Above a kitchen island, install two or three pendants, the bottom of each one 70 to 80 cm above the worktop, spaced 60 to 75 cm apart. In warm to neutral white light, 3,000 to 4,000 K, and at least 300 lumens per metre of island. Here is how to adapt these figures to your kitchen.
Why is an island not lit like a table?
An island is higher than a table (90 cm instead of 75) and you work at it standing up. The eye line is therefore higher, and the light must fall on the hands, without cast shadows. Two consequences: the pendants hang slightly higher than above a table (70 to 80 cm versus 75 to 85), and you need several, spread over the whole length, so that no chopping area is left in shadow.
How high?
Measure from the worktop to the bottom of the light: 70 to 80 cm. With a worktop at 90 cm from the floor, the bottom of the pendants sits at 1.60 to 1.70 m from the floor. A person of 1.80 m standing on the other side of the island can see over them, and the person cooking does not have the light in their eyes.
- If the island also serves as a bar with stools, stay at the top of the range (80 cm): when seated, you look underneath.
- If the extractor hood is built into the island or into the ceiling directly above, check that the pendants do not obstruct it.
Adjustable cables let you fine-tune after installation: the Rustia pendant, compact with its wooden head, adjusts along 170 cm of cable, precisely so it can hang low above a counter.
How many pendants?
One pendant for every 60 to 80 cm of island, keeping 15 to 20 cm between the end of the island and the vertical line of the first one.
| Island length | Number of pendants | Centre-to-centre spacing |
|---|---|---|
| 1.20 to 1.50 m | 2 | 60 to 70 cm |
| 1.60 to 2.10 m | 3 | 60 to 75 cm |
| 2.20 to 2.80 m | 3 to 4 | 65 to 75 cm |
| 3 m and above | 4 or a long bar | 70 to 80 cm |
An odd number (three) is easier to centre and looks more natural; two pendants suit small islands and very minimalist kitchens. For effortless alignment, a model sold with several heads on a single mount, such as the Aureva milky glass pendant, available with 1, 2 or 3 heads, avoids drilling three times.
What diameter?
Small pendants, 15 to 30 cm, spaced out. Beyond 35 cm, two pendants almost touch and block the view. Spacing is calculated centre to centre, but check that at least 30 cm of empty space remains between two shades.
A glass globe such as Glazo, in 15 or 20 cm, repeats well; a small stone piece such as the Trava travertine pendant, from our marble and stone lights, brings material without volume.
A bar rather than several points?
When the ceiling has only one electrical outlet above the island, a linear pendant settles the matter: a single fixing, several heads spread out. The Arcova pendant, a bar with arches and downward-facing spots, comes with 2 to 6 heads and is centred on the island like a single piece. Choose a bar length equal to two-thirds of the island.
What light for cooking?
- Temperature: 3,000 K if the kitchen is open onto the living room (continuity with the warm light of the living area), 3,500 to 4,000 K if it is a separate room and you cook a lot. See Which colour temperature to choose, room by room.
- Quantity: 300 lumens per metre of island at minimum, 500 if the island is the only chopping surface. With three pendants over 2 m, 400 lumens each is enough.
- Direction: shades open at the bottom light the worktop; closed diffusers (opal, milky glass) also light the room and glare less. On an island bar, prefer the latter.
- Colour rendering: CRI 90 to judge how meat is cooking or how fresh a fish is.
Pendants provide the ambient and task light for the island; for worktops against the wall, add LED strip lights under the wall cabinets.
Common mistakes
- A single large pendant. It lights the centre and leaves the ends, where you chop, in shadow.
- Pendants hung too low. Below 65 cm, you bump into them when cleaning and the stools lose their view.
- Badly placed cable outlets. Measure the island before the electrician comes, and mark the centre lines on the ceiling. Moving them afterwards is expensive.
- Bare bulbs above a bar. When seated, you see them. Diffuser or frosted bulb.
- Mixing whites. 4,000 K above the island and 2,700 K in the rest of the open-plan room is immediately noticeable.
Frequently asked questions
How many pendants for a 2 m island?
Three, spaced about 65 cm apart, the first and last 35 cm from the ends. Two 25 to 30 cm pendants also work if you prefer a more understated look.
How high should a pendant hang above an island with a 2.40 m ceiling?
Still 70 to 80 cm above the worktop, so the bottom of the light at 1.60 m from the floor: that leaves 80 cm of cable, which is fine. Choose compact models, no more than 25 cm tall.
Should the pendants be centred on the island or on the chopping area?
On the island, for visual balance. If the sink or the hob occupies one end, shift the nearest pendant slightly so it falls on the work area, without exceeding 10 cm.
Can you put pendants of different colours above an island?
Yes, with the same model in two similar shades, for example amber and gold. Avoid three different shapes: the island would become a display case.
To remember: two or three small pendants, 70 to 80 cm above the worktop, 60 to 75 cm apart, and a light of 3,000 to 4,000 K. To choose them, browse our kitchen lights and our pendant lights, and read our diameter guide: What diameter for a pendant or ceiling light, room by room.