Dining room lighting should:
Provide sufficient lighting for dining
Cast attractive light on people, silver, crystal, china, food and centerpieces,
Create a pleasant mood for social interaction, and
Provide sufficient light for other activities at the table or around the room.
Focus on the table.
Lighting in the dining room focuses on the table, usually with a
central chandelier or pendant. Any other general lighting in room
should be soft, adding to the warmth of candlelight or the sparkle of
the chandelier. Wall lighting makes the room seem larger and can
highlight furniture such as a sideboard or buffet.
Flexibility.
Flexible lighting in the dining room permits you to use the
space for many different activities, such as family entertaining,
games, hobbies or homework. For this reason, one should incorporate
general, area and task lighting into the dining room plan. This is best
achieved with the use of dimmer switches.
Chandeliers.
Chandelier styles and materials are a matter of taste. A
beautiful fixture should complement the decor and your own style.
Size.
The size of the fixture depends on the size of the room and of
the table. As a guideline, the diameter of the chandelier in inches
should be about:
the length of the room in feet plus the width
of the room in feet or the width or diameter of the table less 12
inches.
In rooms less than 10 feet wide, a chandelier should
be less than 24 inches. In rooms with ceilings of 10 feet or
more, one can consider multitiered chandeliers.
Suspension Height.
Suspend fixtures high enough so that diners can see one another
across the table. If the ceiling is 8 feet, the bottom of the
chandelier should be 30 inches about the table. Add 3 inches to
the suspension height for each additional foot of ceiling height. For
example, 33 inches above the table from a nine foot ceiling.
Bulbs.
Exposed bulbs should range from 7 ot 25 watts. Always
provide general room lighting to supplement a chandelier with exposed
decorative bulbs. Chandeliers with diffusing shades can use lamps
up to 60 watts. Chandeliers should always be controlled by a
dimmer.