Beautiful Kitchen Lighting Ideas and Design Trends for 2025

Selecting the right lighting for your kitchen is one of the best ways to elevate the look and feeling of your home.  With that in mind, in today’s post I’m sharing dozens of beautiful kitchen lighting ideas, with tips on how choose the best pendant lights for a large or small kitchen, measurements for hanging light fixtures over your kitchen island, places to shop for kitchen pendant light fixtures in 2025, and more.

A few years ago, when we remodeled our kitchen, I spent weeks deliberating over the kitchen island lighting.  I knew the light fixtures I chose would set the tone for the entire area, which encompasses a small TV room and breakfast nook, as well.

Ultimately, I chose the pendant lights featured in the beautiful kitchen, below.  (I also chose the same counter stools!) 

Bullard Design Studio – Lindsay Salazar Photography – counter stools – pendants

Needless to say, all that looking and deliberating resulted in hours of gathering kitchen lighting ideas, inspiration, and tips — and today I’m sharing with you everything I learned. 

If you’re currently planning a kitchen remodel or new build and are making choices regarding kitchen pendant lighting, I hope you’ll find this post helpful and informative.

Pure Salt Interiors – pendant lights

How to choose kitchen island lighting

As a general rule, if you live in a home where the kitchen, family room, and breakfast nook all meet, it’s always a good idea to choose island pendant lights that won’t detract from the view of the other areas.

Clear glass pendant lights work well in this type of space, because they won’t disrupt your line of sight.

James May Homes and CKF Cabinetry – counter stools – pendant lights

If your kitchen is pretty simple and needs a bit of a “wow factor,” statement lighting is a great way to provide a focal point.

However, if your kitchen already has a lot going on, such as a patterned backsplash, wallpaper, statement counter stools, or lots of color, you might want to choose island lighting that is more subtle and refined.

Studio McGee – lights – counter stools

How high to hang pendant lights over a kitchen island

• When you’re hanging pendant lights over a kitchen island, the distance from the island countertop to the bottom of the light fixture should be between 30 and 36 inches.
• The ideal distance between multiple pendants is 26 to 30 inches.
• Allow 12 inches from the edge of the island to the light fixture. 

Salt Design Co. – pendant lights – counter stools – large woven dining light

Beautiful Kitchen Island Lighting Ideas

Following are a few favorite spaces showing how to choose pendant lighting to match your kitchen style and color scheme.

A custom range hood, shimmering zellige tile backsplash, modern pendant lights, and curved rattan counter stools make this kitchen feel both timeless and on trend:

Studio McGee coastal kitchen – counter stools – pendants

One of this year’s most popular kitchen trends is the use of mixed metal finishes, as kitchen designers and homeowners alike are also embracing a mix of metal finishes on kitchen faucets, lighting, and cabinet pulls.  (See my post, A Simple Guide to Mixing Metals in the Kitchen, for tips on how to mix metal finishes in the kitchen.)

This light-filled kitchen incorporates a mix of brass and polished nickel metal finishes, for a beautifully balanced and harmonious look.  

Ali Henrie Design – Hebdon Studios – Rebekah Westover Photography – pendant lights

This beautiful contemporary kitchen features three stylish black and white pendant lights over a soft curved gray-green kitchen island. 

Paired with black lantern lighting over the dining room table, as well as the ceiling light fixtures in different styles, this space is filled with plenty of ambient light.  

Jean Stoffer Interiors – pendants – similar runner

If you’re looking for kitchen lighting ideas with a beachy feeling, woven pendant lights are always a great option:

Pure Salt Interiors – woven pendant lights

I’ve always loved the look of double island lights, like the brass light fixtures featured in this lovely kitchen with a dark blue island (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) and abundant natural light. 

Andrea McQueen Design

I also love the beautiful glass and brass island lights in the modern coastal style kitchen below.  I love the subtly-striped woven counter stools, too.

Pure Salt Interiors – light fixtures – stools

Sleek pendant lighting and woven leather counter stools add a modern, streamlined look to this classic kitchen design.

Studio McGee – pendants – counter stools

This beautiful kitchen design features the light fixture we have in our kitchen in a larger, black and white version.

Millworks

This timeless kitchen design features a masterful mix of brass sconces, a black lantern-style pendant light, and polished nickel faucet and cabinet pulls.  

Jean Stoffer Interior Design

Love this chic modern farmhouse kitchen, with its beautiful white and brass kitchen island lighting and woven counter stools.  

Studio McGee and Erin Hansen for Christine Andrew |  Photo by Lucy Call – counter stools

Although this small space has low ceilings, the combination of the wooden beams, paired with the white and brass cone pendant lights, creates a spacious feeling. 

Jean Stoffer Design – pendants

Here’s another beautiful kitchen featuring the same stylish pendant lights, showing how wonderfully they adapt to different kitchen styles:

Pure Salt Interiors

Statement pendant lights lend a modern yet timeless touch to this beautiful kitchen design.

James May Homes and CKF Cabinetry

The lovely coastal-inspired island lights, along with an abundance of woods and whites (and a stunning marble backsplash), make this lake house kitchen truly special:

Park and Oak Interior Design

This beautiful coastal kitchen features the same pendant lights in a black version:

Pure Salt Interiors – black pendant lights

The soft finish on the pendant lights helps tie together all the beautiful elements in this stunning kitchen.

Kate Marker Interiors

These striking kitchen island pendants add the perfect modern yet classic touch to this beautiful, timeless space.

Studio McGee

I love this gorgeous kitchen and dining area, with its amazing teardrop island lights, high ceilings, and stunning tiered chandelier over the dining table.

Kate Marker Interiors

This kitchen is a great example of current kitchen trends, with one long marble shelf fitted above the marble backsplash, dark lower cabinets, a custom range hood, and jewel-like pendant lighting over the island:

Studio McGee – counter stools – pendants – similar pendant lights

The matte black pendant lights in the open-concept kitchen, below, provide abundant task lighting over the island and give a balanced look between the spaces.

House Seven Design

Lantern style pendants are always a great choice for the kitchen.  They lend a clean, classic touch to every space, as shown in this beautiful timeless kitchen design featuring white oak and white kitchen cabinets.

Cambridge Home Co. – The Cabinet Gallery Utah – lantern island lighting

This modern kitchen remodel features black and white pendant light fixtures as the perfect complement to the wood cabinetry and marble waterfall countertops on the island.

Vivir Design – pendants

Beautiful Kitchen Island Light Fixtures

Below you’ll find a gathering of beautiful, on-trend pendant lighting options in various silhouettes, shapes, materials, and price points.

These pendant light fixtures would not only look amazing in a large or small kitchen, but as lighting in a dining room, bedroom, hallway, entryway, or bathroom, as well.

Looking for more home decor and design ideas?  Here are a few favorite related posts from the blog:

Interior Design Trends for 2025: Beautiful Home Decor Ideas to Try Now

2025 Kitchen Design Trends and Decorating Ideas

Modern Coastal Decorating Ideas for Your Home

Inspiring Kitchen Design Ideas for Your Next Renovation

Beautiful Modern Bathroom Design Ideas You Will Love

A Simple Guide to Mixing Metals in the Bathroom

The New Studio McGee Target Collection

How to Install Decorative Wall Molding: An Easy Weekend DIY Project

Colors of the Year + Top Home Color Trends

How to Add a Touch of Nancy Meyers Style to Your Kitchen and Home

Beautiful and Affordable Turkish Oushak Runners for the Kitchen

Favorite Spaces of the Week: Pure Salt Interiors

Modern Bedroom Design Ideas for a Dreamy Master Suite

Modern Living Rooms filled with Inspiration

How to Choose the Best Kitchen Counter Stools for Your Space

Kitchen Island Ideas for Your Next Renovation

As always, I truly appreciate you stopping by and hope you found this post helpful.  If you have any questions about kitchen pendant lighting for over the island, let me know in the comments section below.  xo jane