probably mock something up and have it on the ceiling for a week or 2 and make sure I liked how the ceiling looked with the addition - it’s a terrific kitchen!

Thanks la_la Girl! I'm really happy with how things turned out. Need to fix a few lighting issues and paint the walls a calmer color, and we can call it done.

Jenny, a lamp is a good idea. Doesn't work for my style (starting with having to store it somewhere else most days), but I can visualize the magazine photo and it's a nice look.

@mcarroll16, sorry for the late reply. I literally did trigonometry to figure out how high to hang my light, based on the beam angle. I could measure, but your island is wider than my perimeter counters, so I don't think the height of mine is a good guideline for you.

Pendant lighting over an island is a fantastic look and can be modified in so many ways to capture the style you are going for. You could go with a vintage look with old glass insulators or metal shade with vintage wrapped wire. Or something with small glass pendants. I design and custom make pendant lighting. If I can be of any help, please let me know.

Thanks cawaps! I was asking about height from a design perspective, and overlooking the technical aspect. I'll dust off my trig skills and look at the light beam spread on all the options I'm considering.