Lighting is an important element in any space, but especially in the kitchen.
We spend so much of our time cooking meals, cleaning up, hosting guests, and entertaining in this space. Not only do you need adequate lighting for the tasks you do here, but you also want lighting that will reflect your style and bring personality to your home.
Today, we’re sharing a variety of lighting types for your kitchen island and some of our favorite examples.
Single Chandelier
In this lake life inspired kitchen remodel, our clients were looking to add some shine to their kitchen with gold lighting. Since their island was on the smaller side and the ceiling was sloped, we recommended going with a single light over the island.
This gold chandelier was larger than a pendant, but still provides lots of light over the island and makes a statement as well. If you have a smaller island and aren’t looking to have two or more pendants, a chandelier may be the option for you.
The Bigger the Better
To add drama to your space, think BIG! In Morgan and Jamie’s kitchen remodel, they wanted the lighting over their island to be bold.
These oversized black and gold pendants were the perfect fit. They compliment the black elements in the backsplash and gold pulls on the cabinets.
With higher ceilings and a large island, the bigger the better for making a statement. When going with larger pendants, two is a good number so it fills the space, but doesn’t overpower your kitchen.
Looking to update the lighting in your home? Check out our guide for black & gold lighting including pendants, sconces, chandeliers, and flush mounts.
Vaulted Ceiling Lighting
If your kitchen has vaulted ceilings, like this modern cabin home, you’ll need to spend a little more time finding lighting that will work. Over the island in this home, we went with seeded glass pendants from Shades of Light that had an adjustable hanging cord.
You’ll also want to ensure that your lighting is adaptable to the slope of your home. If it has a chain, it can be installed on the sloped ceiling as it is. Otherwise, look for lighting that comes with a sloped ceiling adapter.
Unexpected Materials
When we came across this kitchen design by Sarah of Life on Virginia Street, we were in LOVE! These wicker pendants bring in a natural feel to the space and contrast with the white and blue cabinets beautifully.
If you’re looking for a unique and different material for your kitchen, wicker is a great option to add an organic element.
Mini-Pendants in a Row
In this black and white kitchen remodel, we went with mini-pendants over the island. These black and gold mini pendants tie into the gold pot filler and pulls, and the black and gold faucet.
With the pendants over a kitchen island with a sink, you’ll want to make sure they don’t hang too low where they will be in the way when using your sink. By installing three of them in a row, it adds a linear element to the space and brings in lots of lighting over the island.
Linear Pendant
With this kitchen remodel, our clients were looking for a large island for their family and lifestyle. Having the sink in the island allowed them to look out the windows to their backyard as well, so they didn’t want the light to block the view.
Instead of multiple pendants, we went with a gold linear pendant installed closer to the ceiling. This still provided a lot of lighting for the island but didn’t impede on the sightline to the backyard or crowd the seating area.
Subtle, Yet Bold
These white Eugene Pendants from McGee & Co are beautiful and we love how they paired them with white cabinetry for a subtle, yet bold look. If you want your pendants to appear to blend into your kitchen, consider using white pendants with white cabinets.
The size of these pendants still makes them a bold choice, but they work effortlessly with the rest of the space.
Pendants turned Chandelier
We love this option for a more sculptural piece over the island in this kitchen refresh. The light fixture is actually a group of pendant lights turned into a chandelier.
With this chandelier, it provides a lot of lighting, but don’t have to install new electrical boxes. This makes it a great option if you’re replacing it with a single light that was above your island.
