Should Pendant Lights Be Centered To The Kitchen Island?
Jeff "King of the Castle"
Even though it may not occupy the central place in the house, we can freely say that the kitchen is the heart and soul of every home.
It’s the spot where all family members, as well as house guests, gather and gravitate toward.
The kitchen is the place for sharing stories of the day, sharing a meal, and enjoying each other company.
For those reasons, it’s important to pay particular attention to the design of the kitchen, as that’s where you want to feel the most comfortable and at ease.
One of the keys to a well-designed kitchen is the proper lighting.
Kitchens will likely feature layered lighting from multiple sources, but the centerpiece will certainly be the pendant lighting over the kitchen island.
So, it is crucial to get it right.
The first question that should be answered in this process is should pendant lights be centered to kitchen island?
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Should Pendant Lights Be Centered To The Kitchen Island?
Proper positioning of pendant lights over the kitchen island can make or break the overall look of your kitchen.
First of all, it will be the primary source of light at a place where you’ll spend a fair share of time during the day and you want perfect lighting both for kitchen work and when you enjoy a meal.
Furthermore, pendant lights will serve as the visual focal point of that whole area of your home,
So, it’s important to place them in a way that will fit with the rest of the interior decor and make the whole space feel balanced and organized.
In most cases, interior designers recommend having your pendant lights centered to the kitchen island.
This helps you achieve symmetry, is pleasing to the eye, and makes the kitchen area feel comfortable and dignified.
However, depending on various factors, off-center pendant lights can sometimes work, too.
Reasons To Have Pendant Lights Centered To The Kitchen Island
As I already mentioned, pendant lights are usually centered relative to the island and there are good reasons for that.
It’s the most visually appealing position and the one that contributes the most to the overall aesthetics of the kitchen.
An off-center pendant can make the whole area look out of place and awkward, throwing off the entire balance of the home decor.
The other reason is mostly functional. Centered pendant lights distribute the glare evenly and uniformly over the whole surface of the kitchen island which is commonly quite large.
This provides sufficient lighting for any purpose you may use the kitchen island for.
Reasons Not To Have Pendant Lights Centered To The Kitchen Island
Each kitchen is differently designed and what works in one may not work in the other, and that happens with pendant lights.
While in most kitchens they work perfectly well when centered, depending on the shape and size of the kitchen island, this sometimes may not be the case.
Occasionally, a centered pendant may distribute too much glare on just one side of the island. This may be the side where you eat or the side where you mostly do the kitchen work.
Plus, pendant lights are often not the only light source in the kitchen, In these cases, you may not need them to be positioned at the exact center of the island.
Also, you may deliberately want the light to be more intensive on one section of the kitchen island, so you can achieve this by placing the lights off-center.
What To Consider Before Centering Pendant Lights on The Kitchen Island
Before you decide on the position of the pendant lights over the kitchen island, there are several factors you should consider.
Kitchen Island Size
The main thing you should be concerned with when positioning pendant lights is the kitchen island itself.
Larger islands can better handle the off-center pendant position and make it work more easily.
The bigger surface of the kitchen island gives you more space to toy around and experiment with where the pendant lights will be.
For smaller and more compact kitchen islands, it’s generally always better to center the pendant lights.
Positioning them off-center can make the whole kitchen setting look a bit off and awkward.
Full Kitchen Layout
You shouldn’t look at how the pendant lights and kitchen island work together in a vacuum.
The lights and their positioning need to fit with the overall kitchen design and create a balanced and comfortable space for anyone spending time there.
This means taking into account all kitchen elements, not only the island, and considering how the light above the island will work with the rest of the lightning in the room.
With this in mind, centered pendant lights may not always work as well as you think.
Sometimes, having them a bit off-center can do more for the symmetry and harmony of the kitchen area as a whole.
Pendant Light Type
Finally, you’ll need to consider the type of pendant light you plan to install. First of all, this means the number of pendants on the kitchen island.
A single pendant almost exclusively works only when centered. More lights will give you more freedom to play with their positioning without making it look weird.
In addition, pendant lights are available in a variety of different sizes and styles, so this is also something to keep in mind.
Usually, the smaller and narrower pendants can more easily be moved around and work better when off-center.
Conclusion
Bear in mind that all of the above is simply a guideline.
The main factor when deciding whether to center pendant lights over the kitchen island should be your personal preference.
The most important thing is that you feel comfortable in your kitchen when sitting or working at the kitchen island.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider the advice of interior designers, and, more often than not, they will tell you that centered pendant lights are the way to go, but it’s in no way a rule set in stone.
Every kitchen is unique and has its quirks that may sway you to go one way or the other.
