Kitchen Lighting

Kitchen lighting has two jobs that pull in opposite directions. It has to light a knife and a cutting board clearly, and it has to make the same room feel warm when people are sitting at the island at nine at night. The right fixture over the island, plus a dimmer, handles both.

Here are the kitchen-sized pieces from our luxury lighting: compact pendants, linear fixtures for long islands, and a few small pendant-style ceiling lights. Finishes include matte black, antique brass, glass, cotton and woven materials, all sized to work over a counter rather than a living room.

Kitchen island lighting: how many fixtures

Start with the length of the island, not the look of the fixture.

Island length decides the count

An island under about six feet usually takes two pendants. Six to eight feet takes two or three. Longer than that, use three or a single linear fixture that runs most of the length. Keep the end fixtures at least 6 inches in from each end of the island so the light lands on the counter and not on the floor beside it.

Spacing and hanging height for kitchen island lights

Space pendants about 24 to 30 inches apart, center to center, and hang the bottom of each 30 to 36 inches above the counter. That keeps sightlines open across the island while putting the light close enough to the work. Hung too high, they light the ceiling instead of the counter.

Kitchen island light fixtures: pendants or linear

Pendants break the island into zones and add rhythm, which suits an island used for both prep and seating. A linear fixture lights the full length evenly and looks cleaner on a long, minimal island. Pick one approach and repeat it, because a pendant next to a linear bar looks unresolved. If you prefer separate pendants, our modern pendant light collection has more shapes and sizes.

A kitchen chandelier over the breakfast table

If the kitchen has an eating nook or a table at one end, a compact kitchen chandelier over it marks that area off from the work zone. Keep it smaller than a formal dining fixture. For larger tables, see our dining room chandeliers.

Bulbs and the rest of the kitchen light fixtures

Island lights cannot do everything. The counters along the walls sit behind you when you work, so your own shadow falls across them, and under-cabinet lighting helps there. Over the island, warm bulbs around 2700K to 3000K keep food and wood looking right, and frosted or shaded fixtures keep the glare out of the eyes of anyone sitting on a stool.

Modern kitchen lighting by finish

Matte black works with black hardware and dark cabinets. Antique brass warms white and wood kitchens. Glass and cotton shades soften the light for evenings at the island. Choose the finish that agrees with your hardware and faucet, and the metals in the room stop competing.

Bright for cooking, low after

Bright for cooking, low for everything after. Where the fixture allows it, put the island lights on their own dimmer and the same lights handle both jobs.