Lighting can be such a tricky thing to get right and it’s also one of the best investments you can make in your home to elevate the look and feel of your spaces, so it’s definitely worth doing your homework before you buy. Dining rooms, in particular, tend to require lighting that often acts as a main focal point of the room, and this lighting also has to work well with its surroundings, otherwise, it can really throw everything off. SO, let me take some of the guesswork out of it for you with a few simple guidelines that I find helpful when I’m trying to narrow dining room fixture options down for my client projects, PLUS, I’ll use photos from my own home so that you can see what I’m talking about! We recently swapped out our old dining room light fixture and it made such a massive difference in the feel of our space. YAY for a dining room reveal!
Size Matters:
The general rule of thumb is that your chandelier should be at least 1/2 to 2/3 the size of your dining table, and friends, the key phrase here is “AT LEAST”. I’ve very rarely met a chandelier that I thought was too big for a dining space. Once you find one that is the right height, make sure to hang it so that it’s at least 30” – 32” above the surface of your dining table (that’s for an average 8’ ceiling. If you have a higher ceiling, you can move it up 3” – 5” for every additional foot). Make sure you have help hanging it so that you can stand back and eyeball it before you install it. My husband LOVES this game (ha.ha.)… you know, the “one inch higher!… mmm, maybe two inches lower… now half an inch up again…” game. BUT, trust me, it’s worth being annoying for a minute to make sure you love it ;).
Style Matters:
So, there’s no way I can truly tell you what style to go for without seeing your space, BUT I’ve found that in general, these are typically good rules to follow to help you hone in on a winner:
- If you have a big chunky dining table, or bulky dining chairs (think heavy upholstery, etc.), go light and bright with your light fixture. If your dining table and chairs are large and in charge, the last thing you usually want is to have a giant, heavy light fixture to compete with it. That will just give you a visual headache. You’ll need something visually light, such as a simple linear chandelier or something light in color that will kind of blend in with your ceiling tone.
- On the flip-side, if you have a simple dining table and chairs, you totally have an excuse to go really big and bold with an awesome light fixture! You don’t HAVE to, but if you can, I say, why not spice things up?! Something colorful or maybe a metallic pop of some kind would add visual interest and weight to your space. Go for it! The sky is the limit (or in this case, the ceiling).
Light Bulbs Matter:
I LOVE these light bulbs we found on Amazon (click the photo to check them out).
There’s nothing worse than hanging out at a dinner party and having to squint across the dining table to see the person across from you because of the blinding light in your eyes from the chandelier above, or feeling like you’re out in broad daylight even though you’re really at an evening gathering that’s meant to be relaxing, alllll thanks to the wrong type of light bulb being used. When you’re picking out the perfect bulb for your beautiful new fixture, go for dimmable LED’s that are meant to be easy on the eyes in both senses of the phrase. They add a classy touch to your fixture AND they’ll make your dining experiences so much more enjoyable.
So, which bulbs are the right bulbs?
If you have a fixture with exposed bulbs, you’ll want to choose a bulb that’s between 200 – 400 lumen & about 2500 kelvin. If you have shades, you can go a bit brighter with a bulb that’s between 400 – 800 lumen depending on how thick your shade is, and ideally between 2200 – 3000 kelvin in color temperature. We even put in soft white milk glass bulbs in our new fixture temporarily until our new Edisons arrive (you can see them in the photos), and I’m actually really loving the soft glow they give off. Have fun with it! Play and experiment until you find the right combo for your space. Picking the right bulbs can honestly make or break the design in your home. The right light has the power to complement and empower the room, or it can unflatteringly alter the appearance of paint color, fabric color, textures, etc, and highlight all of the wrong things instead.
Lighting is truly one of my favorite elements of interior design, friends! There are so many delicious options these days and the combos are endless! I hope this little guide helps you along in your selection process.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to see some of YOUR beautiful lighting scenarios and solutions too! Send some photos my way! Hope you have a lovely week and happy light hunting!
Xoxo,
Alyssa
(Interior Photos and Styling by Alyssa Hill, Hill Interiors LLC)
