Posted by Vividify Editorial
on October 28, 2026
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A kitchen island is long, narrow and used for everything from chopping to homework, so a single pendant rarely lights it well. This guide works through how many pendants an island needs, how to space them evenly from the centre and how low to hang them, using four Louis Poulsen designs with very different shade sizes: the PH 5, the PH 5 Mini, Keglen and Toldbod.
Start with the island, not the lamp
Measure the length of the worktop and find its midpoint. Everything else follows from those two marks. The aim is a row of pendants that sits symmetrically over the island and lights the full working surface, with the outermost shades well inside the ends of the worktop rather than hanging over the floor.
The reliable method is to divide the island into equal segments, one per pendant, and hang each lamp over the centre of its segment. For an island of length L and n pendants, the spacing between centres is L divided by n, and the end pendants sit half that distance in from each end. The row is then centred automatically.
Two checks tell you whether the number is right. First, the spacing must be larger than the shade diameter, or the outer shades will overhang the ends and the inner ones will almost touch. Second, look at the clear gap between neighbouring shades (spacing minus diameter). At roughly one shade diameter or a little more, the row reads as a calm rhythm. Much less looks crowded; much more breaks the light into pools with dark strips between.
Four shades, four scales
Between them, these designs cover most diameters you would consider over an island. Figures are from the product specifications.
| Pendant | Shade diameter | Shade height | Light source | Over an island |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PH 5 | Ø 500 mm | 267 mm | E27, max 75 W | Two over a long island, or one over a short one |
| PH 5 Mini | Ø 300 mm | 163 mm | E14, max 20 W | A pair or a row of three |
| Keglen | Ø 175, 250, 400 or 650 mm | 134 mm (Ø 175), 270 mm (other sizes) | Integrated LED, 2700 K | A run of the smaller sizes |
| Toldbod | Ø 120, 170, 250 or 400 mm | 121 to 404 mm | G9, E14 or E27 by size | Rows of two to four |
PH 5 and PH 5 Mini
Poul Henningsen designed the PH 5 Pendant Lamp in 1958 so that it would give soft, glare-free light with any bulb. Its three shades hide the light source from normal viewing angles, which matters over an island, where people see the lamp from the side as well as from below. At Ø 500 mm it is a substantial shade: two of them suit a long island, and a single PH 5 can carry a short island or a peninsula on its own.
The PH 5 Mini Pendant Lamp, introduced in 2017, uses the same geometry at Ø 300 mm. It is the easier PH to multiply. A pair or a row of three gives an island the PH silhouette without the visual weight of two full-size shades at head height. For the same questions over a table, see how high to hang a PH pendant over a dining table.
Keglen
The Keglen Pendant, credited to Jakob Lange of BIG Ideas, grew from the pendant Louis Poulsen developed with BIG for the Tirpitz Museum on the west coast of Denmark. A spun-aluminium cone pushes the light down onto the worktop, while a curved opal diffuser around the stem gives a soft halo above. A run of the smaller cones suits an island or long counter, and the four diameters make it the most flexible design here for tuning a row. The integrated LED is phase dimmable with standard dimmers, so there are no bulbs to match.
Toldbod
The Toldbod Pendant was developed by Louis Poulsen's own design team from Henningsen's PH Ellipse reflector studies. Its shade follows an elliptical curve that hides the bulb at normal sitting and standing angles, and the white interior spreads an even cone of light downward. The restrained outline is why it works in rows: two or three Toldbod shades read as one quiet line.
Worked examples: how many, and where
These use the segment method with the specified shade diameters. Substitute your own island length; the arithmetic stays the same.
- 180 cm island, two pendants. Spacing is 90 cm, so each pendant hangs 45 cm either side of the midpoint and 45 cm in from each end. Two PH 5 Mini shades (Ø 300 mm) leave a clear gap of 60 cm, a comfortable two diameters. Two PH 5 shades (Ø 500 mm) leave only 40 cm, which looks tight; a single PH 5 over the midpoint is often better here.
- 240 cm island, three pendants. Spacing is 80 cm: one pendant directly over the midpoint, the others 80 cm either side and 40 cm in from the ends. Three Keglen Ø 250 leave gaps of 55 cm; three PH 5 Mini leave 50 cm. Both sit well.
- 300 cm island, three or four pendants. Three Toldbod Ø 400 at 100 cm spacing leave 60 cm gaps, a strong, architectural row. Four Toldbod Ø 250 at 75 cm spacing, positioned 37.5 cm and 112.5 cm either side of the midpoint, leave 50 cm gaps and spread the light more evenly along the worktop.
With an even number of pendants nothing hangs at the midpoint itself; the centre line falls in the gap between the middle pair. Mark the ceiling positions from the midpoint outward, not from one end, so that small measuring errors stay symmetrical.
Hanging height over a worktop
As a rule of thumb, hang island pendants roughly 65 to 75 cm from the worktop to the lower edge of the shade. That puts the light on the surface and keeps the bulb out of sight, while leaving most people a clear view across the island.
Treat it as a starting point: shades spread light differently and people differ in height. The only real test is the actual lamp: hang one at the planned height on its cord (the PH 5 and Toldbod come with fabric cords of 3 m or more, Keglen with 4 m), stand where you will cook, sit where you will eat, and adjust before the canopy goes up. Keglen is described as hanging comfortably even at eye level, so it tolerates the lower end of the range.
Keep every pendant in a row at the same height; mixed heights tend to look accidental.
Fixing, weight and dimming
Larger shades are heavy, and the ceiling fixing has to suit them. The specifications list 4.6 kg for the PH 5, 7.4 kg for Toldbod Ø 400 and 14.5 kg for Keglen Ø 650, against 1.9 kg for the PH 5 Mini in aluminium. Ask your electrician to confirm each ceiling point before you commit to a layout.
Put the whole row on one dimmer. Island lighting has two jobs, bright task light and a lower level for eating, and a dimmer covers both. The PH 5 and PH 5 Mini are dimmable with a dimmable bulb; the product descriptions suggest an E27 LED of 2700–3000 K for the PH 5. Use identical bulbs in every pendant so the colour stays even along the row.
Choosing between them
Choose the PH 5 or PH 5 Mini for the most recognisable silhouette and well-shielded light. Choose Keglen if you want integrated LED and the widest set of sizes to tune a row precisely. Choose Toldbod if the kitchen is architectural and you want the lamps to recede into a clean line. Whichever you pick, start from the island's midpoint, check the clear gap against the shade diameter, and test the height with the lamp in your hand. To compare these with other designs, browse the full range of pendant lamps.