Kitchens are the heart of the home and now that we are living in increasingly open plan spaces, they have to perform on many levels, as spaces to eat, relax and entertain in as well as cooking and prepping food. Good lighting is key in kitchens, not only to provide the decent ambient light for working, but also for adding accent lighting to create the right mood and atmosphere.

A kitchen island, breakfast bar or peninsula unit is the key area for making a style statement. Fitting a series of exquisitely handcrafted ceiling pendants above your kitchen island or table creates a visual treat that brings these areas centre stage, making them the focal point of your kitchen and helping to differentiate that space from other areas of your kitchen, and lending it a feeling of warmth and intimacy.

Here at Jim Lawrence, we live and breathe beautiful lighting, so here are our top picks for 7 pendant lights that will transform an ordinary kitchen into a truly spectacular one.

1. THE LANSDOWN

Kitchens hold the rhythm of daily life, and good lighting helps to shape how this space feels morning to night. Glass lighting diffuses light in this essential area, creating a bright and open feel which is ideal for busy, multifunctional spaces. Clear, frosted, or textured glass offers a timeless look that complements both classic and contemporary kitchen design while enhancing natural light.⁠

Our generously sized Lansdown Pendant features a clear glass dome that diffuses light wherever it is hung, creating a beautiful play of light around the room day or night. Designed to sit perfectly above a kitchen island, the airy transparent quality of the hand-blown glass allows you create a stunning focal point and a feeling of flow without losing any sense of space. Shown above in this elegant 1800s home renovation by @bijoubarn, the Lansdown lifts elevates this kitchen from its rustic roots into the refined heart of the house, allowing the space to breathe, whilst still making striking a statement.

2. THE WALCOT TRIPLE TRACK

For those seeking a smaller glass pendant with easy fitting, the Walcot Triple Pendant Track brings all the natural beauty of glass and light into your kitchen without the need to hang separate pendants as shown above by @glencoe_house, where they have used it to echo the fresh, natural tones and clean lines of the interior. This multi-pendant display radiates the perfect pool of lighting across a kitchen table or island unit ensuring you get that all-important tasking light you need within a clever track system that keeps your pendants perfectly positioned for balanced and focused lighting.

3. THE THORNTON

The Thornton is a striking glass pendant light that combines a traditional, fluted glass shade with a modern, visible brass bulb holder that gives it a contemporary edge and touch of industrial chic that makes it an ideal choice for modern properties and an excellent way to update a more traditional setting. Whether hung on its own in the centre of a room or grouped together above a kitchen island or dining room table, the Thornton is a lovely statement light that will draw your eye to is fine proportions a shown above in this bold kitchen design at @thebuildingofus.

4. THE FOSTER

The Foster has long been a customer favourite and it’s easy to see why. ⁠Produced by our team at Suffolk Glass, the hand pressed ribbed glass produces a series of tiny ridges and grooves in the shade that refracts light beautifully to create an even spread of light that reduces the glare while maintaining the brightness - ideal for tasking in kitchen spaces. It fits seamlessly into the trend for warm metallic fittings in modern kitchen designs as demonstrated here by @bakerandbakerinteriors where the warm tones of the antiqued brass fittings complement the handles on the kitchen cabinetry adding to the sense of heritage charm.

5. THE DAIRY

Our beautiful, clear glass Dairy Light combines the best of contemporary design with old fashioned flair to ensure it creates a stunning focal point over your kitchen island, dining table or breakfast bar. Its upturned pudding bowl shade and braided cable gives it a vintage appeal that suits traditional and modern kitchen designs like this one @hollyhockinthehill which cleverly lights up the kitchen island without creating any uncomfortable bright spots at eye level.