Dining Room Lighting Guidelines
These areas are generally served by standard 120-volt 15-amp or 20-amp circuits that may serve more than one room.
Dining room lighting guidelines. Sizing guidelines of a chandelier in a dining room The diameter should be 12 inches smaller than the table width. Avoid using high gloss finishes or floor surfaces which highlight reflections. Minimise glare by considering appropriate types of light fixtures the number of lights use of lampshades and appropriate use of surfaces with high diffuse reflectance light spread in all directions.
The light fixture should be hung 30-34 inches above the dining table. Room Lighting Levels Outdoors on a clear day lighting is approximately 10000 lux. You can hang a chandelier over a dining room table and call it a day but try and remember to create layers of light.
Use the light table to find out how many lux or footcandles you need. They create a diffused even glow in the room which allows other important elements like your on-point serving ware flowers and food to. Long rectangular or oval tables work well with linear suspension or multi-light pendant options.
This same rule holds true for lighting over kitchen tables. If youre starting with an empty room a good rule of thumb is to add the width and the depth of the room for a well-proportioned chandelier or pendant in relation to the rest of the room ie. Too small and itll look puny compared to the table and its space.
You want to provide general lighting as well as accent lighting. For ceilings higher than 8 feet add about three inches to the hanging height per foot. The height from the fixture to the ceiling should be at a minimum of 18 inches.
Square or round tables work best with a single pendant or chandelier placed right in the middle. It provides an overall comfortable feeling in a room without harsh glares or overly bright lights. In the center of a room it can drop dramatically even down to 25 to 50 lux hence the need for both general and task lighting indoors.