Dining Room Lighting

The dining room is where lighting really earns its place. A pendant or chandelier hung over the table is the centrepiece, setting the whole mood of the room, from bright and lively for family meals to soft and intimate for dinner with guests. Get the fitting, the height and the dimming right, and one light does all of it.

What's the best light over a dining table?

Centre a pendant or chandelier over the table itself, not the middle of the room, so the light falls where you eat. For a long table, a linear pendant or a row of two or three pendants covers the length better than a single fitting. See more ideas in our over-table and island lighting.

How high should it hang above the table?

As a rule of thumb, hang the bottom of the fitting around 70 to 90cm above the tabletop. That's low enough to light the table and feel intimate, but high enough to see across the table and not block anyone's view. Since nobody walks under it, you can hang a dining light lower than you would elsewhere.

How big should the fitting be?

Match the light to the table, not the room. A good guide is a fitting around a third to half the width of the table, so it makes a statement without overwhelming the setting. Too small and it looks lost above a big table; too wide and it crowds the place settings.

Should dining room lighting be dimmable?

Definitely. A dimmer is what lets one fitting go from bright for homework and family dinners to a soft, warm glow for entertaining. Pair a warm white bulb with a dimmer and you can set exactly the right mood for the occasion. Adding a pair of wall lights gives you a second, gentler layer for the evening.

Buying dining room lighting in Ireland

From statement chandeliers and pendants to linear fittings and wall lights, we have everything to light a dining room beautifully, all available to order online with fast delivery across Ireland and Europe.

Related categories

Browse pendant lights, chandeliers and wall lights, or see our over-table lighting.