Dining Lighting Ideas

Lighting fixtures help to decorate a dining room.

Not only does the appropriate lighting illuminate the food on the table, lighting decorates and enhances a dining area. Dining lighting reflects your style and often the style of the architecture of the home. Proper placement of dining lighting is important as well, because it needs to provide ambiance without interfering with conversation.

Chandeliers

Chandeliers work well in dining rooms.

Chandeliers are one of the most common electrical lighting fixtures used in dining rooms. Choose a chandelier that coordinates or complements your decorating style. Ornate, French-inspired chandeliers with glass ornamentation such as crystals and jewels pair well with a rustic decor for unexpected visual interest. A chandelier that coordinates with your decor might match molding or ceiling detail, picking up that design in the chandelier itself. The chandelier might also match wall or rug color for soothing visual design. Modern, silver-colored chandeliers with strong, straight lines provide a striking focal point in a smaller dining area.

Chandeliers need not be electric; rather, they can hold candles for more atmospheric lighting. These chandeliers may have opaque or transparent glass holders or shades for the candles. They are usually made from rustic metal in black, brown or copper.

Pendant Lighting

Choose pendant lighting for a dining room.

A single pendant light with a colorful glass shade makes a powerful visual statement in a dining room. Several pendant lights may be grouped together to create more substantial lighting, suitable for a larger dining table or dining area. A grouping of pendant lights hung at varying heights is visually appealing. Pendant lights also work well in corner dining areas, where space may be limited.

Sconces

Sconces when combined with overhead lighting in a dining room, provide soft, diffused light on the walls. Install a couple of sconces on either side of a buffet or sideboard table for decorative lighting. Add sconces on either side of door openings for a balanced look.

Table Lamps

Table lamps provide focused lighting in specific areas in dining rooms. Place a small table lamp on a buffet or or on sideboard tables for ambient lighting. Put a small table lamp on an old tea cart for functional and decorative lighting.

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