12 creative and functional ideas for dining room lighting


Lighting is vital to creating the right ambience in any room. Obviously, the lighting scheme must be correctly installed and configured in the dining room. Moreover, lighting is the best way to make the room décor look good. You may buy the great furniture and decorations, but ruin the whole décor with improper lighting, and vice versa. Not to mention the fact that proper lighting directly affects a person’s mood, which is vital when eating. In this way, lighting can even affect the health of a person, so you should definitely try to get it right. And, of course, the aesthetic aspect is also very important.

Read these creative and functional tips and ideas for the perfect dining room lighting.

Create a Lighting Scheme Based on the Dining Table

It is very important to create the pleasing ambience around the table in a dining room. The lighting scheme should be built in the way so that the rest of the room will be visually lost when all people are sitting at the table. We do not claim that lighting the rest of the room is not important – it is just not as important as lighting around the table. Therefore, it is recommended to start planning the dining room lighting from the table area.

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The most popular solution for this type of lighting is to use pendant lights hanging low from the ceiling. If you have a large room and a long table, the proper solution would be to hang a few pendants in a row. A large chandelier is also acceptable. The smaller the room, the less number of pendant lights you need to use.

Hang your pendant lights low above the surface of the table. The height from the table to the lowest part of the lamp can be about 35-36 inches. This will allow you to properly illuminate the table and not the space around it, and at the same time the light will not hit people's eyes. In addition, this placement of fixtures is aesthetically attractive and highly appreciated by designers for many years. Pendant lights above the table will create a dramatic atmosphere when your family sits at the table, eating and talking.

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If you still decide to choose a chandelier for your dining room, this can become a more difficult task. It is much more difficult to choose the right chandelier, which is suitable for the overall interior design scheme, and is not too pretentious, or vice versa, too small and inconspicuous. If you have a modern interior, your choice of chandeliers is much wider, because modern chandeliers are more versatile and diverse than classic ones.

For a minimalist contemporary interior, choose the metal construction of the chandelier. For example, a sputnik chandelier can be a good choice for this purpose. Don’t choose a too elaborate light fixture; it does not look flattering in a sleek modern interior design.

You can try a crystal chandelier for a luxurious interior. Vintage chandeliers look good in a traditional dining room. In any case, if do wish to have a chandelier in your dining room, take some time to do a little research to find out which one is best for your particular interior.

A Large Pendant above a Small Table

It is usually better when all the objects in the room, including lighting fixtures, work on a scale with each other. However, there is one design technique that is the opposite of this rule, but can work very well in the dining room. Placing a large pendant light above a small table can look surprisingly good.

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There are several popular types of pendant lights that are commonly used for this purpose:

Choosing a large industrial lamp for a modern interior is a hot trend that will not become obsolete.

Wooden pendant lights are best suited for the ascetic white contemporary interior. The same applies to colored glass pendant lights. They can compensate for the rigor of the interior, which is particularly important for the dining room.

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And, of course, designer pendant lights can be used in any interior. They are expensive, but it is usually worth it. They will make any interior luxurious and elegant; and this is a very small opportunity to make a serious mistake in the design of your interior when choosing a good designer product. There are many photos with designer pendant lights in different interiors, so you can easily imagine how an item will work in your dining room.

Three or Five Pendant Lights

Several pendant lights usually work better than one large chandelier in rooms with a long dining table. Of course, these should be similar or matching light fixtures. There is one simple rule for a series of pendant lights: use an odd number of fixtures. Three or five lights should be enough for most tables.

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You can also use a one large pendant as a focal point of the room, complementing it with several smaller matching fixtures.

The style of the pendants should correspond to the general theme of the room. If you love some special style of light fixtures, try to find the pictures of such lights on the Internet. If this is a popular type of lighting, you can probably find some photos of the light fixtures in the interior and determine if they fit your dining room style.

Take a Look at Different Textures and Patterns

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One of the most admitted lighting solutions for the dining room is the use of white pendant lights. However, you can consider white pendants with various patterns and/or textures to make your lighting more exciting. A metal or wooden texture would definitely add to the décor of the room, as well as some stylish pattern. Of course, a combination of pattern and texture is also acceptable. Just remember to match the style of the lamp with the overall theme of the room.

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Install a Dimmer

Eating in the morning, afternoon and evening require different lighting intensities. This is even more important if the table is used not only for eating, but also for other purposes. Just for this a dimmer comes in handy. You’ll be glad that you have the opportunity to dim the lights in the evening, as well as during night gatherings with friends. Dimmed lighting creates a cozy informal ambiance in the room, not to mention the fact that that people usually look much better in such conditions. Believe me, your friends will be pleased with such a wonderful atmosphere, even if they don’t notice the use of a dimmer.

Track Lighting



A great alternative to the boring traditional lighting is to install track lights over the dining table or throughout the room. This is the most versatile type of lighting: it can be used both to illuminate the table and to provide the entire room with ambient light. Usually it is designed in such a way that you have the possibility to direct the light sources wherever you need and move them along the track, creating the unique lighting scheme and using the installed lighting fixture as efficiently as possible. There are track lights with bendable conduits that make your options almost limitless.

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Using a Candelabra

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Candelabra are a wonderful addition to the lighting of the dining table. Candelabra can be a simple candle holder, as well as a lighting fixture with several LED lights. It provides warm diffused light, helping to create an informal, inviting atmosphere around the table. They can also be a focal point of the table. Giving all of the above, choose the candelabra wisely. If you often dine with your friends or family, opt for a low wide item that will not block people’s view during the dinner.

Cage Lights

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Using cage lights in a dining room is another popular trend. They come in many shapes and sizes and can be used as a single light source or be grouped into clusters. These light fixtures look extremely well in combination with wooden tables, but can be used with the other types of dining tables as well. Cage lights make the room look original and creative while leaving enough open space above the table. They also work well in rooms with low ceilings.

Minimalist Lights

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There are bright LED lights that can give enough light for any room these days, so now you don’t necessarily need a large light fixture to properly illuminate the room. This gives you an opportunity to use minimalistic lights if you do not wish to make the accent on a giant chandelier or a cluster of pendants. For example, if you prefer to focus on some wall art, beautiful plant or statue instead of the main light fixture, you can successfully use minimalist dining room lighting.



Layered Dining Room Lighting

You can use layered lighting in the dining room as successfully as in the bathroom or in the kitchen. The more light sources you install, the more options to influence the atmosphere of the room and the mood of the guests.

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As always, layered lighting usually consists of ambient, accent and task light. You can use pendant or track lights for the ambient light, sconces for accent light, and floor or table lamp for another layer of light. Try to choose the matching light fixtures to keep the overall lighting scheme consistent, unless you want it to be eclectic on purpose.

Sconces

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Using sconces is a great way to add emphasis to the walls of your dining room. They can highlight some wall art or simply the wall itself. Sconces work well in large rooms, making them more comfortable and welcoming. Different stores around the world have many different types of sconces, so it’s best to choose the one that suits your particular room decor. But if you are overwhelmed with options and need an advice, opt for the flush-mounted sconces. You will never go wrong with this type of sconces, especially if you are looking for a sophisticated and elegant interior design.

Clustered Pendant Lights

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To group pendant lights in clusters is a relatively new trend in interior design, and it is huge! There are several types of clustered pendant lights, for example bunched up as bouquets or suspended on a special base. For greater effect, pendants can be hung at different heights. When properly installed, they can produce a stunning effect. Swap the obsolete chandelier with such wonderful fixture, and you won’t recognize your old dining room. Use bunched up pendants if you have a round table, and cluster pendant lights on a long base with the long rectangular table.

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