Proper pendant lighting for the kitchen island won’t just make the spot look beautiful but it would also provide functional value. However, like most things in life, pendant lights also come in different sizes, shapes, purposes, etc. The following guide should help you narrow down your choices from the seemingly beautiful and infinite range.
Getting the Pendant Light Right
Pendant lights are available in different forms, and various decorative styles can help attain similar practical outcomes. This is why it is recommended to first consider the function you want your light to achieve, instead of the aesthetic style or type of fixture.
The kind of illumination required from the light would depend primarily on the type of lighting already there in your kitchen space. A space with several big windows probably won’t need serious ambient lighting during the day. However, task lighting may be needed for the counter during chopping. A kitchen with several ceiling-mounted pot lights may only require some decorative sparkle to be eye-catching.
Light Forms
Pendant lighting can be categorized as task, accent, ambient, and decorative. A task light illuminates a targeted spot and helps improve visibility. Ambient lighting is regular lighting that illuminates the entire area or room. Accent lights help highlight a particular design feature – for instance, an art piece. A decorative light, as the name indicates, decorates the space by either creating a sparkle or shadow. In case your room has good amount of ambient and task lights, choose soft-glowing pendants and create a marked impression sans casting targeted light.
Holistic Lighting
It’s certainly possible for a pendant light to do more than one thing. A light could be engaging and decorative and still provide functional task lighting and a few outward or upward ambient lighting that helps brighten the whole space. Selecting a particular type of light becomes easy if you have a clear idea beforehand about the type of lighting you require.
Height
The height of the light depends on your pendants’ primary functional role. A task light that’s meant to illuminate the island clearly would lose brightness in case it’s positioned too high. Therefore, the light is usually hung 30-36 inches over the counter. Such positioning could place the light somewhat in the vision line, which is why people prefer slim fixtures that do not interfere with the conversation.
In case bright bulbs are hung any higher, you may end up seeing within the cover. Use a narrow, long shade opening if you would like your lights to be higher, and which would not reveal the bulb from multiple angles.
