Lighting
Products
Guide To Lighting
- Bulb Enlightenment
- Energy Efficiency
- Glossary
- Lighting Room-by-Room
Dining Room
An important gathering area for holiday meals, school projects and social interaction, the lighting you choose for your dining room should be practical and evocative of the room's status as a gathering hall.
- Visual weight is as important as room size when considering chandelier size -chandeliers fashioned in a lighter style or material can get away with being a bit bigger than heavier, ornate fixtures.
- Suspend chandeliers and pendant chandeliers approximately 30-35 inches above a table in a room with an 8' ceiling.
- A common mistake homeowners make is hanging their fixture too high and then buying high watt bulbs when they fail to have a bright cast on their table-this causes uncomfortable heat for diners and glare on the tabletop.
- Hang the chandelier 3 inches higher for each additional foot over 8 feet on tall ceilings.
- Wire the chandelier to a dimmer for an easy switch from dimly lit romantic dinners to bright birthday bashes.
- Keep the chandelier at 1/3 the width of your table.
- Center your fixture over your table and not the room; curios, sideboards and other pieces of furniture may displace your table from the exact center of the room.
- Supplement your chandelier with track lighting, recessed lights, buffet lamps or wall sconces for a multi-layered, interesting look.
- Finally, if the fixture is too unwieldy or difficult to install, consider the fact it's time for an electrician to take over installation.
