How to Select a Chandelier for Today’s Dining Areas

Whether you have a designated dining room or a dining table adjacent to the kitchen, the place where you eat or entertain guests with food and drinks has been suddenly getting more attention. According to Manhattan-based interior designer Mary Knackstedt, dining rooms are making a comeback — especially in homes with an open floorplan where larger families may be tired of having everything and everyone in view at all times, she notes. If you don’t want to repurpose a spare room, carving out a more intimate dining alcove amid a larger space can be accomplished by using room dividers.

Asbury Park, N.J.-based interior designer Nancy Mikulich of Oasis Home by NLM Design Interiors says the preference for dining rooms all depends on the homeowner. She recently completed a project for a family who just changed their home’s entire design scheme from traditional to contemporary.  Since the couple enjoys entertaining, keeping the dining room was a must and replacing the chandelier topped the list.

“The chandelier is one of the most important room essentials a homeowner can buy; it sets the tone and style of the décor. It’s a statement piece that will always provide a return in compliments,” Mikulich notes. “And if you work with an interior designer, she or he can help you manage the budget around this critical piece that will endure for many years.”

How to Select a Chandelier for Today’s Dining Areas - LightsOnline Blog

There are many variations for dining area fixtures these days, from more traditional chandeliers in crystal or brass to evoke a classic elegance to more diverse styles that enhance popular looks such as Farmhouse, Industrial, Boho, and Vintage.    

There is another valid reason for updating the chandelier in the dining area. By selecting an aesthetic upgrade, “you won’t need to frivolously spend on [other furnishings] to dress up the rest of the room,” Mikulich remarks. The new chandelier becomes a sizable style statement in itself. 

Gone are the days of purchasing suites of dining room furniture with enormous sideboards, glass-fronted cabinets, and buffets. In recent years, designers note there has been a move away from matching sets of furniture – and tableware – towards an eclectic mix of styles that convey the personality of the homeowner.   

In a similar fashion, one of the ways that interior designers are bringing freshness to dining areas is to reimagine what is considered to be a dining room chandelier.  “I really like hanging two pendants or one linear fixture over an oblong, rectangular dining table,” Mikulich states. “For round tables, I prefer chandeliers that are wider than they are tall.”

How to Select a Chandelier for Today’s Dining Areas - LightsOnline Blog

With the steady growth of outdoor living areas nationwide, many homeowners with covered spaces are also upgrading their décor to include damp-rated chandeliers over the dining table that look as decorative as models typically seen indoors.  

In short, choosing the perfect lighting for your dining area comes down to personal preference. As a rule of thumb, you should have the bottom of the fixture measure 30 to 36 inches higher than the tabletop in order to provide sufficient illumination without blocking anyone’s view of others at the table.  

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