Kitchens with Pendant Lighting

February 19, 2016
Credit: Alise O'Brien
Pendant lighting in your kitchen can be both practical and beautiful. Find ideas here about what styles, shapes, and colors of the fixtures will be best for your kitchen design.
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Stainless-Steel Pendants

Credit: Jean Allsopp

Pendant lighting comes in a plethora of shapes, styles, and colors, making it easy for you to find the perfect lighting for your kitchen.

Here, a trio of lights hang above the center island and provide ample lighting for a casual mealtime or dinner preparation. The style fits perfectly with the space's cottage-meets-contemporary feel, and the stainless-steel accents blend beautifully with the appliances and hardware.

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Style Your Kitchen With Pendant Lighting

Credit: Lincoln Barbour

In this kitchen, two matching pendant lights hang above the center island as the finishing touch for the food-prep or casual dining area. The unique shape and contrasting color add aesthetic appeal.

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Stylish Pendant Lights

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Use pendant lighting to add a unique touch to your kitchen. Here, style is added through a pair of shapely pendants hung low above the breakfast bar. The organic shape and unique texture of the lights contrast beautifully with the kitchen's dark cabinets and polished-marble countertops.

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Glowing Pendant Lighting

Credit: John Bessler

These pendant lights hang above the island to give an extra glow. The lights, wrapped with shiny gold shades, are sleek and stylish without becoming too dramatic against the colorful backdrop of cabinetry. The added light beckons visitors to gather in the kitchen's cozy atmosphere.

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Pendant Lighting for a Traditional Kitchen

Credit: Werner Straube

This traditional kitchen has contemporary touches, such as modern appliances and sleek wood flooring. The pendant lights above the island prove as the perfect finishing touch. The stylish shades are lined with gold, which casts a warm glow throughout the work space.

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Pendant Lights for High Ceilings

Credit: King Au

Open-beam ceilings are often the perfect backdrop for pendant lighting in the kitchen. Here, lights hang from high beams to bring style to the room. For tall ceilings, make sure that your lights hang low enough to provide sufficient lighting and to look aesthetically pleasing.

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One Unit, Three Pendants

Credit: Andreas Trauttmansdorff

A trio of pendant lights hang from intricate gold framework in this pretty kitchen. The white shades and gold frame blend perfectly with the room's color scheme and traditional vibe. The pendant light fixture also draws the eye upward, which emphasizes the room's vaulted ceiling.

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Contemporary Fixtures

Credit: Werner Straube

Streamlined to the very last detail, this contemporary kitchen packs a punch with efficiency and style. Clusters of pendant lights drip down from the tall ceiling to illuminate the island work zone. The sleek, modern pendants blend effortlessly with the kitchen's clean-lined look.

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Disc-Shape Pendants

Credit: Susan Gilmore

Here, disc-shape pendant lights hang low from the ceiling to illuminate the countertop and sink area. The fluted white shades blend well with the kitchen's delicate, refined look.

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Sparkling Pendant Lights

Credit: Jean Allsopp

This small kitchen boasts a variety of textures and finishes, right down to the lighting above the island. A pair of sparkly pendant lights suspended above the island prep space provides needed task lighting and gives the kitchen another layer of texture and style. The suspension wires were wrapped with rope to conceal the unattractive hardware.

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Colorful Pendants

Credit: Reed Davis

In this kitchen, curved pendant lights add to the fun, relaxed style of the room. The striking yellow color contrasts with the dark island base, and the shape echoes other curves throughout the space. The splash of color guides the eye upward, which emphasizes the dramatic vaulted ceiling.

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Out-of-the-Way Pendants

Credit: Werner Straube

These shimmering, chandelier-style pendant lights hang a short distance from the kitchen's ceiling, which helps to visually heighten the room. Although they're closer to the ceiling than some pendants in other kitchens, these are hung low enough to provide adequate lighting to the island prep zone and dining space.

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Contrast with Pendant Lighting

Credit: John Bessler

Add a twist to the pendant lighting in your kitchen by using two different types of hanging lights. Here, kitchen track lighting ensures that every work area is well-lit. Directly above the casual dining space, two glass pendant lights hang slightly lower to cast a warm glow.

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Lantern-Style Pendant Light

Credit: Emily Followill

A lantern-style fixture hung above this kitchen's tiny island provides adequate lighting for the dainty work space. The dark color accentuates the grain of the wooden island and flooring. A pair of differently shaped pendants above the sink illuminate that area and lend a splash of contrast.

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Brushed-Metal Pendants

Credit: Dana Gallagher

This casual eating space is the picture of perfection, with brushed-metal pendant lighting that mirrors the kitchen appliances. The finish of the pendant lights also blends well with the room's relaxed cottage vibe.

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Colorful Glass Pendants

Credit: Michael Partenio

In this kitchen, two types of pendant lights work together: Tubelike glass pendants hang low above the island, while a disc-shape glass pendant illuminates the sink area. The watery blue color of the lights adds a splash of personality and fun.

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Pendant Lighting Combo

Credit: James R. Salomon

Use two types of pendants for a custom lighting look. In this kitchen, a pendant light with a large patterned drum shade hangs above the small island, while a series of smaller frosted-glass pendants are suspended above the nearby countertop. Both lighting options blend well with the kitchen's relaxed, traditional look.

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Pendants Emphasize the Ceiling

Credit: Richard Leo Johnson

Coffered ceilings are a beautiful architectural detail of many homes. If your kitchen boasts a stylish ceiling like this one, draw the eye upward with an array of pendant lights. The dark brushed-metal finish of these lights lend contrast to the weathered-wood ceiling, but their shape blends well with the room's cozy farmhouse vibe.

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Lighting Above the Island

Credit: Jean Allsopp

Two oversize pendant lights hang above this island and enhance the ambience of the room. The woven wicker shades contrast with the kitchen's sleek-lined aesthetic, and they also blend well with the stone flooring and the rustic wood grain on the cabinetry.

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Glass Pendant Lights

Credit: Edmund Barr

A trio of clear glass pendant lights suspended from a weathered wooden ceiling beam look airy and light in this kitchen. The lights are hung low above the island, offering plenty of task lighting for food prep and mealtime. When they're not lit, the glass pendants become practically invisible.

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Dainty Pendants, Big Style

Credit: Alise O'Brien

Three tiny pendant lights add oodles of style to this traditional kitchen. The pendants' shades provide an intricate quilted pattern and give the kitchen's classic decor a splash of sparkly bling. The metal shades also blend well with the room's modern stainless-steel appliances.

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