What is the right size light fixture to use over your dining table? Does the shape matter? Today I will be talking about choosing the right size and shape light fixture to use over your dining table. I rounded up several photos of inspirational dining rooms with different lighting ideas.
Tip#1 I consider light fixtures to be the jewelry of your home, they are a great way to show your style and personality. Choosing the right chandelier can be daunting for some, when in doubt stick with the architectural style of your home. If the architectural style is French Country like this home by Providence Design, you would want to use something similar to the chandelier shown below rather than a sleek modern fixture.
Tip #2– Center the light over your dining table. That may not necessarily be the center of your space, determine placement of your table and hang your light fixture accordingly.
Shop similar looks in the sliders below
So how do you choose the right size and shape light fixture?
Tip #3- When determining what size fixture to order, you’ll need to have the measurements of your table along with measurements of your room. Typically you should leave at least 6″ from the edge of the table to avoid bumping heads on the fixture. The scale of your light fixture depends on the size of your space, if your room is small (10’x10′) you’ll want to stay under 20″ in diameter with your light fixture. A fixture that is too large can overwhelm your space.
For a larger space (between 14′ and 18′) look for a fixture between 24″ and 36″ so your fixture doesn’t get lost in the room.
Does shape matter?
Tip #4- In my opinion shape matters most when dealing with a table that is 6′ in length or more. If your table is that long you may want to consider a linear fixture like the one pictured below.
Or
You can do two fixtures (one of my favorite looks)!
I mean, what better way to make a statement?!
How high should I hang my Chandelier?
Tip #5- Typically you want your chandelier to be about 30″-34″ above your table, if your ceiling is taller than 8′ you can raise it to anywhere from 36″-40″ above your table. So before you order and hang your chandelier, you’ll need to know
Height and width of your table
Ceiling height
approximate room size
This will help ensure that you have the clearance to hang your chandelier, and that it won’t either get lost in the room by being too small, or overwhelm the space with it’s size. These simple tips should help you choose the right size and shape light fixture for your dining room! Feel free to drop down and leave a comment if you have any questions!
If you liked this post, you may also like my post on How to decide spacing for island pendants.
I’ll end with this stunning water front home is designed by Micheal Greenberg and associates, the light fixture is a perfect example of using an oversized fixture above your table.
The lantern is open allowing views of the water while also making a grand statement.
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XO
Jen
Great information thank you!
Thanks for stopping by Mary!
Very helpful post. I have been searching for a 72″ round table similar to the ones in this post. However, I was not able to identify the source when I clicked on the images. Any additional details would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
-Shannon
Hi Shannon, unfortunately I don’t have additional info on the spaces I didn’t design. I tried to source items that were as close as possible to those seen in the photos but they aren’t exact. 72″ round tables aren’t very common, you’re much more likely to come across a 60″ or smaller. I did a quick search and found a few more (they are affiliate links) https://rstyle.me/n/cfyeeebyfgp and https://rstyle.me/n/cfyeribyfgp the second one is a custom order so you can choose your finish. Good luck with your search!
Thanks for the tips. I never knew which lighting fixture to buy but with your great tips I have sort of an idea. One question though, if my kitchen that is connected to the dining room and living room, had silver fixtures like the sink and handles for cabinet. But I would like to have our living room accents to have gold in them is that weird and what kind of metal would my lighting fixture over the dining table have to be does it match the living space accent or the kitchen space accents?
Hi Dona, You can definitely mix metals! I have all chrome in my kitchen and my dining room is chrome as well. I just changed my light in my family room to brass and they are all pretty much in the same space. The most important thing is to stick with the same style, for instance my style is transitional, my lighting would all fall under that category. If you go to the home page of my blog you can see photos of both my kitchen and my family room to give you an idea of how that looks. 🙂
I really liked how you presented your argument through a picture because I realized that you were right one about how beautiful it is to choose a linear lighting fixture of the table underneath is it long. I will mention trying this kind of lighting design out when I talk to my mom next month. She’s planning to have the kitchen remodeled, and although we will not be placing the lighting above a table, we will use it on a kitchen counter which is equally long. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Julius, a picture can speak 1,000 words right? I often use photos to help my clients picture what their space can look like. Best wishes to you and your mom! -Jen
I have a 54” round copper table. Does the light have to be round?what color? The other metal accents in the adjoining room are bronze. Thanks!
Hi Susan, I think your best bet with a round table would be to stick with a round fixture. There are different types of fixtures that would work. You could go with a drum shade, a globe fixture, or a chandelier. With a copper table I’d go with a black or bronze finish so it’s not competing with the copper. I hope this is helpful. Thank you-Jen