An island light does two jobs at once. It has to put usable light on a worktop and it has to hold its own in what is often the most looked-at volume in an open-plan house, seen from the sofa as much as from the hob.
For a long island, a single linear piece keeps the ceiling calm, while two or three pendants in a line give a stronger rhythm and let each one sit lower. Leave roughly 75 to 90cm between the worktop and the lowest point of the light so that it clears eye level when standing. Several pieces here come in lengths over a metre, and drops can be specified to the ceiling.