What Types Of Light To Use In The Dining Room

The kitchen is often described as the heart of the home. If that’s true, then the dining room must be the brain. It’s the place where the family can come together to discuss the events of the day, talk about their successes, their problems, share jokes, plan new memories and enjoy each other’s company, even for just an hour or so as a cohesive unit over a delicious meal.

Home design tackles the dining room in numerous ways; whether that’s through a kitchen-diner, a lounge-diner or as a separate room in its own right. Whichever you have, how you light the room is going to go a long way to create a space that brings family and friends together, but can also look fantastic when it’s empty.

For most people, dining room lighting starts with a beautiful pendant hanging elegantly above the table. We have pendants from, amongst others, manufacturers like Endon or Elstead Lighting that all cover a multitude of styles, but would all look amazing. When choosing a pendant, it’s important to bear in mind a number of factors you might not consider when choosing the right light for your home.

First thing to look at when choosing your fitting is the height of your ceiling, especially where it’s going to hang. A higher ceiling usually lends itself better to larger light fixtures. These aren’t just the preserve of older homes, many new builds now have ceilings that measure 9 feet from the floor. Of course, there are no set rules about this, so it’s very much down to personal taste, but there are some things you can consider.

When it comes to the table, most pendant lighting tends to hang between 28” – 32” (71cm – 81cm) above the table top in homes with a more common 8ft ceiling. Again, this isn’t written in stone, but you also need to consider how tall your family is. You don’t want to be banging your head when laying or clearing the table.

When choosing a fitting, it’s important that the fixture complements, rather than overpowers, your table. Many customers choose a light fitting that echoes the shape of the dining room table, whether that’s square, round or oval. This brings a sense of harmony, but it also looks great when it contradicts, so don’t be afraid to play around with shapes. This can be done with the fitting itself, but also the shades around the bulbs.

Of course, there is more to dining room lighting than hanging pendants. Dining room lighting is as diverse as you are. Whether you want to go for spot lights, recessed lighting or even the contemporary string lighting that covers walls, surrounds picture frames or illuminated under glass tables, we have just what you’re looking for.

Another important aspect to consider when it comes to illuminating your dining room, is the light fitting. Most people are used to the standard on / off switch, but adding dimmable lights can mean you can utilise the dining room for so many more occasions. If you like to add a drum shade, then it adds a calming sense to the room, which can be further enhanced with a dimmer switch. If you want to work at the table or let the kids do their homework, then it can be cranked up to illuminate the whole room and paired down when you’re looking to have that romantic meal with your loved one.

The right lighting in a dining room, in fact in any room, can bring it alive. It can change the mood, change the look, change the atmosphere and obviously change the light. For all the changes it can bring, it can also do one thing that should remain the same; bring people together.