Best Dining Room Lighting Design Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

Best Dining Room Lighting Design Ideas – Lighting in the dining room is able to recreate a special atmosphere of harmony and comfort. For this purpose, you only need to focus a targeted functional light stream over the table. With a similar task, both modern recessed lamps and a traditional chandelier can easily cope. Otherwise, complement the space with diffused light that gently fills the entire room. And accent light will help emphasize a certain element, such as a work of art or furniture.


Ideally, a dining room lighting plan should certainly include all three of these options: directional, ambient, and accent lighting. Check out great examples of each in our collection of the best lighting ideas for your dining room.


Dining Room Lighting Design Ideas


1. Ceiling Light Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

Ceiling luminaires are luminaires mounted on the ceiling or directly on it. From recessed lamps to flush-mounted fixtures, each of these options provides light without attracting too much attention. Recessed lights are one of the simplest types of dining room lighting and work well when you want to concentrate the light in a specific area of ​​the room.


Many ceiling light options are quite simple, such as the standard plain glass dome preferred by many home builders. However, other flush-mounted designs are quite elaborate, with a decorative metal or crystal accents. A concealed luminaire is ideal for a small dining room or a room with low ceilings.


Semi-surface-mounted ceiling lights are suspended from the ceiling, but only a few centimeters. They allow you to create a unique combination of direct downward light and upward-directed diffused light.


2. Dining Room Chandelier Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

A chandelier is a decorative pendant lamp with branches on which several light bulbs or lamps are placed. Chandelier options have evolved far from the classic design with its upturned branches adorned with dozens of dangling crystals. Contemporary dining room chandeliers come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and styles – many of which are completely devoid of crystals.


Modern, industrial, farmhouse and rustic design elements are displayed today in the appearance of chandeliers. Instead of the traditional rounded canopies, the new chandeliers come in square, rectangular, star, or triangular shapes. These multi-bulb fixtures may have simple square glass shades around each bulb attached to bronze or black metal brackets.


On the chandeliers in the dining room, you can often find beaded garlands consisting of metal or glass beads or textile fringes. A modern chandelier may simply have light bulbs arranged on reflective metal panels in a circle or square shape. If you like a bohemian or eclectic style, make a simple chandelier yourself by wrapping pendant lights or light bulbs around a wooden branch and hanging it from a string over your dining table.


3. Pendant Light Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

Hanging lamps or shades are attached to the ceiling on a cable, metal rod, leg, chain, or wire. They are ideal for providing direct light to a dining table, breakfast bar, or kitchen island. Some people prefer one large pendant light, while others prefer a group of miniature pendant lights. If you prefer softer lighting, choose models with a lampshade or diffuser.


Pendant lights are sometimes referred to as teardrop or simply pendant lights. They come in many varieties, including:

  • Pendant bell lamp: has a bell-shaped diffuser, usually made of glass.
  • Suspension lamp-bowl: has a bowl-shaped diffuser made of glass.
  • Drum pendant lamp: has a hard or fabric shade to diffuse light.
  • Bare Bulb Pendant Light: The simplest light source, usually in the form of an antique light bulb, such as an Edison light bulb, mounted on a single pendant plinth.
  • Linear Suspension: Several light bulbs are located on one suspension.
  • Mini Pendant: Small bell or bowl pendants, usually hung in multiples.

For a creative DIY project, turn different types of glassware into pendant lights. Wine bottles, liquor bottles, and other recycled bottles are good candidates for a do-it-yourself project.


4. Dining Room Lamps

best dining room lighting design ideas

Walk into any service center or lighting store and you will feel overwhelmed by the variety of dining room lighting options. There are models to suit every style of home decor, from traditional to modern and everything in between. Popular dining room lighting trends include oversized single pendant lights, bare Edison lamp clusters, and linear pendant lights.

stained glass dining room light

If you have a small dining room, choose the size of the lamp. Choose a pendant lamp or chandelier with an open, airy design perhaps with a wicker basket shade or a simple metal chandelier. Sophisticated lighting in a dining room is best seen above a large dining table to help support the visual load.


5. Luxurious Lighting Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

If you have an open budget for luxurious dining room lighting, crystal chandeliers are a proven option. And while a classic lamp studded with crystal beads works well in some homes, your high-end dining room may require a custom touch. Elegant lighting fixtures are often the only option that turns a boring dining room into a showroom.


Rectangular glass panels, long icicle-shaped accents, and colorful crystals are what you can find in designer models. If your dining room is particularly large, hang two identical chandeliers above the dining table – they will make an impression. Once you’ve chosen the right direct light sources, look for lamps, sconces, and other diffused light options with similar design elements.


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6. Ideas With Modern Lighting

best dining room lighting design ideas

Modern dining room lighting is essential to maintain a modern aesthetic in a modern home. Symmetry, simplicity, and balance – all this is embodied in modern design. Bold lines, primary colors, warm woods, and sleek metal finishes are elements often found in modern homes. Lamps with such elements go well with modern decor.


Head back to the space age of the 1950s and 1960s to appreciate one of the most popular modern dining room lighting fixtures: the Sputnik chandelier. Named after the first satellite to enter Earth’s orbit, these chandeliers have multiple arms protruding from a central globe.


There is usually a light bulb at the end of each bracket, sometimes with a colored lampshade or glass ball. Simple track lights are another type of fixture that looks good above a modern dining table.


7. Rustic Lighting Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

Like modern interiors, rustic décor demonstrates a love of simplicity. However, he speaks in a more natural, relaxed voice. White or beige walls serve as a clean backdrop for the presentation of a variety of warm finishes in wood, stone, or brick facades, and simple metal elements. Rustic dining room lighting options reflect the same organic materials.


Because the rustic décor is so casual, it doesn’t matter if the lighting elements in your room come from different places. There is no need to strive for symmetry or for everything to match. A vintage-style wrought iron chandelier can be paired with a ceramic lamp with a canvas shade. If you can trace the atmosphere of a country house in your interior, choose a chandelier made from natural wood branches.


For an authentic rustic, farmhouse, or aged chic look, consider using finds from economy stores or antique shops.


8. Table Center Lighting Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

When considering dining room lighting options, don’t lose sight of the countertop. Candles are an obvious choice for creating diffused lighting in the center of a table. Whether they stand alone in an ornate candelabra or spread across a long table, candles give off a warm glow, unlike any other light source.


If you’re worried about the safety of real flames, there are countless types of battery-powered “candles” on the market today. Many of them have flames that flicker like real originals and can be hard to tell from the real ones. Battery-operated lamps and string lights are other light-producing items that can be incorporated into the centerpiece of your dining table.


9. Ideas With Traditional Lighting

best dining room lighting design ideas

Is there anything more traditional than a crystal chandelier? These ubiquitous chandeliers look so good over classic dining chairs and tables that they might seem like the only right choice in a home with a traditional interior. However, a stained glass light fixture is another great option for traditional room lighting that also brings a splash of color.


Hanging lamps, and imitating antique chandeliers with candles, also go well with traditional interiors. If you want to spruce up a traditional yet simple lamp, add strands of clear glass beads or pearls. Tassels on metal chains or cords also work well for decorating traditional lights.


10. Wall Lighting Ideas

best dining room lighting design ideas

Wall sconces are an often overlooked dining room lighting option. They are ideal for illuminating the dark corners of a room and giving it a warm and inviting touch. Wall lighting is an important element to consider when planning your dining room lighting scheme.


If you only need sconces for lighting, opt for simple designs that blend in with the rest of your décor. But do not forget that beautiful wall lamps add a lot of cozy atmospheres even during the daytime. Note that you may need to hire an electrician to install wall lights if you don’t want the electrical cords to be visible.