What size light do you need over the dining table?

The size of the luminaire above the dining table isn't decided by the catalog photo but by two numbers: the width of the table and the mounting height. These two values alone tell you what will fit well.

Size

The diameter of a pendant should be roughly a half to a third of the table's width. So a 90 cm wide table calls for a 30-45 cm luminaire. For a long table, two or three smaller ones spaced evenly are a better solution than one large one: that way the people sitting at the ends get light too.

With several luminaires, the center-to-center spacing is 60-80 cm, and the outer ones shouldn't hang beyond the edge of the tabletop. For a linear pendant, its length should be two-thirds of the table's length.

Height

The proven distance between the tabletop and the bottom of the luminaire is 70-80 cm. At this height, the light still covers the whole table, but people sitting opposite each other can see each other, and nobody looks straight into the light source. Even with a higher ceiling, it's not worth going higher: make the cable longer instead.

If the luminaire is open at the bottom, it should definitely have an optic or a matte diffuser. A bare bulb near eye level is uncomfortable during dinner.

Light

2700-3000 K, above CRI 90, and dimmable without question. The dining area is where light sets the mood: 30 percent for dinner, 100 for homework. High color rendering isn't a luxury here: the color of the food depends on it.

If the table's position isn't set yet

In renovations, it's common that the ceiling outlet has to be specified before the finishes go on, while the final position of the table is still open. In that case, it's worth planning a track: the pendant can later slide to where the table actually ends up, and any future rearrangement won't mean chiseling into the ceiling.