Have you ever found the perfect kitchen pendant light fixture but can’t figure out what chandelier or fixture to put in the adjacent breakfast room?
Well, I have some ideas for you today!
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The idea of this post came from a follower on Instagram. She asked what breakfast room chandelier I would put with this kitchen pendant.
I shared the before and after pics of this kitchen, below, that had this pendant.
The homeowner had her own, rather traditional breakfast room chandelier that was there from the previous owner that she wanted to keep.
Here’s what I would select if we were picking out something new.
Let me give you the reasoning behind this choice.
Personally, I’m not that fond of polished chrome or nickel fixtures, but in this case, we had a creamy white environment with a leathered granite that had a black/brown coloration, marron cohiba. So even though the space looks black and white, it is a warmer look overall.
In a blogpost about how to pick pendant lighting, I share that I often go to warm metals when there are cool finishes, cool metals when there are warm. It just creates a nice balance in the space.
For example, I will do brass in a gray or blue kitchen or a very white kitchen and then perhaps a nickel or pewter in a warm space, like a kitchen with wood cabinetry.
So, in this kitchen that is a very warm white, I think the polished nickel works. It adds a light look to he kitchen and the reflectivity sort of helps the fixture disappear here, which is a good thing for this location.
(The homeowner picked that pendant herself, as a favorite, and it worked very well.)
If I was picking the breakfast room fixture as new, I would do the chandelier with the single shade, shown above, because I like how the slight texture of the shade takes some of the bling and “cold-ness” out of the fixture.
It is also a satin nickel which helps dull it down. Normally satin nickel can look a little “nothing-burger” to me, so it just depends on the whole space. For this room, I would like it.
Considerations for Kitchen Pendant and Breakfast Room Lighting Pairings
I’m going to look at these fixture choices I’m offering below as if I have the pendant, and then I’m selecting the breakfast room fixture to go with it.
Frankly, I think you should always select the pendants first to work with the kitchen’s design. There are more considerations there and that decision will give you lots of direction on the breakfast room selection.
This is only meant to be a guide, as so much of the overall design and spatial relationships impact the choice, so please realize there are always options.
These are my normal considerations for breakfast room fixtures.
Size/Scale
Lighting Needs
Style - as relating to kitchen pendant and room
Finish
Cost
1) Size and Scale For Breakfast Room Light Fixtures
The characteristics of a breakfast room rather dictate the size and shape of a fixture you would select there.
The tables are often round or are smaller rectangular tables. Therefore the size of the fixture should, of course, work with the size of the table. I tend to like around 20'“-30” diameter as it won’t bonk you on the head at this size when you stand up at the table.
The fixture above is the perfect size for the round table they have. >> Height 18", Diameter 22".
Obviously, the size of the room and the table would need to scale with the size of the fixture. A bigger room and table can handle a bigger fixture.
BTW, I’m not a big mini-pendant fan. I prefer to go at least 12” diam/wide on pendants.
2) Lighting Needs
A breakfast room table is often used as a work surface for kids’ homework or as a work-from-home option. I use my breakfast table for sketching, as it is the biggest surface I have to spread out with sheets of paper.
In this case, make sure there is enough lighting for the space and some ambient light is also needed.
If light only comes from directly above, then it can create some glare and shadows that aren’t effective for table work.
I like to do a 4 or 5-light type in a chandelier (as that gives off ambient light) or make sure there is another light source in the room.
3) Style
I don’t think I’ve ever “matched” a kitchen pendant and neighboring chandelier in the same “family” of fixtures. Production builders often use that as their lighting choices, but it is just much better to pick something that relates design-wise but isn’t an exact match up.
I do usually match up the metal finish, either cool or warm or maybe black, but I have also mixed in gilded or antiqued metallic looks that work as well.
Here are some examples.
This homeowner wanted a more modern look and these pendants were perfect to add some “design” to this rather simple space. The chandelier over the table had an asymmetrical geometric look to it also, but it didn’t match the pendants exactly. They both came from the same manufacturer so the dark bronze finishes were the same.
(We had a lot of ceiling height here and a big space, so I scaled the light to the space and mounted it higher than normal. The table opens up to make a bigger table when needed, so the bigger fixture worked with that too.)
Kitchen remodel with statement lighting - Designer: Carla Aston
Dark bronze modern pendant
Dark bronze modern geometric look chandelier
Here’s another similar and non-matching situation below although the fixtures came from the same vendor.
I used brass pendants and then a combination brass and black finish in the adjacent breakfast area.
Remember how I mentioned that I like to put warm fixtures in cool spaces? Here’s an example of that too. This home had a white envelope with blue accents.
Blue and white kitchen with warm brass lighting - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Colleen Scott
Breakfast room with brass and black transitional style chandelier - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Colleen Scott
Here’s the pendant fixture with a link on the pic, the breakfast room one is, sadly, no longer available. :-( I loved that one!
Brass Hicks pendant from Visual Comfort
4) Finish
As you can see with some of these examples, I generally like for finishes to match or relate to each other in the kitchen and breakfast room in some way. In a space with a close relationship like this it helps to have a little bit of cohesion, even though we don’t want to match the family of fixtures exactly.
Here are black pendants in the kitchen with a shaded black iron chandelier in the breakfast nook nearby.
Remodeled kitchen with warm black finish pendant lighting - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Tori Aston
Breakfast room with black iron transitional style light fixture - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Tori Aston
These fixtures, below, are all a dark bronze finish, from the same vendor, but are different enough to not look matchy-matchy.
Remodeled kitchen with dark bronze finish lighting - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Tori Aston
In my own kitchen I wanted these glass pendants over my island because they’d be easier to clean over the cooktop. (I do have a downdraft, it was built into the house.)
I selected a fixture from the same vendor with the same dark bronze finish in a look that had a strong visual presence over in the breakfast room.
Remodeled kitchen with dark bronze finish lighting - Designer: Carla Aston, Photo: Tori Aston
5) Cost
While I love a splurge on an exquisite light fixture, I’d probably choose a place other than the breakfast room to make a signature design statement and spend a lot of money.
(Now, watch me turn around tomorrow and do just that on a project!)
This is a general guideline here, but I usually want to keep the quality level of the breakfast room fixture about the same as the kitchen pendants. You don’t want one to outshine the other too much, since they are typically all in the same viewing area.
And now, with those considerations in mind, how about some good examples of fixtures that would work well together in a more typical kitchen/breakfast room layout.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 1
I love the clean, transitional look of this pendant in the large size. It has a little bit of metal detailing there so as not to look too plain. It doesn’t become the focal point though in a kitchen if there is more going on you’d like to call attention to. It’s more of a team player. :-)
I rather like this chandelier for a pairing here. The squared off bar stock look gives a modern appeal along with the little round LED bulbs. Those bulbs echo the round shape of the pendant, so that works.
With 6 lights and at 27” diameter, it is a good medium sized chandelier that will give off some good lighting.
These are both from Hinkley, so the brass finish should match too.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 2
Here’s a real go-to of mine, the Darlana from Visual Comfort. I’ve used these lanterns in various sizes, over kitchen islands or in entry halls.
I like them for a home that has traditional architecture but the homeowner is wanting to go with some cleaner lines and is ditching their old curly iron lighting. I find it can bridge the gap between styles nicely.
I’ve usually gone with the medium or the large in a kitchen, depending on the size of the island. It comes in lots of finishes, but I usually like the aged iron, as it works well to replace that curly iron detail. Especially if we have plain upper cabinets, these can add interest and delineation.
This fixture, below, from Hinkley, is also a black iron finish and has the more straight lines while still having a traditional shape and feel. The hammered look edging gives a rustic vibe too, which is usually typical of homes where I’d do the Darlana.
At 25” diameter, it would work over a round 54” diameter table just fine.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 3
Here’s another brass and white glass one that I like, also from Hinkley. It has some detail with a nice shape. I always think chains look a little more trad too. It’s a bonus to find pendants that are open in the bottom if you can so it is easy to change light bulbs (even though LED is supposed to last forever). :-)
Here’s the chandy, from Visual Comfort, I’d pair with it. I like the way the shape echoes the pendant here and the brass and white combination. It’s simple and honestly, I’d do these in a flip house. I think these are special, but something that would appeal to many.
This fixture is a bit wider, at 30”, but the widest part is up a little higher, so I think it would work with a breakfast room sized table.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 4
Here’s something really mod from Regina Andrew. It’s bronze, so it has some warmth to the finish. I like the fact that at 22” wide for the small one, it can spread the light out over an island. You can have two fixtures and 4 separate points of light.
This would be great if you wanted to incorporate some of the curves and arches that we are seeing so much of today with modern looks.
Here’s a breakfast room fixture I’d pair with it to stay modern and not match exactly.
This is from Visual Comfort with an antique bronze finish. It comes in a 24” diam or 30” which would be good for a breakfast table.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 5
Want some black? This finish is popular these days. This cone shape is always one of my favorites and I like the dual finish on these pendants with the wavy bottom. These are from Hudson Valley and I like the 18” diameter here.
I’d go for a modern look with the black, but not echo the cone shape in the breakfast room. This is a matte brass with black arms, also from Hudson Valley, comes in 2 sizes.
Pendant/Chandelier Pairing 6
How about a little coastal look with some textural rattan and wicker? These are fun! From Currey and Co, these pendants are 21” wide x 24” high. They make a substantial textural statement.
I love the rattan wrapped arms on this simple 32” diam. chandelier. It is an elevated casual style and a nice compliment to the more major textural pendants.
Even though the pendants have a black iron chain and the chandelier is brass, I think this would work as the metal plays a small part in the visual there on the pendant.
Click on all the images of light fixtures above to get sourcing to buy.
I could go on and on all day, but I hope you can get the idea. Obviously, you need to consider your ceiling heights, overall space and furnishings in the room, etc., but this gives you an idea of how I put kitchen pendant and breakfast room lighting together.
See these posts linked below for more info on lighting selection!
This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.
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