Dining Room Lighting Design Guide: Turn Your Home into a High-End Restaurant
Aug 25,2024 | hoshino
Why is it that even the most delicious home-cooked meals often feel underwhelming? In contrast, at some upscale restaurants, the dishes may not entirely suit your taste, but their visual appeal alone can significantly enhance your appetite.
This is mainly due to the layered and ambient lighting design in the restaurants, which greatly enhances the dining experience. So, how can you design the lighting in your dining room to create layers and a sense of ambiance?
In the following guide, we'll explore lighting design strategies for your dining room, helping you bring the sophisticated lighting effects of a high-end restaurant into your own home.
The dining room is not only the main area for family meals and socializing but sometimes also serves as a space for work and study. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in home lighting design.
Let's dive into the specific guidelines for designing your dining room lighting.
Task Lighting
The first step is to prioritize task lighting for the dining table.
Quantity and size
Task lighting for the dining table typically the use of pendant lights, which should be arranged according to the shape and size of the table.
For a round table, you can opt for a single pendant light, choosing the fixture size based on the table's dimensions.
For a long table, a single pendant light is suitable if it is less than 1.4 meters in length. If the table exceeds 1.4 meters or is connected to an island, multiple pendant lights can be arranged in a row.
You can refer to this article for details on how to choose the right size and number of chandeliers for your dining room: How to choose the size and number of pendant lights for a long table? You can find the answer here
Height
The ideal height for pendant lights is 750-850 millimeters above the tabletop.
The size of the pendant light can be chosen based on the size of the space, with no strict limitations. The light's shade angle should be greater than or equal to 45° to avoid glare for those seated below.
Brightness Setting
It’s important to note that task lighting should be positioned directly above the dining table, not in the center of the room.
The pendant light should focus light downward, with a color rendering index (CRI) of 90+ to best reproduce the natural colors of the food, which is key to enhancing appetite.
Other suggestions
Additionally, if the dining table is made of reflective materials, avoid placing direct spotlighting above it. Instead, choose pendant lights with shades to prevent glare and improve the dining experience.
For dining rooms with movable or foldable tables, consider adjustable wall sconces or extendable pendant lights.
Ambient Lighting
Once task lighting is set, you can plan the Ambient lighting for the dining room. Place one or two sources of ambient light at low to mid-levels, such as wall sconces or floor lamps. These localized light sources add a touch of mystery and romance, further enhancing the room’s depth and atmosphere.
A well-designed lighting scheme can turn every meal into a visual and culinary feast. Imagine how ordinary dishes can gain extraordinary appeal when bathed in carefully crafted lighting. As night falls, the soft, layered light gently illuminates not only the food on the table but also the smiles of your loved ones. In that moment, the happiness and warmth of home are magnified by the glow of the lights.
Start shopping for all the perfect dining room lighting now at Elegalight!
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