It's where days are dissected, and dreams are discussed...

As the hub of good food and great conversation, and with the popularity of open plan layouts, the kitchen and dining space has become the soul of many homes.

But the practicalities involved in creating your perfect space can be overwhelming.

We speak to the experts to answer some of our customers' most frequently asked questions around design and lighting. 

"How can I bring warmth into my kitchen?"

Ensuring that 'clean and fresh' doesn't turn into soul-less can require some thought.

How can you bring your personality to your kitchen space, without compromising functionality?

According to Interior Designer, Samantha Brown of Designingly:

"I am such a fan of bringing warm, natural elements into your kitchen - because kitchens by nature are full of hard, reflective surfaces like stone, tile, glass, and steel.

Small touches of elements like wood, clay, rattan, brass, linen, sisal, jute really bring life and character to a kitchen - especially if you’re a white-on-white fan."

Beautiful moodboard concept by Samantha Brown, Designingly created on Style Sourcebook. Featuring pendants from our Coastal Collection. 

In the above moodboard, Samantha has used beautiful organic elements to break up the white. The Pendants she has used are from our Coastal Collection. 

If you decide that Pendant Lights will be your statement, the most common question we get asked is...

"How do I position Pendant Lights over my kitchen island bench?"

We live by the rule that there are no rules when it comes to your home - but there are certainly some guidelines that help with this decision.

We spoke to lighting specialist Eleanor Blackstock of our Byron Bay stockist, Creative Lighting Solutions, around considerations to take into account.

How high should Pendants hang?

According to Eleanor:

"Balance is key when positioning your pendants, so while final placement is influenced by specifics of your space (ceiling height, bench length and depth, pendant width, etc.) we do like to allow for 30cm clearance either end of the bench to minimise risk of head-knocks.

We tend to then continue this spacing between pendants for symmetry, particularly when working with an odd number of fittings."

The optimal height is approximately 75-90cm above the bench (depending on ceiling height).

Two of our Scalloped Pendant Lights in White make a beautiful, soft statement.

How many Pendants should I hang over my kitchen island bench?

You can't go wrong with Pendants that are spaced evenly.

As Eleanor advised, work towards leaving 15-30 cm from the edge of the bench.

Depending on the size of the Pendant and Island, two or three lights spaced evenly across your Island often makes a beautiful impact.

Three large pendants from our Signature Collection are used in the natural, tonal kitchen above by Activates Construction.

Breaking the rules

Ultimately - it's your space, and personal preference should be the final decider.

Samantha advises:

“Generally, symmetrical, evenly spaced pendants are very desirable in a kitchen as we feel more at peace around spaces that feel balanced.

Having said that, there are definitely instances where I would ‘break the rules’.

For example, if you have a higher stud, or architectural ceiling then you might use a large, off-centre pendant or a cluster hung together at different heights to add grandeur and drama. In this case you can balance the ‘visual weight’ of the pendant feature with other elements such as tall cabinetry, feature shelving, or by subtly repeating textures and materials throughout to create visual flow.”

 Eleanor agrees:

"We recommend experimenting a little to find what resonates with you.

This could be achieved by sketching your bench and drawing (or cutting out) some to-scale circles to represent your pendants, then move them around to have a play with your layout." 

A mediterranean mood board concept by us, created on Style Sourcebook and featuring our White Scalloped Pendants.

As always - we're here to help!

Please don't hesitate to send us an email if you would like to discuss your space further, or feel free to visit one of our Stockists.