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My frugal side and aesthetic side are always at odds. What's the right balance between budget-friendly and beautiful? How much is too much to spend on a house project? And on the flip side, will I regret being a cheapskate if I make too many decisions based on price? I often look to value for an objective measuring stick: if I can be confident that we've added more value to our house than what we spent, then I feel good about a project. That's partially because we expect to sell this house at some point down the line (years from now, but still). If it was our "forever house", then we'd probably splurge in more areas. Likewise, if we were working on a rental house, we'd probably make even more budget-friendly choices. It's all a balance. But the BEST is when I can find a win-win...a design choice that saves us money AND looks beautiful. We recently found one of those ideas, and I gotta give Ben credit for it. I was originally thinking to add two or three pendants over our kitchen island, like you normally see in inspiration photos. But electrical work is expensive, and buying multiple lights adds up quickly too. So Ben asked, why can't we just do one light? At first, I though whaaaat? no that would look weird. But then I remembered this kitchen by Emily Henderson, with the linear pendant that I absolutely loved. It still looks proportionate to the island, and one light actually feels so fresh. SO I quickly pivoted and decided YES, let's do it! Here are a few more inspiration photos with linear pendants over kitchen islands. Beautiful, right??
by Kara Cox
by Wayfair
What do you think of this "trend?"
Interesting kitchen island light ideas! I've only seen the usual billiard-style pendants, rustic chandelier, and exposed wires for kitchen island lighting. With this kind, the light is distributed widely around the kitchen. In addition, they emphasize everything and anything about the island. Or peninsula, if that is the case. Other kitchen island designs can also be incorporated into these linear pendants.