Pendant Light Above Island Without Seating

Long title. Easy concept. Can you put pendant lights above an island without seating? We are slowly working through our impromptu kitchen renovation. A few weeks ago while plotting improvements, I wondered if we could move the pendant light in our kitchen to the space above the island even though it’s small with no seating.

Our Kitchen

The pendant light in our kitchen was originally a fluorescent light box (yuck) which we quickly replaced less than a week after moving in. While I liked the pendant that we selected, the positioning felt awkward right above the cabinets in such a slim place. I wondered if there was a way to push the pendant above the island. I’d never seen this for an island as small as ours or an island without any seating. I obviously took to Pinterest.

Inspiration Photos of Pendant Lights Without Seating

Source: (Pinterest)

Source: (Pinterest)

Source: (Pinterest)

It was possible! While we were going to move the light above the island, minnaswhale freshen the light to a new fixture and add the recess lighting that Marcus was dreaming of.

Finding the Right Pendant Light

So I took to the internet to hunt down a pendant light. I wanted one that felt retro, fun but also special without clashing with any of the colors we already had. Even though, I know several colors will change. Apparently that was a tall order until I saw the Melrose pendant from Serena and Lily which was love at first sight. Hubba hubba. But with a $998 price tag and a 19″ diameter, this lady love was out of my league.

Knowing how much I loved this pendant though gave me a really great starting point for what I actually wanted. Which leads me to our actual pick, the navy pendant depot light from Pottery Barn Kids for the low low price of $50.99 each.

 I constantly tell people not to sleep on Pottery Barn Kids and Teens. if you look at many of the pieces out of the context of the great children’s room styling, its possible to enjoy them in adult spaces. Especially since them being children’s purchase usually means instant whimsy. I instantly added two to the cart and didn’t look back.

Installation of New Lighting

Confession time: this was not a DIY project. I have no problem doing electrical but when it come to complex projects -which I consider adding four canned lights to be- we hire out. And boy do I have no regrets. This is a project that Marcus managed while I went to work and the installers were there from 9am to 2pm. If it took professionals that long, how long would it have taken little ole me by myself?

They got the lights in and it feels like a brand new space. We get pretty good natural light in the kitchen, thanks to a really great bank of windows in the breakfast area in here, but  its never felt this bright and light in the kitchen. The bulbs that we previously had on the 3-light pendant were sleepy, warm Edison bulbs while these recessed lights are bright white and clean.

I gotta say, Marcus pushing to have this added to our project list was a brilliant idea. It isn’t one that I felt moved to do. I wanted new pendant lights but I certainly wasn’t plotting on recessed lights. But Marcus was totally right and this came out better than I expected. So there you have it, a before and after that we had no plan for. You can add pendant lights about an island with no seating. We may evaluate that later on but for now, we are thrilled with the change.