I LOVE the look. They look great in restaurants that I've been to. If they're on a dimmer you can control the light and how bright it is. Keep in mind that this is more like "electrical candlelight" - very yellow light, and not very much of it. Good for accent lighting, not for task or general lighting. I'm not allowed those because my husband is an electric engineer.

GLARE GLARE GLARE!

What feisty said. If you look at the sites for the bulbs, they always have a disclaimer that says, 'Wattages are not indicative of light output", or something to that effect. They sure are pretty, though.

I did them in my kitchen (white quartz countertops, dark grey stained cabinetry, stainless accents), in a rustic-industrial style. Base bulbs, clear glass shades, plus a matching 3-light "chandalier" over the peninsula.

Personally, I LOVE them. People can't stop commenting on them, and they're not harsh at all. As Feisty says, they're actually a very "candle"-like lighting and definitely not for working. Think the highest watt is 60, and that's not much.

Keep in mind the bulbs are a bit more pricey ($10 each), but I can't imagine not having them. I have 7 in my home and have no complaints.

I have the pottery barn rustic pendants in my current house. Two over the peninsula and one over the sink. Can lights else ware . I had 60 watt Edison's in them then changed to 75 watt regular Edison base clear bulbs for more light over the peninsula. Same effect and less cost than Edison style bulbs. Great light and not glaring. My DH's favorite place to read.
I changed out the bulb over the sink to an LED 60watt equivalent, everyone hates it, it is glaring and uncomfortable lighting. But I keep it on as an overnight light if my daughter gets home late.

I don't have edison bulbs, but this might give you an idea of what it looks like. When we first installed them I did keep staring at the bulbs, but once I got used to them, I didn't even notice anymore.

I think Shanghaimom posted that she was changing hers out.

Awnmyown and ppbenn, can you post pix to share?

I have 2 large, clear bell-shaped pendants from Pottery Barn over my island with edison style bulbs. The colors in my kitchen are very light and airy, but I chose the dark bronze rod style for the pendants, the majority of the fixture is glass. They look really pretty, but I admit there is less light than before.

Before we have a giant light box on the ceiling. Everytime I turned that on I felt like I was working in a battery factory.

Edison bulbs in my foyer. Never even noticed them after a while. They were also on a dimmer so I could turn them down if they were too bright. But a kitchen might be different than a foyer....I LOVE the way they look.