How to Choose a Dining Table Light
Stumped about which chandelier, pendant or other lighting to choose? These design and installation guidelines will help
The chandelier or pendant above your dining table isn’t always the only light fixture in the room — designers actually advise against having a single light source — but it probably will be the most visible and make the biggest impact. “Dining table pendants really center the space and give it a focal point, much like kitchen pendants do for counters and islands,” says interior designer Raychel Wade. “On a practical level, they provide direct light to an area that needs it.”
Even if you aren’t relying on the dining table light for illumination, it can be another opportunity to show your design personality. “I usually think of the light fixture as the jewelry of the space,” says interior designer Larina Kase.
Even if you aren’t relying on the dining table light for illumination, it can be another opportunity to show your design personality. “I usually think of the light fixture as the jewelry of the space,” says interior designer Larina Kase.
Your dining table lighting probably isn’t going to break the space, but it can make the space. The following tips and considerations from a designer should help ensure that it’s the latter. “Even if you don’t have a big budget, you can transform a room with this one item,” says Wade, owner and principal of Raychel Wade Design.
Designer Considerations
Table shape. While your dining table’s shape and size don’t have to determine your light fixture, they can help in the selection. “It does come down to personal choice, but I would recommend a round or hexagonal or bowl-shaped fixture for a round table and a square or rectangular or oval fixture for a rectangular table,” says architectural lighting designer Randall Whitehead.
You can also play around with scale and multiples. “If it’s a long table, we are seeing more double light installations, which look beautiful and provide balanced light. If it’s a smaller table, consider a larger pendant, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of functionality,” says interior designer Suzanne Manlove, principal designer at Arlington Home Interiors. “Nobody wants to bang their head on a light, no matter how pretty it is.”
Table shape. While your dining table’s shape and size don’t have to determine your light fixture, they can help in the selection. “It does come down to personal choice, but I would recommend a round or hexagonal or bowl-shaped fixture for a round table and a square or rectangular or oval fixture for a rectangular table,” says architectural lighting designer Randall Whitehead.
You can also play around with scale and multiples. “If it’s a long table, we are seeing more double light installations, which look beautiful and provide balanced light. If it’s a smaller table, consider a larger pendant, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of functionality,” says interior designer Suzanne Manlove, principal designer at Arlington Home Interiors. “Nobody wants to bang their head on a light, no matter how pretty it is.”
View. For dining rooms that are main thoroughfares or have interesting views, wall art or wallpaper, you may want to consider a cage chandelier or other type of open fixture that won’t block the view from across the room. Additionally, this might be a case when you opt to hang the fixture outside the typically recommended heights.
In this traditional dining room in Arlington, Virginia, Manlove added some playful decorating touches, including the dining room light fixture. “I was looking for a larger statement light for this small dining room. I wanted to bring the viewer’s eye up to take advantage of the high ceilings, and have it be something you could enjoy from the adjoining living room and kitchen,” Manlove says.
She opted for a nearly 3-by-3-foot open geometric metallic fixture. “In this space, the dining room light serves as a decorative element that adds interest and scale to this small room. We like to have something shiny to catch your eye. This design works because it is large but open, so you can see through it to the wallpaper and the other rooms that connect to this room,” she says. They hung this light fixture higher than they normally would, above eye level, so that it wouldn’t be in the way visually of such a high-traffic room.
In this traditional dining room in Arlington, Virginia, Manlove added some playful decorating touches, including the dining room light fixture. “I was looking for a larger statement light for this small dining room. I wanted to bring the viewer’s eye up to take advantage of the high ceilings, and have it be something you could enjoy from the adjoining living room and kitchen,” Manlove says.
She opted for a nearly 3-by-3-foot open geometric metallic fixture. “In this space, the dining room light serves as a decorative element that adds interest and scale to this small room. We like to have something shiny to catch your eye. This design works because it is large but open, so you can see through it to the wallpaper and the other rooms that connect to this room,” she says. They hung this light fixture higher than they normally would, above eye level, so that it wouldn’t be in the way visually of such a high-traffic room.
Where you want the light to go and how bright you want it to be. Bulb types and how many the fixture holds can affect your dining table lighting, but the fixture itself also plays a role. Drum pendants and lanterns enclosed on all sides create more subtle and diffused lighting than a bell pendant, which directs the light more like a spotlight.
Shades can also alter the effect. “One of my favorite things are fixtures with perforated shades that project a pattern of light out onto the walls and ceiling,” Whitehead says.
See drum pendants on Houzz
Shades can also alter the effect. “One of my favorite things are fixtures with perforated shades that project a pattern of light out onto the walls and ceiling,” Whitehead says.
See drum pendants on Houzz
Ceiling. When it comes to hanging a light fixture, flat ceilings are relatively straightforward, but sloped ceilings can prove to be a little more challenging. Fixtures with flexible chains or cords, rather than stems, can make hanging easier. “If it is a stem, make certain it can swivel to hang straight,” says lighting designer Nancy McCoy, owner and designer of McCoy Lighting Design.
Light fixture: Ikea
Light fixture: Ikea
Room style. Light fixtures can reinforce a room’s theme, but they can also depart from it, depending on the look you’re going for. They can dress up a room or bring down the formality. “There are unlimited options,” says Kase, founder and principal designer of Larina Kase Interior Design. “I often will design the whole room around the light fixture,” she says.
Light fixture: Roll & Hill
Find a designer to help you select your light fixtures
Light fixture: Roll & Hill
Find a designer to help you select your light fixtures
Light fixtures that feature crystal and shiny metal can tilt toward the formal side, while ones that include wood beads, rope or jute tend to be more casual.
In this New York kitchen renovation, interior designer Raychel Wade swapped a homeowner’s antique chandelier for an updated pendant. “It was important for us to use a more natural material,” as opposed to metal and glass, she says. “This pendant warms up the space and creates a focal point without overwhelming the entire room.” It rounds out the warm textures and colors of the surrounding furniture and finishes.
Light fixture: Green Oaks, Palecek
In this New York kitchen renovation, interior designer Raychel Wade swapped a homeowner’s antique chandelier for an updated pendant. “It was important for us to use a more natural material,” as opposed to metal and glass, she says. “This pendant warms up the space and creates a focal point without overwhelming the entire room.” It rounds out the warm textures and colors of the surrounding furniture and finishes.
Light fixture: Green Oaks, Palecek
The designers of this dining area in Utah wanted a sleek look but still wanted the space to feel warm and textured, which included using this metal pendant. “It’s made of aluminum but feels as though it’s been cast, and the cord attachment is leather,” says interior designer Lauren Bald of cityhomeCollective. “Together, these qualities bring warmth and tactility to keep the overall modern design from feeling cold.”
Light fixture: Bell, Normann Copenhagen
Light fixture: Bell, Normann Copenhagen
A smaller glass pendant hangs above this breakfast nook. “We wanted to keep the corner light and open, so a clear, simple light fixture was the perfect solution. This little eating nook is in the back of an open-concept kitchen-dining room, so our goal was to simplify the space visually,” Kase says.
Light fixture: Sutton; Birch Lane; see more glass pendants
Light fixture: Sutton; Birch Lane; see more glass pendants
Other times, the light fixture can simply be something you love, as is the case with the Lindsey Adelman chandelier in this Los Angeles dining room.
“We’d lusted over the light fixture for a long time before putting it in this room,” says designer Saffron Case of Saffron Case Homes.
“The chandelier is beautifully articulated, which I think works well with the crudeness of the wood table, and the hanging shape — almost like a mobile — is magical in room like this.”
“We’d lusted over the light fixture for a long time before putting it in this room,” says designer Saffron Case of Saffron Case Homes.
“The chandelier is beautifully articulated, which I think works well with the crudeness of the wood table, and the hanging shape — almost like a mobile — is magical in room like this.”
Adjacent light fixtures. If there are other light fixtures nearby, whether wall sconces or kitchen island pendants, it’s a good idea to pay attention to them. If, for example, pendant lights in the kitchen are dramatic, Larina Kase often opts for an understated fixture for the dining table. “I wouldn’t necessarily want to compete with them in the space,” she says.
A round metallic light fixture hangs over the dining table in this home outside Philadelphia. “We selected this light to make a statement,” Kase says. “We wanted a clean, modern design but a beautiful light fixture that would warm up the space. The white exterior and gold interior achieve this balance of making a statement in a calming way, and the gold is like having sunshine shine down.”
The metal finishes of adjacent light fixtures don’t have to dictate what the pendant or chandelier will be. “I don’t care for matchy-matchy,” Saffron Case says, “so I don’t worry about whether the metal finishes match.”
Says Larina Kase: “It can be fun to have one finish on the sconces and one finish on the chandelier.”
Dining light fixture: Agnes in large, Aerin for Visual Comfort
A round metallic light fixture hangs over the dining table in this home outside Philadelphia. “We selected this light to make a statement,” Kase says. “We wanted a clean, modern design but a beautiful light fixture that would warm up the space. The white exterior and gold interior achieve this balance of making a statement in a calming way, and the gold is like having sunshine shine down.”
The metal finishes of adjacent light fixtures don’t have to dictate what the pendant or chandelier will be. “I don’t care for matchy-matchy,” Saffron Case says, “so I don’t worry about whether the metal finishes match.”
Says Larina Kase: “It can be fun to have one finish on the sconces and one finish on the chandelier.”
Dining light fixture: Agnes in large, Aerin for Visual Comfort
Other Considerations
Adding or relocating a ceiling outlet. There are a couple of options for those who don’t have a ceiling outlet at all or who have a ceiling outlet that isn’t in the right place. For a more affordable option, you can choose a hanging fixture with an attractive cord and either hang the light fixture on a hook or even use a wall outlet.
Otherwise, an electrician can add or relocate the light outlet for you. “[It’s] always doable,” says Ernie Reda, owner and operator of Reda Electric. Regardless of whether or not you are working below an attic space or another floor, a professional should be able to add or relocate wiring for a hanging light fixture.
Find an electrician near you
Adding or relocating a ceiling outlet. There are a couple of options for those who don’t have a ceiling outlet at all or who have a ceiling outlet that isn’t in the right place. For a more affordable option, you can choose a hanging fixture with an attractive cord and either hang the light fixture on a hook or even use a wall outlet.
Otherwise, an electrician can add or relocate the light outlet for you. “[It’s] always doable,” says Ernie Reda, owner and operator of Reda Electric. Regardless of whether or not you are working below an attic space or another floor, a professional should be able to add or relocate wiring for a hanging light fixture.
Find an electrician near you
Dimmers. While shade type, bulb type and layers of light play a big role in the lighting effect of the dining room, designers unanimously agree that dimmers are key to creating an inviting ambiance. “I tend to have the lights dimmed in every room so that they glow rather than shine,” Saffron Case says.
How to Install a Dimmer Switch
How to Install a Dimmer Switch
The Basics
Where to hang: In an enclosed dining room, the dining table often sits in the center of the room. With open-plan or multiuse rooms, that’s not always the case. Regardless, aim to center the light fixture over the dining table.
How high: Each designer has his or her own preference, and each dining room is unique and may call for something slightly different, but most experts suggest suspending the light fixture so that its bottom hangs 28 to 36 inches above the dining table. Rooms with taller ceilings can support light fixtures hung on the higher end, while those with standard 8-foot-tall ceilings might call for fixtures hung closer to 30 inches from the table.
How big: Look at any collection of dining room photos, and you’ll see that there’s no one-size-fits-all for the light fixture. Some feature one oversize fixture, while others use two or more smaller fixtures. A lot of it comes down to preference, but there are a few formulas that can be applied to help you at least get started with your sizing, especially if you’re opting for a single light fixture over the table.
More
Decorating 101: How to Plan Your Home’s Lighting
What to Know About Switching to LED Lightbulbs
Browse ceiling lighting
Where to hang: In an enclosed dining room, the dining table often sits in the center of the room. With open-plan or multiuse rooms, that’s not always the case. Regardless, aim to center the light fixture over the dining table.
How high: Each designer has his or her own preference, and each dining room is unique and may call for something slightly different, but most experts suggest suspending the light fixture so that its bottom hangs 28 to 36 inches above the dining table. Rooms with taller ceilings can support light fixtures hung on the higher end, while those with standard 8-foot-tall ceilings might call for fixtures hung closer to 30 inches from the table.
How big: Look at any collection of dining room photos, and you’ll see that there’s no one-size-fits-all for the light fixture. Some feature one oversize fixture, while others use two or more smaller fixtures. A lot of it comes down to preference, but there are a few formulas that can be applied to help you at least get started with your sizing, especially if you’re opting for a single light fixture over the table.
- Add the length and width of the room together in feet and then use the sum, but in inches, to determine the fixture size. “If you have a room that’s 10 feet by 12 feet, then the diameter [of the] fixture should be in the 22-inch range,” Whitehead says. “Personally, I tend to scale up a bit and would look at something that would be 24 inches in diameter.”
- Use the table size to help determine the fixture size. The American Lighting Association advises that a light fixture should be 12 inches narrower (6 inches on each side) than the smaller side of the dining table. For example, a table that is 48 inches wide by 72 inches long should have a light fixture that is about 36 inches wide.
More
Decorating 101: How to Plan Your Home’s Lighting
What to Know About Switching to LED Lightbulbs
Browse ceiling lighting
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