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In many [city] homes, the dining room is easily the busiest room. After all, it’s where meals are shared, celebrations are held, and guests naturally gather. Given all of this activity, it’s important for your dining room to have picture perfect lighting.

When it comes to lighting your dining room, there are 2 things you need to keep in mind:

  • You want people to be able to see what they’re doing
  • You want people to feel comfortable

Striking a balance between these two factors can be daunting, which is why we’ve compiled a list of lighting tips that will work for just about any dining room.

1. Be Careful with the Shape of Your Fixtures

When choosing light fixtures for the dining room, you want something that complements the shape of the table—it’s the biggest object in the room, after all. For example, round fixtures work well with round tables, while extension tables or long tables are best paired with linear fixtures.

If you have problems matching fixtures with your table, you can use multiple pendants and group together at the center of a round table, hanging them in varying heights for a cascade effect. Alternatively, you could line them up in a neat row throughout the length of the table.

2. Choose Appropriately Sized Fixtures

Dining room fixtures should at least be 12 inches smaller than the table in all directions. For example, a 6-foot wide table works best with light fixtures that are about 3-feet wide. Likewise, linear suspensions should be around 1/3 to 2/3 of the table’s length. If you’re not sure where to start, you can always consider chandeliers and linear pendants, which go great with extension tables or long, rectangular tables.

3. Hanging Lights Are Great, but Be Mindful of Suspension Length

Still on the subject of chandeliers and pendants, you want to be mindful of suspension length when using any type of hanging light fixture. There should be at gap of at least 30 inches between the fixture and the surface of the dining table. The last thing you want is for Uncle Bob to hit his head on a pendant light or chandelier.

4. Create an Atmosphere with Mood Lights

Whether it’s a big house party with friends and family or an intimate meal for two, the dining room’s lighting should be able to set different kind of moods according to the occasion Dimmers are the best solution to the problem, allowing you to control the brightness of your lights. But before anything else, make sure your lights can actually be dimmed—LEDs are the ideal choice.

5. Layer Your Dining Room Lights

Having just one light source in the dining room won’t be enough to fully illuminate the area. If all you have in the dining room are overhead lights, the area will have a dull, lifeless atmosphere. Instead, add a variety of light sources, such as recessed lights, wall sconces, and a decorative piece like a chandelier. This ensures the dining room is bright yet has a soft, well-blended atmosphere.

So, there you have it. Follow these basic tricks to transform your dining room into the dream space you’ve always wanted it to be.

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