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Dining Room Lighting

Dining room lighting should be both beautiful and functional. This is best accomplished by using a combination of task, ambient and accent lighting. These various layers of lighting establish the mood for a variety of functions, including dining, homework or family bookkeeping. Dimming controls will enable you to vary the light for each function.

Lighting Techniques for the Dining Room

Dining Room Chandeliers
Chandeliers are often a powerful focal point in dining room lighting. Suspended over the dining table, chandeliers serve as a decorative element that enhance the beauty of your furnishings. When the light is dimmed, a soft, glowing atmosphere similar to candlelight can be created. If your chandelier is equipped with a downlight, it can provide task lighting for the table along with accent lighting for the room.

When choosing a chandelier, you should find one that is six to ten inches narrower than the smallest width of your dining room table. If your table is 48" x 72", then the recommended width of the fixture would be approximately 40". The chandelier should hang approximately 30" above the tabletop in a room with an eight foot ceiling. For each additional foot of ceiling height, add one inch.

Dining Room Track & Recessed Lighting
Recessed or track lighting can provide strong ambient dining room lighting, while enabling you to highlight prized possessions throughout your dining room as well. You can supplement your dining room lighting by adding row of four recessed down-lights around the dining room table. This not will help to bring attention to your tableware as well.