Pendant lights are the ideal option for whatever your unique aesthetic is. When it comes to lighting, the kitchen requires the most attention; after all, it is the heart of most houses nowadays. There are thousands of different pendant lights available for practical use on the internet, but why not go the additional mile and choose one that provides a warm yet elegant kitchen that people want to spend time in?

Lighting is essential whether you’re sitting at your kitchen island with a glass of red or spending precious time with your family over a memorable supper. It provides a welcoming, romantic, and joyful ambiance, serving a practical purpose. So when it comes to mixing practicality with a designer appeal, kitchen pendant lights are the greatest place to start. Here’s what you must learn about pendant lights.

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We are a full-service interior remodeling company based in Orange County. As a one-stop-shop for your flooring, bath, and kitchen remodeling, we provide our clients with a complete package including design, materials, removing installation, and in-house construction labor.

What Are Pendant Lights?

A pendant light, in general, is a single light fixture that hangs from your ceiling. Because they’re frequently suspended by a chain, string, or metal rod, they’re also known as suspenders or drops. They’re usually strung in a straight line over dinette tables or kitchen worktops and occasionally in restrooms. 

Billiard lights or island lights are larger pendant fixtures with long fluorescent lights or a couple of incandescent bulbs.

Choosing Pendant Lights for your Room

Task, accent, ambient, and decorative lighting are the four primary types of lighting. You’ll be able to pick your pendant fixture more easily if you know which one you truly need for your room.

Task Lighting

This illumination lights a specific region to let you work more efficiently.

If you want your pendants to assist in illuminating kitchen duties like chopping (or brightening the pages of a cookbook), choose a fixture that directs light downward, preferably with an open or translucent bottom to allow a lot of light in.

Remember that a bright spotlight might result when open-bottom fixtures are combined with powerful lights. Try using a lower-output bulb or installing a dimmer if a unit’s light is too intense.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is general lighting that softly brightens a room or region rather than focusing on a specific location (the polar opposite of task lighting). Bigger isn’t necessarily better for pendants that can light the entire area. Huge pendant light with a single bulb will not provide more light than a small fixture with an identical bulb, so spread out the lights or use fixtures with numerous bulbs for an equal glow.

Draw inspiration from restaurant tables and use a dimmer light that creates an intimate ambiance if you use your island more for mingling and eating than prep work.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting draws attention to a particular design element, such as an artwork or a gorgeous material.

Pendant lighting isn’t often employed as a focused accent light in the same manner as a picture light would. But, on the other hand, A wash of light will assist bring out the varied tones of a gorgeous wood or stone countertop. Pinpoint lights may also enhance the gleam of flecked stone or polished metals.

Decorative Lighting

If your room already has enough light and all you want is a decorative fixture, go for a pendant light that glows softly. Without casting focused light, this will make a tremendous impression.

Because the fixture might fall into more than one category, it’s crucial to determine what it’ll be used for. Remember that the greater the area you wish to illuminate, the larger the pendant should be. A miniature pendant above a sink or desk may be pretty effective. You can cluster smaller pendants together or hang a pendant with three or more lights over a kitchen island or dining room table.

How to Install Kitchen Pendant Lighting

Installing pendant lights yourself might be difficult, so it’s better to leave it to the pros.

However, there are a few things to think about and measures you can do to make the process go more smoothly:

• They usually dangle from 30 to 36 inches over kitchen countertops, regardless of whether you have high ceilings or not. (This guarantees that the lights in your kitchen don’t get in the way of your culinary tasks or block vistas.)
• If you’re hanging lights over a dining table in your dining room, hang them about 30 inches above the table.
• measure twice and then measure again!
• Choose your lights and the bulbs that will go with them with care.
• Calculate the distance between the lights you desire.
• To ensure your lights don’t get in the way, measure the height that will work for you.
• Kitchen pendant lights should increase the natural light in the space once fitted.
• They should also blend in seamlessly with your home decor, whether rustic, farmhouse, elegant, or sleek and modern.

Style of your pendant lighting

Pendant lights come in various forms and shapes, it’s one of their best features. If the light fixture has a significant presence in the space, you can choose any style that matches your interior décor and tastes. Metal, concrete, glass, and plastic are all options. Modern pendants are frequently chrome and glass for a sleek appearance and might be energy-saving low voltage variants. Transitional or classic shaded chandeliers are another choice. Glass orbs and shades can be used to create a vintage effect. On the other hand, translucent glass shades decrease glare, can be distracting when you are working.

Most lighting stores allow you to personalize fixtures, so choose shades that exactly match your lighting requirements and kitchen decor.

Color of Pendant Lighting

When it comes to picking the color of your pendant light, every prior decision you’ve made in your kitchen may influence your choices. For example, if your kitchen is primarily neutral, you’ll want to add some color to brighten things up. If this is the case, your kitchen pendant lights are a terrific way to do just that. On the other hand, if you’re happy with the colors in your kitchen, a pendant light color that blends in will work well.

Globe brightness for pendant lighting

You should evaluate the brightness you require from your pendant lighting before purchasing it; you may have additional downlights to switch on when cooking, but you may need to utilize your pendant lighting as job lighting above your island bench. A limited number of pendant lights will have built-in LEDs, which means you won’t be able to change the globe to brighten it if necessary. On the other hand, most pendant lights will accept an E27 Edison screw, which is excellent since you can adjust the brightness as needed and replace the globe when it dies. A 3000k or 4000k temperature is ideal for kitchen pendant lighting. Consider going overboard with the brightness of the globe and using a dimmer to achieve the perfect shine.

Some Thoughts on Style

Pendant lights are not always the only visible hanging fixture in a room with an open concept and adjacent dining table. In this scenario, it’s common for the pendant lights to make a more modest impression while a spectacular pendant or chandelier takes center stage. You may mix and match your pendants in different rooms or contrast them. However, it’s often safer to limit yourself to only two varieties of pendants (such as a simple pendant and a chandelier style).

When contrasting pendant types, especially when they’re near together, choose a comparable or matching metal finish, or another common material, so the lights have some connection. This will make the contrast appear deliberate and thoughtful, especially in a more conventional setting. You might also try tying your lights to other objects in the room. For example, consider utilizing a brass or copper finish on your lighting and duplicating it on your cabinet knobs (or a beautiful faucet), or even pulling up colors from unrelated products such as chairs, linens, or tiles. The whole design idea appears to be incorporated in a pleasant, modern approach due to this.

Conclusion

When choosing pendant lights for your kitchen, consider whether or not they will be used for task lighting. Is there any ambient lighting? Or perhaps some ornamental lighting? Plan your kitchen lighting based on this response. Don’t be scared to go all out and make your pick the kitchen star. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need assistance choosing the appropriate pendant lighting for your kitchen. 

Source:

Tips In Choosing Kitchen Pendant Lights. (2020, February 1). Architecture Art Designs. https://www.architectureartdesigns.com/tips-in-choosing-kitchen-pendant-lights/.

Kitchen Pendant Lighting Tips You Need To Know. (2021, June 10). The Zhush.
https://thezhush.com/kitchen-pendant-lighting-tips/.