Lighting Your Dining Room

The proper lighting in the dining room sets the mood and enjoyment for the most elegant room in your house. To get the best balance of illumination in the dining room, opt for layers of light.

The first step is to realize that a dining room needs more than just a chandelier for proper lighting. Chandeliers that are bright enough to illuminate a room will be too bright for comfort when dining. Likewise, if the chandelier's light is comfortable on the eyes, it will be too dim and look flat.

When choosing dining room lighting, start with a chandelier in the middle of the room, and then work out with accent lights. The chandelier will determine the room's feeling. Use your imagination. In today's more eclectic decor, even casual homes can have elegant dining rooms.

Chandeliers

"You might find casual wrought-iron or brushed-steel metal fixtures in the home's adjacent "great room" and wrought-iron with crystal drops or pendants in the dining room, creating a more romantic, softer setting," Greg Vandia, Vice President Sales and Marketing for New York manufacturer Murray Feiss.

When selecting a chandelier, don't worry about the fixture's quality of light as much as its beauty and scale. Chandelier choices include everything from those with exposed bulbs to those with large alabaster diffusing bowls. Trends range from simple Mission-inspired models with mica glass to ornate brass filigree with crystal pendants.

"Finish is the most important factor today and it should complement surrounding furnishings and accessories, not match or contrast," says Rick Wiedemer, CLC, President of Hinkley Lighting, Inc., a manufacturer in Cleveland, OH. "The finish selected will then determine the material."

Popular materials include brass, aluminum, wrought iron, other metal combinations, or composite materials.

Crystal chandeliers are one of the most traditional ways to complement a dining room setting.

Accent Lights

Accent lights, either recessed or track-mounted, on either side of the chandelier and between the ends of the table add a festive sparkle to china, crystal, and fruit arrangements. Space them so they are not over the heads of diners, but not so close to the chandelier as to create shadows. Angle them toward the chandelier to add sparkle and provide down lighting.

Portable lighting, or table lamps, also plays an important role in the dining room area. "Accent lamps on breakfronts or tageres or two great buffet lamps with unique shades can help create just the right mood for that special meal or occasion when the dining room is being utilized," says Vandia.

Light the Perimeters

The final layer of light should fill in the shadows around the room's perimeter. Consider recessed lights located in the ceiling toward the corners of the room. Wall washers, recessed or mounted on tracks, can illuminate drapes or paintings. Torchieres and sconces point light toward the ceiling.

Don't forget to light furniture around the edge of the dining room. "Buffets, hutches or breakfronts can be illuminated internally with low voltage lights on the underside of shelves to light up collections and china," says Blitzer.

Other options include recessed or track lighting above buffets or breakfronts. Miniature low voltage pendants suspended three feet above the buffet offer a more contemporary look, while tall, thin candlestick lamps on either end are more traditional.

Mihran Berejikian is President of 1STOPlighting. For lighting assistance contact 866-203-5392 or via email at sales@1stoplighting.com. You can also visit their dedicated chandelier web site at: www.chandelierlightingexperts.com to learn more about chandeliers.