#How to Light a Kitchen Island

Expert tips on the best fixtures and where to place them

The kitchen island is one of the hardest-working and most versatile spots in a home, employed for food prep, cooking, family time, and homework sessions. For advice on picking the right fixtures for this area as well as how and where to hang them we turned to Shelley Wald, president of WAC Lighting. a leader in LED technology and creator of a vast range of lighting designs. Read on for her tips on grouping pendants, bringing sparkle into your kitchen, and why layering lighting is key.

YLighting: What should you keep in mind when you re coming up with a kitchen-island lighting plan?

Shelley Wald: You want to select lighting that will complement the range of functions performed here, from chopping vegetables, to reading recipes, to entertaining and family time. An optimal lighting plan provides the ability to control brightness for these various tasks, while enhancing the overall design and providing visual cues about the central importance of this space in the kitchen. Also, make sure you have dimmers so you can adjust the mood.

YL: What lighting works best for illuminating kitchen islands?

SW: Pendants fit the bill for task and decorative needs, but people often go too small with them. Consider using two of these rather than one, and also think about a larger size to achieve a more upscale style. Clusters of smaller pendants arranged in either a traditional line or clustered at various hanging heights can create an impressive display perfectly scaled for the island. WAC s Genesis 12 Light Mirrored Canopy Pendant is great for this application, and introduces a piece of art in your kitchen.

Vela OLED Chandelier by Modern Forms

YL: Pendants are clearly popular here, but what other design options should people consider?

SW: For longer and deeper counters, you can try one or more large and linear chandeliers, such as the aluminum OLED Vela. Another approach is a cluster of LED Beauty Spots, which offer a low profile and a pop of glamour, without interrupting the view.

YL: What about recessed lighting?

SW: If you don t want anything hanging over your island, recessed lighting works perfectly. It offers a more concealed light source, while maintaining the appropriate illumination for all tasks. I recommend the Tesla High Output recessed down lights in 2- or 3.5-inch sizes.

However, it s good to think of your lighting plan three-dimensionally, and ways to layer it. Recessed lighting will provide continuous illumination across the kitchen while helping to highlight any decorative fixtures over the island. If the pendants are shiny such as the Roxy pendant. which creates sparkles with no glare recessed lighting shows them at their best.

Roxy Quick Connect Pendant Light by WAC Lighting

Genesis 12 Light Mirrored Canopy Pendant by WAC Lighting

YL: What about LEDs for kitchen-island lighting?

SW: I m partial to LEDs, and with the technology providing directional illumination and higher lumen output decorative chandeliers and pendants can now be utilized over the kitchen island for task lighting. A favorite of mine from Modern Forms is the Soleil pendant .

Soleil 18in Pendant Light by Modern Forms

YL: What is the proper height to hang kitchen-island lighting and where do you position it?

SW: The rule of thumb is to suspend it 28 to 34 inches above the island. As for positioning, centering the lighting is most common and offers even light distribution. If it s not centered you have to be sure you have adequate lighting on the surface from other luminaires.

YL: Any advice on picking the right bulbs, in terms of wattage, brightness, warmth versus coolness, and so on?

SW: LED luminaires are the most effective as they keep wattage at a minimum while delivering the high lumen output needed for task lighting. As a point of comparison, 50 incandescent watts is comparable to around 800 lumens of unshielded light from LEDs.

Line dwelLED Pendant Light by WAC Lighting

For a typical kitchen, you would go with a warmer color temperature such as 2700K-3500K, as this will create a more welcoming feel. If you have warm wood tones in your kitchen, go lower; for cooler colors, pick a bulb that s higher in that range.

A great fixture for kitchens is WAC s LINE collection, which uses advanced glare-free technology in 2700K and 3000K color temperature options. We re offering a pendant option that we introduced on YLighting.

Jamie Gillin

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