If it feels like my kitchen makeover progress has been spread out over about a year, well, that’s because it kind of has. Large-scale projects like this, that I’m doing mostly myself, always take me some time to pull together. I still have the island to paint but the things I had hoped to update in the kitchen when we bought this house have almost all been done now. I still want to make some tweaks to the stove and oven areas but those will come later.
Today I’m showing off the new black and gold kitchen pendants I installed over the island, which I totally love.
Last year I converted the recessed lights over the island to pendant lights, and while I really liked the lantern-style pendants, they wound up being a pretty poor choice for lighting over the stovetop. All the bits of grease that rise into the air while cooking collected inside the glass and made the lights looks perpetually cloudy and dirty. I had to completely disassemble them every time they needed to be cleaned, which wound up being about once a week to really keep them looking nice. That was too high maintenance for me.
So I went on the hunt for something lower maintenance, knowing that I didn’t want to sacrifice good looks. I checked out some more modern styles as a counterpoint to the traditional style of my kitchen. When I came across the Feiss Cadence pendant, I was instantly drawn to its sleek style and I loved that the brushed gold band echoed the finish of my kitchen faucet.
I’ve had these in the kitchen now for about a month and I love them. They remind me of the popular Hicks pendant, which I’ve always liked, but at about 1/3 of the cost.
I’ve read before that home photos with something alive in them – a person, a pet, a plant – are the most appealing to people because they feel real. So lately I’ve just been going with the little pink-clad girl often floating through my photoshoots :)
I can’t recommend these lights enough – they’re affordable, striking, modern but classic, and give off nice soft light. They’re exactly what I wanted for the kitchen without knowing they were exactly what I wanted before I found them.
You can see more details on the Feiss Cadence pendant HERE. It also comes in a polished nickel finish and a smaller 8″ size.
You can catch up on the other projects I’ve done in my kitchen here:
Convert recessed lights to pendant lights
New counter and sink
Transom windows
New kitchen faucet
How to paint kitchen cabinets – a video tutorial
Lamps Plus provided me with the pendant lights featured in this post but all ideas and opinions are sincere and my own. As always, I only share products I truly love.
Hi! I really like your new lights! They would look great in my kitchen too. We also have recessed lighting over our kitchen island and we used the converter kit to hang pendants, but would love to have more options. Are your lights now “hardwired”? Was your conversion from recessed to hardwired? or just a conversion kit? I’m wondering this because my husband told me we could not change to hardwired.
Hmmm…well I would call them hardwired but I did use a conversion kit. The conversion kit was mostly just a mounting piece but I did twist the wires of the fixture onto the wires of the conversion kit. But it’s all wired together now. And when you look at them they look like they’re hardwired.
ooh, LOVE those! They look perfect in there! (and I think I’m well into year two of my bathroom makeover, so I totally understand ;))
Ugh, takes forever! And thanks, I really do love them :)
oh my beating heart! these are AMAZING!!!! i am drooling all over myself.
That’s what happens to me every time I walk into the kitchen. It’s a little embarrassing when we have guests.
LOVE those pendants! Super gorgeous!
Thanks, me too – I was so excited when I came across them!
Oh my! Those are gorgeous!!
Thanks, Jenna. Aren’t they though?! ;)
Love how these bring in a bit more contrast!
Yes! I love traditional but love it most with just a little something different :)
I was gasping when I saw them. So so pretty and perfect for your space.
Haha – awesome :) Sorry if I gave you a little asthma attack over there. But they’re kind of worth it!
I am so giddy right now! LOVE these lights and your kitchen is looking so gorgeous! x
Thanks, Danielle – I’m so excited to really have the kitchen all finished. Soon!
Sometimes those are the best finds! Thanks, Caryn!
Those are spectaular, Jen! I think I might actually like them better than the Hicks pendants. They are perfect for your pretty new kitchen!
Thanks, Jennifer! I really love them too :) And kind of feel the same about them vs. Hicks. I like their flatter shape. Hope you have a great weekend!
These are amazing!! I have the same recessed to pendant lighting plan for our kitchen island and this is such great inspiration!
It was such a high-impact change to go from the recessed lights to the pendants. You will love it, Kris!
The pendants are amazing, but I also love the fixture above your table. Can you share the source? Thanks!
I know this post is about your new kitchen pendant lighting, but I found myself also admiring the lighting over your table. Do you have a source for that?
I don’t know – it was here when I bought the house. But I do absolutely love it and get lots of questions about it so have been thinking of trying to track it down!