{"title":"Dining Room Lighting","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe dining room is the only room in a house designed around people looking at each other.\u003c\/strong\u003e Everything else is arranged around a screen, a counter or a bed. That makes the lighting decision unusually consequential — it's lighting faces, at close range, for an hour at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOne fixture, sized to the table\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA dining room usually needs one main fixture and not much else. The numbers:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e half to two-thirds the width of the table.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e bottom of the fixture \u003cstrong\u003e30 to 34 inches above the tabletop\u003c\/strong\u003e on an 8-foot ceiling, plus about 3 inches per extra foot.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eClearance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6 inches minimum from fixture edge to table edge on all sides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver a rectangular table, a \u003cstrong\u003elinear fixture\u003c\/strong\u003e follows the shape and lights the ends. A round chandelier over a long table leaves the ends dim.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCentre it on the table, not the room\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe most common problem in Canadian houses, especially anything renovated open-plan: the ceiling box sits where the old dining room was and the table now sits somewhere else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou don't need an electrician. A \u003cstrong\u003eswag kit or offset canopy\u003c\/strong\u003e — around $30 — moves the fixture over the table while the wiring stays where it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDimming is the whole point\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA dining room needs to be two rooms: bright when you're setting the table or the kids are doing homework on it, low when you're two hours into dinner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePut the fixture on a dimmer. If you use LED bulbs, use a \u003cstrong\u003edimmer rated for LED loads\u003c\/strong\u003e — an LED on an old incandescent dimmer buzzes and won't go below about 40%.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003e2700K, no debate\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFood looks appetising under warm light and unappetising under cool light. Skin does the same. \u003cstrong\u003e2700K\u003c\/strong\u003e in a dining room, always.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf the fixture has exposed bulbs, use clear filament bulbs — the filament is part of the look. If it's at eye level across a table, use frosted so nobody's looking into a bare bulb across dinner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA second layer, if there's room\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA pair of sconces on the wall or a lamp on a sideboard gives the room something at a lower level. It's what makes a dining room feel like a room rather than a table with a light above it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a Canadian company that eats most of its dinners after dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat size fixture for a dining table?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalf to two-thirds the width of the table, with at least 6 inches of clearance to the table edge on every side.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow high should a dining room fixture hang?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30 to 34 inches above the tabletop on an 8-foot ceiling, adding roughly 3 inches per additional foot of ceiling height.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eMy ceiling box isn't over the table. What do I do?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse a swag kit or offset canopy — around $30 — to move the fixture over the table without touching the wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat colour temperature for a dining room?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2700K. Food and skin both look better under warm light, and cool light makes a meal feel like a cafeteria.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDo I need more than one light in a dining room?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne well-sized fixture over the table is enough to function. A pair of sconces or a sideboard lamp adds a lower layer that makes the room feel finished.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What size fixture for a dining table?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Half to two-thirds the width of the table, with at least 6 inches of clearance to the table edge on every side.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How high should a dining room fixture hang?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"30 to 34 inches above the tabletop on an 8-foot ceiling, adding roughly 3 inches per additional foot of ceiling height.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"My ceiling box is not over the dining table. 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