Dining Room Lights & Dining Table Lights

Whether you're about to host a dinner party, or you’re simply gathering your family for a weeknight dinner, you want the perfect atmosphere. Your guests, great food and conversation are essential pieces of the puzzle – but another critical factor is lighting. After all, too much brightness can make your guests feel like they're in an interrogation room rather than enjoying their evening, but not enough will mean that they won’t be able to admire your centrepiece, or perhaps even to see what they’re eating! So, to create an inviting, comfortable dining experience selecting strategic lighting should be at the top of your agenda when you’re decorating your dining room. Get inspired with our guide to trends for dining room lighting and dining table lights. 

What lights can be used in dining rooms?

Dining rooms are a key room in the home, and having the ability to see clearly in them is essential. Luckily, when choosing lighting fixtures for your dining room, there are many options available. Ceiling lights such as pendant lights, chandeliers, downlights, spotlights, and flush styles can provide a good amount of illumination, while wall lights can add to the brightness of the room, or be used to light the space with gentler lighting. Floor lamps and table lamps can also be used to light up darker corners or highlight special pieces of furniture. With a combination of these different types of lights placed throughout the room, you will be able to ensure that your table stays well-lit when entertaining family and friends. It isn’t only about getting the right amount of lighting, of course – your choice of lighting is an accessory to the space, and can be used for styling your dining room. 

Ceiling lights

When you walk into any dining room, the ambient light provided by the ceiling lights are one of the things that make the space usable. Whether it's a single pendant light over the table, a bar pendant lighting up a longer family table, or a large chandelier making a statement about the room, ceiling lights define and add to the charm of your dining experience. For dining rooms with low ceilings, opting for styles that fit flush to the ceiling create an even distribution of light throughout the room, so guests and family can feel comfortable and able to see clearly without risking hitting their heads. 

With so many different options for ceiling lights, your dining room can be transformed to look the best it can, so whether you’re having a cosy evening with close friends to formal dinners with guests from work, there are options for all occasions. 

Pendant lights

Above a dining table, a pendant light can both provide guests with functional lighting as well as provide ambient light. Selecting an appropriate size will ensure your table is properly illuminated and create a beautiful atmosphere that sets the perfect mood for any dining experience. Whether you're hosting family or friends, pendant lights above your dining table provide the perfect balance between function and style - making sure your table is illuminated while creating the perfect ambiance to enjoy any meal or conversation.

Choosing a pendant for above your dining table is relatively straightforward – it should be around a third of the table length. More importantly than the size of the dining table is the height you install any suspended light fitting, so that it doesn’t prevent your guests from seeing each other clearly. You’ll want to ensure that the bottom of the light fixture is no lower than 30” to 36” (76 cm to 91 cm) from the table.

Bar pendants

Bar pendants have been trending for dining rooms for some time now. With their sleek design, bar pendants look great in any modern or contemporary dining room, with many styles using materials such as wood, metal, and glass that are timeless, so they won’t date too quickly. They're ideal for mid to high ceilings, and are a perfect option in rooms where a chandelier would work, but the décor doesn’t suit the glitter of a traditional chandelier. 

Chandeliers

With the right chandelier, dining rooms can be transformed into a luxurious setting worthy of any grand dinner party or special occasion. Chandeliers enhance table settings with flattering light and create an aesthetically-pleasing ambiance. A well-designed chandelier can draw the eye upward, and makes the room feel special. Whether you are searching for a classic and timeless chandelier with plenty of crystals, or a modern design, you’ll find the perfect chandelier to add character to your dining space today.

Flush ceiling lights 

If you have a dining table with a lower ceiling, don't worry about compromising on style when looking for lighting fixtures; our range of flush ceiling lights are the perfect option. Not only will a flush ceiling light provide ambient, decorative light for your table and guests, but because they don’t protrude from the ceiling, your family and friends don't hurt their heads as they sit down to eat. Many flush lights now come with inbuilt LEDs, allowing designers to create intricate, detailed light fixtures that rival larger styles for commanding the attention. In fact, this combination of form and function is becoming more popular in dining rooms, and throughout homes all over the world. Our range of flush ceiling lights has styles with many different materials, shapes, and colours, so you’ll be able to find the perfect match for your dining room. 

Downlights 

Downlights can be an ideal choice for a dining room as they provide diffused ambient light that can gently highlight areas – whether that is around the outside of the room, or evenly installed across the ceiling. Using LED downlights allows the use of energy efficient LED bulbs, while their size and shape – including recessed styles – means that they are well-suited for ceilings of any height. By placing these lights strategically, and combined with other styles of lighting, you can create a beautiful ambience in your dining room without bright light beaming from a single source.

Spotlights

Spotlights are a great way to add accent lighting to dining rooms. By directing focused light onto dressers, cabinets and other furniture, artwork or antiques, spotlights highlight the unique features of these items. This type of lighting not only enhances the atmosphere, but also contributes to ambient lights within the room. Spotlights is a great way to bring out the best aspects of your dining room design and help make it feel comfortable, inviting and visually stimulating during dinner parties or other events.

Wall lights

Wall lights are a great addition for dining rooms as they provide a unique and subtle way to light up the space. By their very nature, they are ideal when ceilings are lower. Wall lights can create a gentler setting perfect for special occasions or intimate dining, while also giving you the ability to control the brightness of your room by mixing wall lights with ceiling lights and lamps. There is an abundance of wall light styles to choose from, including candelabra styles, sleek modern designs made with materials like concrete, plaster sconces or lantern wall lighting as well as metals such as brass, gold, silver, chrome, glass and wood. 

Lamps 

Lamps are a convenient way to light up a dining room, since they simply need to be plugged in, meaning they can easily be added to any existing space and can be installed without any commitment. This makes them perfect for rental homes or homes renovations are planned in the future. Our range has a variety of floor lamps, table lamps and overhang lamps suit the atmosphere or décor style of any room. Lamps mean that you can create a balanced look in your dining room, allowing you to control the brightness by adding floor or table lamps where ceiling light is lacking, or simply complementing what you already have.

Table lamps

Table lamps can be a perfect accompaniment for any dining room. When you need a boost to the ambient lighting, table lamps check off all the boxes! They are easily plugged in and can be moved around if needed, which means there is no commitment or complicated installation required. Many table lamps are decorative, adding visual interest to the room, whether you choose a sleek modern style, or something more ornate. They’re an ideal addition to dressers and side tables, and coordinating table lamps with the furniture in the room is simple; match to drawer handles for a subtle look, or find a table lamp with a fabric shade to match with chairs, curtains, or carpet. Table lamps in dining rooms make a great choice for anyone looking for flexible lighting options that bring plenty of warmth and charm.

Floor lamps

Floor lamps are becoming increasingly popular for use in dining rooms, as they provide ambient light to enhance the atmosphere of the space. Not only that, floor lamps offer a great no-commitment solution. They simply plug in, so floor lamps are ideal choice for renters who cannot make permanent changes to their home, or for homeowners that aren’t ready to commit to a particular look in their dining room. Plus, floor lamps can also draw attention to different elements of your dining room by providing visual interest at different heights. As with other styles of lighting, when picking out floor lamps for your dining room, be sure to consider the other furniture and decor. Consider floor lamp designs with materials that match the colour or texture of soft furnishings, such as sofas or draperies, or hardware pieces like cabinet handles and drawer pulls for a polished look.

In some dining rooms, overhang lamps may be a great alternative to ceiling lights, and can be situated to hang above the table, in a similar fashion to pendant lights. 

Decorative lighting

If you have artwork on display in your dining room, picture lights are an essential. They are a brilliant alternative to using spotlights, and they use LEDs, so highlight your pictures perfectly. In many cases, our picture lights are a simple installation – you remove the backing and stick them to the wall – and they use a single battery, so they don’t add to your electricity bill if they are accidentally left switched on.  

LED candles provide the perfect glow to your dining table, and are a safe alternative to traditional candles with naked flames. LED candles are low risk, so are ideal in homes with children or pets. LED candles are powered by batteries, use very little energy, and last a long time so you don’t need to worry about replacing them. LED candles are the perfect addition to create atmosphere for dinner parties – and there’s no worries if someone has a glass of wine too many. 

What colours are best for dining room lights?

When it comes to finding the right light fixture for your dining room, you'll need to look at your decor. Silver and chrome, gold and brass, black, or white are classic neutral colours that look great in most places. These colours match easily with the colours of the dining room, as well as complementary furnishings. Depending on your aesthetic preference, consider these classic neutrals when choosing the light fixture for your dining room. Bright colours may draw too much attention and overpower the space, so aim for a more subtle presence that complements your decor instead.

What materials work for dining room lights?

When choosing materials for dining room lights, again, you’ll consider your decor and style. Silver, chrome and warm metallics like gold, brass and copper are all timeless options that will suit most spaces. If you'd like to take a more relaxed approach to your lighting, materials such as wood, bamboo or rattan can provide the perfect ambience. Glass, acrylics, concrete and a variety of different fabrics such as silk, hessian, cotton or velvet are great materials for creating a unique and interesting look in your dining area. There’s a lot of choice, so no matter which materials you decide upon for your dining room lighting choices, you are sure to find lighting in our range to suits your space perfectly.

What colour temperature and brightness should light bulbs be for dining rooms?

For those looking to create a cosy atmosphere in the dining room, warm white lighting is best, at a lower brightness than you’d use in working spaces light kitchens. Dimmer switches are an easy way of adjusting brightness levels, but for the ultimate control, opting for smart bulbs is the more efficient route. Using light bulbs with adjustable colour temperatures allows you to fine tune different settings for different occasions. Smart bulbs are the best way to achieve this, and most allow for you to control the brightness, and the colour of the light from an app on your phone, or with your home smart speaker. Browse our range of smart bulbs here. 

Which lighting should I use in my dining room? 

There isn’t one correct answer here, but we, and most interior designers recommend using a combination of all types of lighting to layer the brightness. 

1. Ambient lighting is best for general illumination and creating a relaxing atmosphere
2. Task lighting should be used to focus on specific areas, such as the dining table
3. Accent lighting can be used to highlight certain features in the room, such as art, or architectural features
4. Choose the right type of light fixture based on your needs and budget
5. Consider the décor and furniture when choosing lighting for your dining room