Kitchen islands are where most people first think seriously about lighting, and where the most money gets spent on the wrong thing. The decisions are simpler than they look.
In short. Drop — 800mm above the worktop · Spacing — 700 to 800mm centres · Number — three over a 2m island, two over 1.5m · Overhang — keep 300mm clear at each end
How high
The bottom of the shade wants to be about 800mm above the worktop. Higher and the light spreads thin; lower and you are looking at a bulb across the room, and someone will hit their head serving.
If your ceiling is over 2.7m you can go a little higher — 850mm — without losing the effect. Under 2.4m, consider a flush fitting instead and put the character somewhere else.
How many, and how far apart
Work from the island, not the ceiling. Leave about 300mm clear at each end, then divide what is left. On a two-metre island that gives you three pendants at roughly 700mm centres. On 1.5m, two.
Space them evenly and centre the run on the island, not on the room. If the island is off-centre in the room, the lights should be off-centre too — they belong to the island.
What the light is actually for
Pendants over an island are task lighting pretending to be decoration. They light the worktop and they look good doing it, but they will not light the room. You still need something else — usually a mix of under-cabinet lighting for the run and something soft for the evening.
Dimming
Worth doing. An island is a chopping board at 7am and a place to sit at 9pm, and the same brightness does not suit both. Use a trailing-edge dimmer and a bulb we have tested — the usual cause of flicker is an untested LED, not the dimmer.