Kitchen islands are a great center piece for not only a kitchen, but the home itself. With open concept living, a kitchen island can play the center piece of a home and become the main focal point when you walk into a room.

We’ve all seen some gorgeous islands – at least you have if you watch HGTV! A big trend now is to paint the island a separate color, which can look great and make the island stand out even more from other kitchen cabinets. Another trend is to put lighting or a series of lighting pendants across the island for not just extra lighting but to showcase your design style. If finding the right light for you has you stumped, here are some ideas and tips for finding the right light:

• Identify how many lights you want first and then go for the style. If you are thinking just one light, you will want to center the light in the middle of the island and find a light that is either round, and often called a drum, or find a light that has several bulbs across in a rectangle Don’t just choose one tiny globe bulb and think that will be enough. You will want the light to “anchor” the island.

• Don’t be afraid to mix colors and mix metals. A #mixedmetals look is interesting and adds much needed texture. If you have stainless appliances, you can use brass lights and brass hardware.

• A mistake I’ve seen again and again is that the island lighting is too small for the island and that just really minimizes the impact most people want. This is your chance to be a little brave and bring some drama to the room. If space allows, add more than one light and choose over sized pendants spaced about a foot apart. A cone-type pendant like my favorite island light is from Serena & Lily.
• Avoid pendants that look like light bulbs. The singular look just isn’t big enough. You’ve spent a lot on your kitchen so make sure it looks that way!

I posted some of my favorites in the weekly sales and tips! Take a look and good luck on your lighting purchase!