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how far should a pendant light hang over a sink

by Abbigail Wilderman Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The rule of thumb for the placement of pendant lights over the kitchen sink or for placing hanging lights above tables and countertops is a range of 30 to 40 inches from the surface to be illuminated to the bottom of the fixture.

How far should a pendant light be from a kitchen sink?

Ideally, for a standard size kitchen sink, the pendant lights are placed at a distance of 4 to 6 inches away from the wall so that it does not come in the way while doing work near the sink. see image below for reference. Not all kitchen sinks are identical.

How high should a pendant light hang from the ceiling?

To qualify as a pendant light, the fixture must hang more than 6 inches from the ceiling. Whether you're suspending the light over your kitchen or bathroom sink, the fixture should provide plenty of illumination without getting in your way.

How many pendants should I hang from my kitchen countertop?

Three pendants can hang with one over the center of the counter and the other two on the quarter lines. Two pendants can hang over a shorter island equidistant from the center. Depending on the style of the pendant you choose, you may want to use soft-glow light bulbs or else install the pendant lights on a dimmer switch.

Where do you hang a pendant light over a bathroom vanity?

In bathrooms, lighting designers generally hang pendants at eye level over the vanity to prevent unattractive shadows on the face. Most homeowners center the pendant over the sink, which works in most circumstances. Installing the fixture about 12 inches from the back wall will ensure fewer collisions.

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Where should pendant lights be placed over sink?

You want to leave 30 to 40 inches between the countertop and the bottom of the light fixture. And when you're doing that over the sink it's important to still start at the countertop, not the bottom of the sink. Pendants should hang about 12 to 20 inches below an 8-foot ceiling.

Can you put a pendant light above a kitchen sink?

If your kitchen does not have enough ambient light, you may certainly use task lights for your kitchen sink. Our suggestion is to hang a pendant light over your kitchen sink covered in a glass or acrylic. Ensure that the light does not hang too close to the sink allowing for sufficient working space.

Should I put a pendant light over the sink?

The writers at Briightens say that a pendant over a sink will provide plenty of light for the sink and adjacent work areas, but not so much elsewhere in the kitchen. As such, pendant lights should be spread out through the kitchen to ensure adequate illumination. In addition, consider glares and reflections.

How far from wall should pendant light over bathroom sink be?

General rule of thumb when placing basic downlights: 36" - 48" between the light and the wall.

How close can a light be to a sink?

Electrical sockets or switches should be fitted at a safe distance (it is recommended at least 30cm horizontally) from a sink to avoid the chance of water coming into contact with electricity. Sockets should also be easily accessible.

How far from wall should light over kitchen sink be?

While installing pendant lights over kitchen sink placing it at a proper distance from the walls is also important. Ideally, for a standard size kitchen sink, the pendant lights are placed at a distance of 4 to 6 inches away from the wall so that it does not come in the way while doing work near the sink.

How high should a pendant be above a vanity?

Over vanities, the bottom of the pendant should fall above the top of the mirror. Pendants placed to the side of the vanity mirror can hang slightly lower, but should still be above head height.

How high should pendant lights be above counter?

30 to 36 inches1 // THE RIGHT HEIGHT IS KEY When hanging pendant lights above a bar or a kitchen counter, allow for 30 to 36 inches of air space between counter and the bottom of the pendants. This is the most practical height, especially for pendants used for task lighting.

What should I put above my kitchen sink?

No Window Over Your Sink? No Problem! Here's What You Do Instead.Put up a mirror. A mirror is always going to be the next-best thing after a window. ... Hang some art. ... String up some plants. ... Go for open shelving. ... Install a fun backsplash.

How do you space pendant lights over a bathroom vanity?

If you intend on hanging the pendant light over a mirror, then you will want the light to just touch the top of the mirror. This will help to provide adequate lighting for shaving or makeup application. If you are hanging over a commode or vanity, you will want to hang the pendant light two feet from the ceiling.

How far from wall should pendant lights be?

You should hang it at least 4 feet away from any of the surrounding walls. You should also leave 7 feet of space from the floor to the bottom of the pendant. If your ceilings are above 8 feet tall, add an additional 2.5 to 3 inches for each foot.

How big should a bathroom pendant light be?

Your vanity light should be equally as big or smaller than the size of your bathroom vanity mirror. Ideally, it should cover about 3/4 of the mirror's width and approximately half its height. An appropriate vanity light size ensures your vanity space is well-lit.

What kind of light do you put above a kitchen sink?

Standard Lighting The National Kitchen and Bath Association recommends a basic recessed lighting fixture for over-the-sink lighting. If you have a nice view out of a window over your sink, or you just want an unobtrusive light, this type of illumination is the way to go.

What type of light goes above kitchen sink?

Recessed LightingRecessed Lighting Over a Kitchen Sink– A single recessed light is the most common type of light used over a sink. Recessed lights were installed over a sink as far back as the 70's but with a single incandescent bulb or a very hot spotlight.

How do you install a kitchen sink light?

0:145:55How to Install an Undercabinet LED Light Over a Sink - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNow before the cabinets were installed i ran a wire from the switch location up here and then theMoreNow before the cabinets were installed i ran a wire from the switch location up here and then the cabinet guy just stubbed this out from the wall.

Where should Can lights be placed in kitchen?

Aimed at the countertop edges, the lights will illuminate counter work areas or the sink, and avoid creating shadows by people standing at the counters working. Place your recessed downlights 12″ apart from each other and 12″ to 18″ away from any cabinets to illuminate counter areas.

Pendant Over-Sink Lighting

The exact height for a pendant light over a kitchen sink depends on the size of the sink, the ceiling height and other factors. The writers at Briightens say that a pendant over a sink will provide plenty of light for the sink and adjacent work areas, but not so much elsewhere in the kitchen.

Types of Over-the-Sink Pendants

Mini pendant lights are a good option for kitchen sinks since they come in small sizes and shapes to fit in spots where larger lights can't. However, they may use different types of bulbs that don't provide the light you need at the sink.

How high should a pendant light be from the ceiling?

To qualify as a pendant light, the fixture must hang more than 6 inches from the ceiling. Whether you're suspending the light over your kitchen or bathroom sink, the fixture should provide plenty of illumination without getting in your way. Your electrician will offer suggestions on the proper hanging height, but if you're installing ...

How tall should a kitchen sink be?

If you prefer to follow more general guidelines, designers use different rules for the kitchen and bathroom. If no very tall individuals will use your kitchen sink, allow at least 30 inches between the bottom of your light fixture and the counter surface. If the base cabinets in your kitchen stand less than 36 inches tall, ...

Can a glass pendant break?

Glass shades shatter on impact, so a low-hanging pendant could break if you accidentally knock the shade into your wall, window , mirror or another pendant lamp. If you install the fixture below eye level, you could bump the shade when you lean forward, setting the pendant in motion.

How far away should pendant lights be from the sink?

Ideally, for a standard size kitchen sink, the pendant lights are placed at a distance of 4 to 6 inches away from the wall so that it does not come in the way while doing work near the sink.

How big should a pendant light be over a kitchen sink?

Recommended size of pendant light over kitchen sink. The total square area of a kitchen sink is small. The width of pendant light should not be more than 6 inches for kitchen sink. Pendant light bigger than 7 inches might need to be placed slightly backward which may cause the light to fall where it is not required.

What temperature should kitchen lights be?

kitchen is a visually demanding area hence the color temperature of lights should be in the daylight white temperature range i.e. ( 5000k – 6500k ). Proper color temperature of lights in kitchen helps improve ones working efficiency.

What is the best light for a kitchen sink?

There is moisture near the kitchen sink always, therefore, undoubtedly glass as well as plastic pendant lights are preferred over metal pendant lights.

How wide should a pendant light be?

Pendant lights with a width of 3 to 6 inches are ideal for placement such that light falls only where it is required. Such small also offers another advantage i.e. installing multiple pendant lights without making the space look crowded.

Can you put shades on a pendant light?

However, if the situation is such that pendant light has to be placed close to the wall then adding shades to the pendant light can help to minimize this glare. Shades will prevent this focus of light and distribute all the light downwards on the sink.

Is glass a good reflector?

Just like a wall, glass on the windows is also a good reflector of light.

Distance from wall of over sink pendant lights?

I had the electrician install our pendants 12" out from the wall, thinking this would roughly center them over the 25.5" counters, set just a bit back to be out of the way of any tall people. However, now that I look at the roughed-in wires---this looks *really* close to the wall.

Comments (5)

You can cut-out a pendant from paper or cardboard or paper plate and suspend it from a string. Others have also used balloons roughly pendant sized.

How high should I place a light over my sink?

Stand at the sink and lean over a little like you (or the tallest member of the household) do when washing dishes, then place it about 3" above your head, at lowest. I think two would work better than one, then your head would not cause a shadow.

Can you put rope lights over cabinets?

We put rope lights above our cabinets, and there are lights underneath, too. It seems you almost can't have too much light in the kitchen, you know? Two pendants over the sink, and we also have a hanging pot rack with embedded lights over the island. And yes, glass doors is on my list for the future as well. :)

Can you use pendant lights with a valance?

Pendant lights would not work with a valance. I agree that it would be entirely too busy and would not look well put together. I honestly think that ceiling fan needs to be replaced by a lower hanging chandelier over the island

Can you replace a cupboard with an open shelf?

You could also remove the cupboards flanking the window altogether, and replace them with open shelves, and use the stick-on LED lights to brighten them up. Shelves something like these might work:

Can you move the clock on a Valance?

The Valance is fine but the clock should probably move . Hanger some glass birds or something in the window to help even out everything. Except for patching the ceiling, they make electrical boxes to center anything. Either the electrician was lazy, or they changed cabinet layout after rough-in. It happens all the time. I know electricians that quit putting boxes up and just hang the wire down because the GC can't seem to ever get them a cabinet plan on time.

Can I put a light over the sink?

The light over the sink looks fine. I would replace the ceiling fan with 3 pendent lights over the island for a nice focal point and better lighting. Keep the valance that you like. A light in front of the valance would be busy because the area is small and to close unlike your table with light. I agree with Tabetha5 and Mav40.

How far apart should I hang pendant lights?

However this is a minimum rule of thumb number. If you have really high ceilings then it’s OK to hang them higher. I hang pendants at 48 inches all the time because we work in kitchens with 9-10 foot ceilings. For a standard 8 foot kitchen ceiling I’d try to keep it to the standard 30-40 inch range.

How Far Apart Should Pendant Lights Be Spaced?

Ideally, I like to keep my pendant lights about 4-6 inches from the edge of the countertop but you can go right up to the edge. I try not to go over because I don’t want anyone hitting the lights with their head as they walk by or stand up. I also don’t like how it looks when the pendant breaks the edge of the island.

How wide should pendant lights be for a 6 foot island?

Always try to find a sense of balance. If you have a 6 foot island and want two lights, don’t choose pendants that are 36 inch wide. You’d be much better off with 2 or 3 12 inch lights that are evenly spaced.

How to hang a pendant light over a kitchen island?

Typically spacing a single pendant over a kitchen island is easy because you just hang it over the middle. Unless the island is really small or the light is gigantic you shouldn’t have an issue with it sticking out over the edge of the counter.

Why do I like island pendant spacing?

I really like this island pendant spacing because it creates more space in the middle of the pendants while still feeling even and well balanced.

Why do pendant lights get smaller?

You may be noticing that as you hang more pendant lights they tend to get smaller. This is because space starts to get tight as you add more lights. Try to stick to the basic rules. Use even spacing and keep the lights away from the edges.

How many spaces between lights?

It’s easy. The space between the lights counts as a light. So in the above example, having 64 inches to work with and 4 pendants to hang, what you have are 7 equal spaces to fill. 4 spaces will be filled with lights and 3 with nothing. Nothing being the gap between each light. Just divide the 64 inches by 7 and you get 9.14 inches.

How high should a pendant light be?

A good guideline to follow for pendant light height over a bar or island is 30 to 36 inches between the counter and the bottom of the light fixture. You'll want to play around with the heights based on your line of sight, which is discussed more below. According to Better Homes & Gardens, if you want the pendant to hang pretty high, measure from the top of the fixture to the ceiling, aiming for at least 12 to 20 inches below an 8-foot ceiling.

How much space do you need for pendants?

Plan to have at least 30 inches of space between the pendants and determine the number of pendants you'll need accordingly. Three pendants can hang with one over the center of the counter and the other two on the quarter lines. Two pendants can hang over a shorter island equidistant from the center. Advertisement.

Why hang a pendant light lower over a table?

You can also hang a pendant light lower over a dining table since the line of sight won't be obstructed when everyone sits down.

Can you hang pendant lights over an island?

Depending on the style of the pendant you choose, you may want to use soft-glow light bulbs or else install the pendant lights on a dimmer switch. You don't want to be hit with blinding light every time you look across your kitchen.

Can you hang a pendant light on a counter?

The placement of pendant lights over the kitchen sink, counters or dining tables allows a little more leeway in terms of height. For the kitchen sink or counter, you might appreciate having a low-hanging light in order to brighten the task at hand. You can also hang a pendant light lower over a dining table since the line of sight won't be obstructed when everyone sits down. However, don't hang it so low that you'll risk bumping the light with your arms' normal range of motion, whether at the table or over the sink.

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