A pendant light fixture above an island provides task lighting for your table or kitchen countertops.
These pendants are not meant to illuminate the entire room but provide specific lighting for the task at hand. Similarly, pendant light fixtures are a great way to bring some design appeal to your kitchen or dining room.
However, not everyone loves pendant lights. One of my best friends hates pendants because she thinks they may obstruct her view. Also, she is tall somewhere near 6 ft, and is afraid of bouncing into these fixtures.
Others dislike the design of pendant lights. No matter your reason for not liking these fixtures, you’ll need an alternative to provide you with much-needed task lighting.
What Are Pendant Lights?
So, what is pendant lights? According to The Spruce:
A pendant light is a light fixture that is mounted to the ceiling and hangs down from the ceiling on a rod, chain or, sometimes, on a few chains. It’s suspended like the pendant on a necklace, and that’s where it gets its name.
(How Pendant Lights Are Used in Different Rooms in Homes and Workplaces, 2021)
They also outlined the difference between a chandelier and a pendant light. They claim a pendant feature one bulb while a chandelier has multiple bulbs.
With that said, I will provide an excellent chandelier option however, if you don’t enjoy hanging fixtures you can opt for flush mounts, semi-flush-mounts or even lamps.
Bulb Temperature For Task Lighting
Bulb color temperature is also very important when choosing these light, since you’ll need all the light you can get. With pendant lights, 2700K bulbs with dimmable features are your best bet.
Therefore, when buying fixtures for the lights of your choice, consider getting LEDs bulbs measuring 2700 on the Kelvin range. Phillips Hue is always a good choice but, there are cheaper options available.
The recessed pots lighting in your ceiling will not provide you with enough lighting to illuminate your entire kitchen. Hence, after doing some research to help out my lovely friend, I found four alternatives for pendant lights I will love to share with you.
Hile Lighting KU300107 Crystal Chandeliers
This chandelier is affordable, it features solid and durable pieces. It takes some time and patience to install, but it is worth your patience because the results are stunning. It mounts to your ceiling and there are no hanging chains.
With a dimmer switch, you can adjust the brightness to cater to whichever task you are doing at the time. The Hile chandelier does not come with bulbs, so you’ll need to purchase those separately. This is a good thing since you will have better control when choosing your bulb temperature.
CO-Z Modern Table Lamp
The Architectural Digest wrote an amazing article on adding table lamps to kitchen counters: “The Case for Bringing Table Lamps Into the Kitchen”. They stated table lamp add that soft and inviting glow to your kitchen. Instead of hanging pendants, use table lamps to give your kitchen task or ambient lighting.
It is a new trend, and many interior designers have tried this already. If the lamp cord is a problem, you can always coordinate with your electrician or place the lamps near an outlet. Further, the CO-Z is an excellent choice because of its modern, but minimal design.
Oneach 25.8” Modern Table Lamps
The Oneach is another perfect lamp for your kitchen counter to add a focus lamp when prepping food and eating. It features a USB cord for charging while cooking and offers a simple design that coplements every style.
With hundreds of customer praises, it gives your room a cosy and warm atmosphere. Place each lamp on either side of your counter for even lighting. Because you are not using a pendant light, you don’t have to follow the 30-34 inching spacing rule.
Pynsseu Industrial Ceiling Light
This lamp has a modern shape that should fit in with most kitchen design. You can use two bulbs that will give you sufficient light for cooking and eating. There are many choices for bulbs, but daylight Edison bulbs will elevate the look.
Here are a few of my favorite pendant lights alternative. While it is a popular option to add these fixtures alongside an island, you don’t have to. Once you use one or more of the choices above, you can achieve task lighting.
