5 Ways to Enhance your Dining Room with Light

Putting together your dream dining room takes a certain amount of planning and style to get it perfect. You want to create a space that is homely and welcoming, as well as fitting with your interior aesthetic. But once you have selected your ideal dining room furniture, such as a table, chairs, side cabinets etc, you may still be feeling as though your dining room is missing something. Here at Noa & Nani, we believe that choosing the right lighting goes a long way to perfect any area of the home. This is why we are pleased to present our guide to lighting your dining room, filled with plenty of dining room lighting ideas and inspiration that will help you turn your dining room into a functional and warm area of the home.

1. Flood the Room with Bright Light

Of course, it is a given that you will choose a stylish ceiling light to cast the whole dining area in brightness. An essential for dinner parties that go late into the night or early morning breakfast with the family, ensuring your dining room is well-lit means you can enjoy every occasion no matter the time or season. However, deciding where to place the ceiling light or even what style to go for is the tricky part.

For a well-balanced room, we recommend choosing a ceiling light that relates to your dining table rather than the whole room itself. For example, if you have a circular dining table, then choose a rounded pendant lighting or a chandelier to match the style. Similarly, long rectangular dining tables look best with sleek lines and modern shaped ceiling lights hung above. To create a more dynamic look, consider grouping a few ceiling lights together, either in a cluster formation over a round table or multiple pendants lined up to complement your table's length.

When hanging your ceiling lights, you should also take care to ensure they hang at least 30 inches above the table surface so that you can see everyone around the table when dining. It is also best to choose a ceiling height that is around 12 inches smaller than the table in all directions when hung centrally above.

2. Light Corners with Floor Lamps

A floor lamp is perfectly placed in the dining room as it’s tall and sleek designs go a long way in elevating the atmosphere and space. They are also great for adding height to a room and making any space feel taller as the eye is encouraged to travel upwards to the ceiling. Stood in the far corner of the dining area, you can flood the room with a softer glow of a floor lamp that is perfect for early evenings.

Alternatively, why not choose a floor lamp with a curved or bent arm that will stretch across the room and light up the dining table when placed correctly? This style eliminates the need for constantly using an overhead light which can sometimes create harsh lighting and detract from the homely and elegant atmosphere.

3. Add a Soft Glow with Candles

The easiest way to enhance your dining area and create a warm and inviting space is to add candle lighting. This simple addition will not cure your lighting needs in the dining room, but it will add an on-trend style that layers the ambience in your space. Create a dining table centrepiece with a cluster of pillar candles, or why not choose elegant candlesticks to line across a side cabinet or shelves in the room? Candles used in this manner are perfect for lighting up small ornaments, decorations or photos in the room that ensure they’re cast in a warm glow as you create more memories with your guests.

To achieve this easy, homely style, simply choose candles that match and elevate your dining decor by considering size, colour and shape. Light them as the evening draws on and witness the atmosphere turn from welcoming to cosy as friends and family settle for the night.

4. Create Ambience with Mood Lighting

Similar to the effect of candles, you can create effortless mood lighting with the simple addition of string lights or other decorative lights to your dining space. Draping glittering fairy lights across the sideboard or lighting up a drinks trolley will add an extra dimension to the dining room and ensure every inch is cosy and warm, even as you switch from ceiling light to lamplight.

With mood lighting, you can get creative with your decor, especially if you prefer a whimsical style to fit in with a cottage core aesthetic or Scandinavian vibe. Consider adding small glows of light by filling decorative bottles or lanterns with fairy lights or LED tea lights. Alternatively, create a larger display by wrapping string lights with fake foliage around ceiling beams or pendants to create another layer of glowing style to illuminate the room. The options are endless when it comes to adding mood lighting to your dining room to enhance the space, so let your imagination and style take over for these small additions.

5. Accessorise with Table Lamps

Finally, add finishing touches to your dining room with stylish table lamps added to side cabinets, console tables or home bars. A few lamps lit up around the room will produce a considerable amount of light that will create a warm ambience when the full power of an overhead light is not in use. Whether you choose a matching set of table lamps or mix and match the styles to suit any area of the room, you can exercise your creativity and design by finding the perfect lamps to enhance the room. Utilising light to complete your dining room goes a long way in shaping the atmosphere, and you can create different vibes in the room simply by which lighting sources you favour per occasion. To complete the overall decor, don’t hesitate to explore our wide range of dining room decor online now and explore dining tables, chairs, and more available in a range of on-trend styles.