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Lighting
5 products
A kitchen needs bright, honest light where food is prepared and something softer where it is eaten, and one ceiling fitting cannot do both. The pendants here are for the second job — over an island, a peninsula or a table — where a hanging fitting puts the light on the surface instead of on the whole room.
The range covers the Lenno large gold pendant, the Wyra black framed pendant, the Solara orb, and two fittings with three switchable colour temperatures, which lets the same light be warm in the evening and neutral for cooking. Prices run £58 to £299, and drops reach 155cm.
Pendant Light with Three Colour Temperatures, Silver | Kaiku
From £58
Wyra Black Finish Frame Pendant light | Kaiku
From £62
Pendant Light with Three Colour Temperatures, Gold | Kaiku
From £65
Lenno Large Gold Pendant Light | Kaiku
From £77
Solara Orb Pendant Ceiling Light | Kaiku
From £299
How to choose
Hang the bottom of the shade 75 to 90cm above the worktop or table. Higher and the light spreads and stops being useful; lower and it is in the eyeline of anyone sitting across from you.
For an island, use two or three pendants rather than one. Space them evenly along the length with about 60 to 75cm between centres, and keep 30cm clear at each end so the run reads as deliberate.
Pick colour temperature by what happens under the light. Around 3000K is right over a dining table; 4000K is genuinely better over a chopping surface. Where the same pendant does both, a three-temperature fitting is the honest answer rather than a compromise.
Check the drop against your ceiling. Most of these fittings adjust, but the maximum drop matters in a room with a high or a sloped ceiling, and the minimum matters under 2.4m. Kitchen pendants are hard-wired to a ceiling rose, so unless there is already a fitting in the right place this is electrician's work.
Common questions
- How high should a kitchen pendant hang?
- 75 to 90cm from the bottom of the shade to the worktop or table. That keeps the light on the surface and out of the eyeline of anyone sitting opposite.
- How many pendants over an island?
- Two or three, spaced 60 to 75cm apart with about 30cm clear at each end. A single pendant over a long island lights the middle and leaves both ends dim.
- What colour temperature for a kitchen?
- 3000K over a table, 4000K over a work surface. A fitting with switchable colour temperatures covers both, which is why two of the pendants here offer three settings.
- Can I fit a pendant myself?
- Only by replacing an existing ceiling fitting on a like-for-like basis. Moving or adding a light point is notifiable work — use a qualified electrician, and have them check the ceiling can carry the weight, which each product page lists.