Just plain wrong. Feature lights should be over an island preferably. And that style of lighting is most preferred for a hall way or entry way also

The lights shown below with a curved edge would be better suited as your kitchen is squarish enough.

Downsview Transitional Kitchen · More Info

Here is an example of that style of lighting in the right position imo...

Just wrong on so many levels. Unless you have downlights and lighting under your overhead cupboards you will be casting a your shadow over your working bench area whenever you are doing food preparation at night. Despite having a rangehood you will find that the glass sides will collect a fine layer of grease and then dust, and it will be a nightmare to clean. Kitchen lighting should be selected and placed to provide good lighting on benchtops where you need good light, not the centre of the room. Move it over your dining table where it will be a feature, and look at strip LED lighting or recessed downlights for your task areas. Keep it clean and minimal.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

Thank you for your comments. There are downlights directly over the work bench.

Agree with comments above re the light.

About the bulkhead....need to do it on both sides not just one side or it will look wrong.

We understand the need for clean light over the bench and have downlights directly above the island, that you can't see in the photos plus the rangehood. Problem with trying to do a few pendants over the bench is the cupboard door opening plus I think it may tend to block off the view into the kitchen.

Bulkhead: Having it on both sides would (I think) close the room in more. We are leaning towards none either side. There will be a 'shelf over the rangehood to tidy that up.

We are having the floor done in the next few days which will be a darker almost walnut stain so will post an update then. Thank you all.

Looking at the trim, ie: on the front of your island, I think the bulk head with cornice would really make your lovely new kitchen that bit more special, why don't you try it on the range hood side first. What size is the kitchen and how deep are the base cabinets and bench tops

Total width / length of kitchen is only 3.6m. Benchtops 600mm. Island benchtop 900mm. Cupboards on right hand side are 600mm.

I have drawn up a rough idea of your kitchen, showing both with or without bulk head/soffit but I have been unable to make the cornice run around the bulk head/soffit so you will have to imagine it. I have added a narrow cabinet beside the fridge to help me build it in but your cabinet maker should be able to install a matching panel. The space between both rows of cabinets is a bit too wide and I would suggest that you have a small island type bench so that you have something to easily put things out onto from both the oven and fridge.

Please excuse my pendant lights they are floor lamps and the only ones I have, so once again imagine, if these lights are hung at the correct level they will look great also keeping in mind that door. There's nothing to block in the kitchen and two lights together towards the end of the Island should work for you. cheers

Thank you Siriuskey. Ceilings are 3.1m high so the bulkheads are quite big (710mm) hence our thoughts on it would bring the room in a lot. There is also a messy part at the end of the upper cupboards that will look untidy due to the beam. We would end up with a small gap. Sometimes so called kitchen designers have no practical or functional sense and tend to just move boxes around on their computers !!

I agree Legendaryflame the bulk head finishes it off, could also have an additional row of cabinets for more storage

the 710 above the existing cabinets could be made up of another row of cabinets with the cornice built out above them. Or as in my drawing open shelves for cook books or to display things you love and a bulk head above which would be the same depth as the beam, the bulk head and beam would both have cornice on them as per the cornice on the RH side of my drawing, which I can't get my program to draw!!

There are lots of things you only use on the rare occasion, so storage up in the bulkhead space would be perfect for those items instead of wasting that storage opportunity. A small foldable kitchen stepladder (maybe tucked away next to the fridge) is all you need to use those high cupboards.

the easiest way to light any space is look at which way the globes point, and you can see it in the picture you posted. When that fitting is turned on the light hits the ceiling first and washes down from there. What you need is functional lighting whether you make a statement of the light or let the kitchen do the talking is up to you, the best form of task lighting for you in there would be a 3 circuit track system, allowing you to place and point the light where you want it. And being 3 circuit the same track could have 3 different functional light fittings suspended from the 1 power source.