A Guide to Light Fixture Hanging Heights
Knowing how to properly hang a light fixture can be difficult. Even for us, sometimes unique ceiling heights or odd-shaped kitchen islands throw a wrench in the measurements we always work off of. It’s an important detail not to overlook though, as pendants that hang too closely to the island can throw off the look of the entire kitchen, or over a dining table it can be a hazard. To help, we asked Shea and the design team to give us a comprehensive guide to light fixture hanging heights. Here, a height guide for hanging light fixtures over a dining table, over a kitchen island, and on taller-than-average ceiling heights.
No. 01 | Dining Table
For eight-foot dining room ceilings (the standard height found in the majority of homes), plan for 32 to 36 inches between the top of the dining table and the bottom of the chandelier or light fixture. In addition, add approximately three inches for each foot above an eight-foot ceiling height.
See more of the Hilltop Estate project here
No. 02 | Tall Ceilings
For ceiling heights over 10 feet, add together the width and length of the room in feet for the approximate diameter needed in inches. The bottom of the light fixture should be approximately one-third of the height from the ceiling to the floor. For a more specific measurement, start with seven feet and add three inches for every foot over an eight-foot ceiling height.
Adversely, for ceilings under 10 feet, hang your light fixture with a seven-foot to 7.5-foot clearance below.
See more of our Mountainside Retreat project here
No. 03 | Kitchen Island
For eight-foot ceilings (the standard height of kitchen ceilings), hang kitchen pendants 30 to 36 inches above the kitchen island. A good rule of thumb is to add two to three inches for every foot above eight feet your kitchen ceiling is. The widest part of the kitchen pendants should be approximately 30 inches apart, but be careful to allow for at least six inches on each end of the kitchen island.
See more of our Studio McGee Spec Home project here
Very lovely guide. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Jamille 🙂
Island pendant lights, is that measurement from center to center of fixture?
Hi Paula, all measurements are from the bottom or side of the fixture. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing! Very informative post!
Thanks for the support, Michelle! 😘
Love this! Question…would you mind sharing what program you use to create your CADS?
Autocad!
I was going to ask the same thing.. What program do you work with for drafting and rendering?
Autocad!
I wanted to know if the distance from the island counter to bottom of fixture varies with ceiling height?
Great info for sellers looking to spruce up their home prior to listing!
Jennifer Wernert
https://www.facebook.com/wernertwilliamsonrealty/
Thanks Jennifer!
Great info! The question I have involves a bar not an island. I want to hang two pendants over a 90" bar. Each pendant is 12" wide. I have 10′ ceilings in this room.
If you used a giant pendant, would this require larger spacing?
I’m looking at getting a 40" pendant for a 10′ 2" island and I’m not sure about whether I can use 1 or two. 1 seems not enough but 2 I worry the spacing would be too tight given the large scale.
I live in an old farmhouse with 7′ ceilings. What do you recommend for heights for hanging lights over an island or dining table? We otherwise just use recessed, sconces, or flush mounts in other parts of the house.
Hi! Do you have a blog post on under cabinet lighting options? We just renovated our kitchen and have Michelangela Calacutta marble, but a lot of the under cabinets lights seem too warm. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Great tips!
Do you have a favorite light bulb type? Especially for recessed cans?
What spacing do you recommend for two pendants if your kitchen island is only 5 feet long? Thanks
If I wanted to group three of the Moravian star pendants above a rectangular dining room table what would you recommend the best placement?
Can you also tell us how high to hang sconces in a hallway?
Hi! our island table is under uneven ceiling because its a high ceiling( triangle shape high ceiling) …any suggestion how to put a chandelier over our island?
Wow! Very helpful! Thanks.
Ahh! Looks like this WAS a great article and Im sad its no longer accessible!?!?!?!
Thank you for this very helpful guide!!
Thank you for reading, Rachel!
Hi! Thank you for this useful guide but is there another post or could you expand on mixing and matching light fixtures especially in an open concept kitchen? I live in a small townhouse in washington dc and I have 3 pendant lights over the kitchen island. I’m having such a hard time picking a fixture over the breakfast nook/dining area (a tight space) that complements the island pendants.
Hi Sadaf! That’s a great idea, we will put that on our list. 🙂 In the meantime, here is another recent post about lighting that may help! https://www.studio-mcgee.com/studioblog/7-tips-for-home-lighting
Thanks for the great post! Any recommendations on lighting for a slanted vaulted ceiling? Thanks!
I was searching for your original post yesterday! Our living room is a vaulted ceiling but the center of the vault is not centered in the room. Would you still center the chandelier in the room or on the beam of the vaulted ceiling? In the photo with the round bulb pendants, there doesn’t seem to be 4’ between wall and hallway pendant- is it okay to be closer in a 5’ wide hallway or would you opt for a different style of lighting? Cannot wait for your Netflix show!
Thanks for this post! I just put up two of the Studio McGee Threshold Seagrass pendants in my kitchen yesterday! Does the same rule apply for high ceilings for kitchen pendents like the chandelier guide? Where you add 3” to each additional foot? My kitchen has 11ft celingings. Thanks!
Where do I get the blue & cream striped rug in the living room with the fire place picture
Hi Amy! You can find this rug here: https://www.mcgeeandco.com/collections/all-rugs/products/livorno-wool-rug
Thanks for reading 🙂
This is so helpful! Would you be able to share sourcing for the matte grey with gold inside pendants (3) featured in the McGee Home Kitchen?? I cannot find anywhere! Thank you so much!
They’re the Scarlett Pendants from McGee & Co ❤️
If you have Vaulted ceilings, are we raising the lights 3 inches for every foot above 8 feet considering the peak in the Vaulted ceilings, or are we going off of the height above 8 feet where we hang it, even if it’s not on the peak?