Who This Is For: Anyone dressing a dining room who wants light that flatters guests and food, not only the ceiling.
Key Takeaways
- Think in Three Heights
- Over the Table: Choose a Line, Not a Cluster
- Eye Level: Sconces That Flatter
- At the Table: Lamps and Candles
- Put It All on a Dimmer
- A Quick Checklist
- Is It Right for Your Space?
Light a dining room at three heights, not one. Hang a linear pendant over the table, add sconces at eye level and finish with a lamp and candles at the table itself. Then run the whole room from a dimmer, so the evening can move from supper to something slower.
A chandelier alone lights the ceiling and the tops of heads. It leaves faces in shadow and walls dark. The rooms we admire have light that falls at several levels, so every guest looks good and the room feels held.
Think in Three Heights
Overhead light sets the mood. Eye level light flatters the people. Table level light, a candle or a low lamp, does the rest. When these three work together, a room needs far less brightness than you expect.
- Overhead: a linear or sculptural pendant above the table.
- Eye level: wall sconces beside a mirror, a picture or a sideboard.
- Table level: a small lamp on the sideboard and candles on the table.
Over the Table: Choose a Line, Not a Cluster
Long tables suit long fixtures. A linear pendant spreads light evenly along the table, so nobody sits in a dim patch at the end. Make the fixture about two thirds the length of the table, and hang it so the bottom is 30 to 36 inches (76 to 91 cm) above the surface.
The Ripple is a wave shaped linear pendant in aluminum. Choose 39.4 inches (100 cm) or 47.2 inches (120 cm) in length. It is 4.33 inches (11 cm) wide and 5.91 inches (15 cm) tall, so it keeps a low profile above the table. It comes in 3 step dimming, which steps through 3000K, 4500K and 6000K, or a dimmable version listed from 3000K to 6000K. It is wired to the mains, and we recommend an electrician.
Warmth From Wood
If your table is timber, a walnut beam brings the whole room together. The Walden pairs a North American walnut beam with rounded globe lights. The 5 light version is 31.5 inches (80 cm) long, and the 7 light is 47.2 inches (120 cm).
Choose a light or dark wood finish. The suspension adjusts up to 39.4 inches (100 cm), and a wall switch cycles between warm, natural and white. Wood is natural, so grain and tone vary from piece to piece.
Softness in Curves
If the room is full of straight lines, a curve helps. The Swell wave pendant is metal in black, gold or chrome. It comes in 39 inch (100 cm) and 47 inch (120 cm) lengths, in warm white, white or dimmable.
Our linear suspension collection has more shapes for tables of every length.
Size It to the Table
The most common mistake is a fixture that is too short. A pendant that stops well short of both ends leaves the corners dim and the table looking longer than the light. As a guide, the fixture should be at least 12 inches (30 cm) narrower than the table at each end, and no wider than the table itself.
For a round table, a linear fixture can still work if it runs across the diameter, but a single round or sculptural form will look more natural. Hang it a little lower than you think, then step back and check that you can see the person across the table.
Eye Level: Sconces That Flatter
Sconces do what no ceiling light can. They light faces from the side, at the height where people actually look. Place a pair either side of a mirror, a painting or a sideboard, with the centre of each about 60 to 66 inches (152 to 168 cm) from the floor.
The Calice is made from copper and crystal glass, with a shade of crystal glass rods. Choose the double, 17.7 inches (45 cm) tall with two lights, or the single, 11.8 inches (30 cm) tall with one. The round backplate is 6.3 inches (16 cm) across, and E14 bulbs are included.
Calice is hardwired and not dimmable. Let it be the constant in the room and dim the pendant above it. Browse all our wall sconces, or the plug in sconces if you cannot run new wiring.
At the Table: Lamps and Candles
A sideboard lamp does a great deal of quiet work. It lights the wall behind the table, adds a second pool of warmth and gives you a switch that can stay on when the pendant goes off.
The Bistro is a cordless touch lamp in anodized aluminum, in gold, silver or black. It stands 11.22 inches (28.5 cm) high on a 5.12 inch (13 cm) base. Tap the top for warm, neutral or cool light, and hold it to dim.
It charges over USB C, so you can put it on a table, a console or a windowsill with no cable. See more in our table lamps.
Then add candles. A flame at 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) from the face is the most flattering light there is, and it asks for nothing more than a holder.
The Adria taper holders come as a set of three, at 4.7, 5.4 and 6.9 inches (12, 13.7 and 17.5 cm) high. They take tapers of 0.78 inches (2 cm) and are made from coloured glass, in 15 colour options. Vary the heights in a loose cluster, not a straight row.
Put It All on a Dimmer
Dimming is the most important decision in a dining room. At full brightness, even a beautiful fixture looks like an office. At 30 to 40 percent it looks like a restaurant you would book a month ahead.
Put the pendant on its own dimmer and the sconces on a switch. When the pendant is low and the candles are lit, the sconces add a soft wash on the wall. Warm white throughout, 2700K to 3000K, keeps the room consistent.
Think of the evening in three scenes. For homework and breakfast, the pendant is up and the lamp is on. For a family supper, the pendant sits at about half. For a dinner party, it drops lower still, the sconces glow, and the candles do the work. You never change a fixture, only the balance between them.
Finish with the walls. A warm, matte paint colour reflects candle and lamp light softly, while a glossy surface throws it back as glare. If the room has a large mirror, place it so it reflects a sconce or a candle and not the pendant.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
- Lighting only from the ceiling, which leaves faces in shadow.
- Mixing white tones, so the pendant looks blue next to a warm lamp.
- Choosing a fixture before measuring the table and the drop from the ceiling.
A Quick Checklist
- Hang a linear pendant 30 to 36 inches (76 to 91 cm) above the table.
- Choose a fixture about two thirds the table length.
- Add sconces at 60 to 66 inches (152 to 168 cm) to their centre.
- Put one lamp on the sideboard.
- Dim the pendant, and keep candles on the table.
Start with one change and live with it for an evening or two. Most people find that adding a dimmer to the existing pendant, then a single lamp on the sideboard, transforms the room before any new fixture is needed.
Is It Right for Your Space?
If your dining room feels flat after dark, add the second and third layers before you replace the pendant. A pair of sconces and a lamp often change more than a new fixture overhead.
For help choosing lengths, finishes or dimming for your table, write to us at info@norafurnish.com.
