For example, I have a 10' x 4', 1 level kitchen island looking out into our great room. 16" overhang for knees/legs on 1 side. It's 23" from that counter edge to faucet (sink is in island). So essentially a 10' x 2' eating/sitting/serving surface. The pendant electrical fixtures were roughed in prior to our finalizing our location and size of the island. The center of our pendants hang 6 inches in from the counter edge. From a distance it looks fine but feels a tad awkward if you are standing directly next to the counter as you get a face full of pendant. So for us, should have been centered at ~12" from edge?

Thanks for the advice/replies.

Better luck next time. I never use pendant lighting because someone always moves the island or makes it the wrong size. I also don't like lighting hanging in front of my face.

You could remove the offending pendants and install some remodel type recessed pin spots.

That's actually a terrible idea. Do not install pinspots in your kitchen. Everyone will laugh at you.

Try halogen WFL MR16s instead.