It’s where all the action happens: the chopping, the cooking, the chatter during gatherings with friends and family; your kitchen is truly the backbone of your home. So it’s no surprise that your kitchen requires a smart and strategic approach to lighting.

Not sure where to start? Read on to find out why what your kitchen really needs is a stylish pendant from Feiss Lighting.

Making the Most of Pendants

First things firsts, what are pendants? Pendant lights are fixtures that are suspended from the ceiling by a chain, wire or stem. Commonly, they’re used above countertops, bars, tables or islands, to provide ambient or task lighting, as well as style and flair.

If you’ve read our piece about kitchen lighting ideas, you know that pendant lights are a perfect pick for this important room. Pendant lighting is an especially good choice for kitchen island lighting, where they can illuminate culinary tasks or provide ambiance for meals enjoyed on an eat-in countertop.

According to our handy guide to ceiling pendants, questions and factors to consider when hanging pendant lights include:

• What is the height of my kitchen ceiling? Each pendant should be installed so that the bottom of the shade is approximately 66-72 inches above the floor.
• How many pendants do I need? For evenly distributed task lighting, one pendant for every two feet of counter space is recommended.
• Should I use mini or large pendants? A pendant light or a series of hanging ceiling pendants should measure 12-18 inches less than the diameter of the surface over which they are installed.

Why Choose Feiss Pendants?

Feiss makes beautiful pendants lights — but the story behind them makes us love them even more.

Murray Feiss certainly didn’t set out to create a lighting empire or a brand with thousands of top-quality lighting fixtures — at least not at first. What started in 1955 as a company selling a small assortment of porcelain figurine lamps (each topped with his own mother’s hand-sewn lampshades, no less) turned into something much more. As soon as his customers caught on to the quality and craftsmanship of the lamps, they demanded more from the humble lamp-maker. The business grew beyond what Murray could have ever imagined.

To honor their founder’s ways, Feiss Lighting maintains that same set of impressively high standards today for each and every light fixture that bears their name. Feiss is committed to superior product quality and integrity through excellent customer service and through their selection of beautifully designed and crafted ceiling pendants.

The Many Styles of Feiss

Feiss Lighting offers collections inspired by sights and styles all around the globe, as well as the insights of their loyal customers. Feiss lighting fixtures fall into these design categories:

• Traditional
• Transitional
• Modern
• Period inspired
• Crystal

7 Feiss Pendants You’ll Want in Your Kitchen

Whether you’re going for the rustic farmhouse look or inspired by Scandinavian simplicity, there’s a Feiss pendant that’ll fit your style. Here are our favorites:

1.Joplin

Why we love it: The light it emits may be soft, but the style of the Joplin is strongly rooted in contemporary design. This fixture features a metal drum-shaped shade, available in chrome or antique bronze finishes, with precision laser-cut geometric shapes, adding a bit of fun and flair.

How to use it: Hang the Joplin above your small-to-medium-sized modern kitchen island and allow the soft light to filter gently from the beige silk shade glass, through the geometric patterns, and into your life.

2.Waveform

Why we love it: We guarantee you’ve never seen anything like the Waveform collection of pendant lights from Feiss. Elegantly simple, these mini pendant lights feature a closed bottom cone of blown glass and a crown of vacuum-plated metal detailing in plated silver or aged brass and weathered zinc. The shape and combination of glass and metal materials give them a nautical feel, with a more subtle and unique design than typical nautical fixtures.

How to use it: For an even more unique look, hang closely-bunched clusters of Waveform kitchen pendant lights above your kitchen island.

3. Parker Place

Why we love it: With a vintage 19th-century style and metal finishes — brushed steel or dark bronze — made to match your kitchen appliances and accessories, the Parker Place mini pendant will feel right at home, regardless of your motif. The etched white opal texture of the bell-shaped glass dome gives it a softer, warmer look, while still providing brightness.

How to use it: Group together several Parker Place mini pendants in a row to hang above your kitchen island or place a single one in a sunny breakfast nook.

4. Harrow

Why we love it: For larger kitchens, the 19” Harrow pendant is the perfect way to add a contemporary touch. We’re especially keen on the unique features of this fixture, including the texture of the seeded glass shade and the trendy look of the square-linked chain. The Harrow is available in oil-rubbed bronze and polished nickel finishes, to accent or beautifully contrast your kitchen’s existing features.

How to use it: Illuminate your kitchen countertop, bar or island with one or two Harrow hanging lights — each comes with three incandescent bulbs to provide plenty of light and ambiance.

5.Corinne

Why we love it: The Corinne is a versatile and visually pleasing pendant light. The cage-like orb structure is made of metal and is available in two distinct finishes: polished nickel with crystal inlay detail (hello, sparkle!) or oil-rubbed bronze with hammered embellishments for a rustic look. Inside the orb, candle-like pieces are suspended by a center road, giving the illusion that they’re floating in the center.

How to use it: Going for the farmhouse look? Choose the oil-rubbed bronze finish and hang it above a small wooden dining table or kitchen island.

6. Brynne

Why we love it: Influenced by the simplicity of Scandinavian style, the Brynne pendant blends forward-thinking and energy-saving LED technology with a minimalistic design. This fixture is available in flat white or matte black finishes, but it’s not all black-and-white! Choose from the included sets of chrome or burnished brass fitters to give it your own personal touch.

How to use it: Love clean lines and simple color schemes? Pick this pendant to hang above your kitchen island. Take advantage of the smart dimming technology, which ‘warms’ the temperature of the light as it dims, to mimic incandescent bulbs.

7. Urban Renewal

Why we love it: Urban Renewal symbolizes the ingenuity and productivity of the Industrial Revolution. Directly inspired by lighting found in factories and warehouses, this fixture adds a bit of fun to any space whether contemporary or traditional. The mini pendants may be diminutive in size, but they add a certain “je ne sais quoi” to any decor.

How to use it: Hang several Urban Renewal pendants above your kitchen island to illuminate your productive culinary endeavors.

Time to Choose Your Feiss Pendants!

When it comes to lighting your kitchen with Feiss, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that there are plenty of Feiss pendants to choose from when it comes to illuminating the most important room in your home. The bad news is that you probably don’t have room to hang them all!