55 Beautiful Hanging Pendant Lights For Your Kitchen Island

Modern pendant lights are quickly becoming fascinating works of art. Apart from offering ample illumination, they seem to bring along with them beautiful balance and contemporary style. With an amazing array of pendant light designs now on offer, the lighting above your kitchen island need not look dull and boring anymore. While there are several lighting options available for every kitchen, elegant pendant lights that offer much needed ‘task lighting’ clearly steal the show.

Logico Pendant Lights over the kitchen island look like floating pieces of modern art

They not only give you the right illumination that allows you to get the work done on the kitchen countertop, but also act as great décor additions even during daytime. When natural ventilation takes over, pendant lights still seem to retain their enigmatic charm. Here are some interesting and exception design ideas and inspirations that will hopefully spur you to add pendant lighting above your kitchen island as well.

Delve in for a dazzling display —

Alita Champagne Pendants over the kitchen island look more like fascinating works of art!

by Grace Blu Designs

Ambient lighting compliments pendant lights above the kitchen island

Arteriors Caviar Pendant lights offer a gorgeous textural and visual contrast to this kitchen in Chicago

by Heritage Luxury Builders

Divine looking pendant lights brighten up this otherwise dark kitchen — Beautiful pendant lights brighten up this otherwise dark kitchen

by Isabel Beattie

Ergonomic kitchen with a touch of minimalism

Gorgeous modern kitchen with beautiful use of pendant lights

by Jenny Carter

Transperant and soothing pendant lights for a vintage kitchen — Transparent and soothing pendant lights for a vintage kitchen

by Emily Winters

Sonneman Zylinder Lights make for the perfect modern island pendants

by Melissa Miranda Interior Design

Stunning modern kitchen in pristine white where pendant lights take a rare backseat

by Pickell Architecture

A Balance of Elements

Using pendant lights is all about getting the right balance between the various elements that one uses and the texture of different surfaces in the kitchen. A kitchen employs wide variety of surfaces, shelf designs and metallic tinges. This is something unique and exclusive to this part of the home. The right pendant lights are those that simply blend into the existing setting.

Cube pendants for those opting for a sleek and minimalist look

by Kenneth Fromme

White kitchen with a large island and dark contrasting countertop — White kitchen with a large island and dark contrasting counter-top

by Martha O’Hara Interiors

Sleek kitchen in black and white with lovely pendant lighting

Sleek and stylish pendant lights can complement your kitchen’s Shaker Cabinets which disappear into the walls. There are others that match the metallic tinges of aluminum surfaces and shiny kitchen countertops to offer a sense of continuity. An essential thing to remember is that there is no ‘one solution that fits all’.

Charming kitchen space with green hues and low-hanging pendant lighting

by Whitten Architects

Clemson Classic Pendant lights for a classic kitchen design

by Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc

Compact kitchen island with two large Grosvenor One-Light Pendants

Delicate Eureka Snowlab glass pendant lights above a marble counter

by Artistic Designs for Living

Large single pendant light above a small kitchen counter looks like a modern chandelier

by Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath

L-shaped kitchen island lit gorgeously using Alita pendant lights

Mercury glass pendants make a fine addition to this elegant white kitchen with a touch of green

by Van Zee Design Interiors

Modern kitchen in white with pendant lights in even number

Stylish metal pendant lights above kitchen island with marble countertop

by Carolina Kitchens

A Splash of Color With An Exciting Twist

Pendant lighting is an interesting and fun way to add a bit of color in the kitchen. Since most contemporary kitchens prefer a minimalistic and highly ergonomic design, they can at times appear too sterile. A dash of vivid color in the form of exceptional pendant lights that sport an inimitable design can break the monotony. They also offer some flowing curves in a kitchen that otherwise sports only ‘clean and well defined’ lines.

Colorful pendant lights accentuate the red and yellow hues in the kitchen

Luma pendant lights with an orange hue complement the rest of the kitchen

by AB HOME Interiors

Red glass pendant lights add a touch of color to this kitchen

Vivacious and colorful pendant lighting for a playful look

by Don F. Wong

Bright red pendant lights offer a vivid contrast to this largely neutral kitchen

by Harrell Remodeling

Eclectic modern kitchen with beautiful use of pendant lighting above the island

Inner Fire pendant lights in blue brighten up this kitchen space

Pendant lights with a traditional touch above a glazed marble kitchen island

by Hostetler Custom Cabinetry

Classy pendant lights that also double up as lovely decor additions during daytime

by Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders

The Rule of Threes

For those who follow interior design closely, the ‘Rule of Threes’ is something pretty familiar and basic. In case you haven’t heard of it yet, it simply states that any design element needs to be repeated three times to pull off both visual impact and balance. Most people do tend to us the rule of threes pretty blindly when it comes to pendant lights over a kitchen island. But there is more to the number of pendant lights that one must utilize than this.

Exquisite modern kitchen in white and brown with sleek pendant lights above the kitchen island

by John Maniscalco Architecture

Pavia pendant lights illuminate this kitchen counter in black marble

by Turn Collaborative

Contemporary kitchen with Darien Metal Pendants over the kitchen island

by Shuffle Interiors

It is best to take into account the size of the kitchen island, the amount of illumination each pendant light offers and the size of the lighting units themselves. For a small kitchen island, two large pendant lights might be pretty sufficient. Sometimes, a large chandelier-styled design works. Yet, it is undeniable that a repetition in odd numbers works best.

Benson pendant lights bring an antique touch to this modern white kitchen

by Linda McDougald Design

Copper pendant lights above the kitchen island for a touch of steampunk!

by Witt Construction

Custom designed kitchen island with pendant lights bring in a classic appeal

by Eagle Designs and Woodworking

Dazzling pendant lights above a white kitchen island with dark granite top

by Becki Peckham

Elegant modern kitchen with lovely pendant lighting and an oriental touch

by Kitchen Designs by Ken Kelly

Harmon Pendant Lights bring in a vintage industrial look

by The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn

Handblown Meridian pendant lights give this kitchen a modern touch — Hand-blown Meridian pendant lights give this kitchen a modern touch

by Boor Bridges Architecture

Long kitchen island with marble countertop lit up using Benson pendant lights

by Michael Robert Construction

Pendant lights combined with track lighting to offer uniform illumination

by DzignIT

Functional and Decorative Lighting

Unlike your bedroom and living area, a kitchen is a place where you get plenty of work done. This makes lighting an even more significant factor in this particular part of your home. Lighting in the kitchen goes way beyond being simply an aesthetic draw. You need proper functionality to go along with the decorative aspect and pendant lights really help in achieving this essential and at times, elusive blend.

Pendant lights that blend in with the pattern of the kitchen island top

by Robin Straub

Stripped pendant spheres steal the show in this organized kitchen

by Witt Construction

Beautifully illuminated kitchen sports a couple of cool pendant lights

by Great Spaces!

Pendant lights seem like natural and expected additions to any modern kitchen. When used in the right manner they transform even an old and dingy space into a bright and beautiful area. Few décor additions give such a distinctive personality makeover with such relative ease. So, are you tempted to see your kitchen in a whole new light?