7 creative dining room lighting ideas

I guess it is quite obvious by now that I rate home lighting really high. I mean, proper lighting is the way to turn a house into a home. So, after picking the right lighting fixtures for your bedroom last week, I decided to do another post, this time about the dining space. Usually, there is this big surface of the table in the middle of a equally large room that needs to be lit up. The easiest way to do so is to hang a pendant lamp right over it. We love that. But, there are more fun ways than that to create an atmosphere in the dining room even with the lights switched off. I'm about to share with you 7 ways that this can be done with more than just a pendant and can be used even if your dining table is not your average one or laying in the middle of the room. See more after the jump ^^

#1 The lighting duo

Image via dig and mig.

Two identical pendants are often better than one. Love the Louis Poulsen industrial pendants over Marianne's dining table that look great in front of the white brick wall. Marianne also bypassed the off center table issue by expanding the lighting fixture cables to center the new table position.

Shop similar: Warehouse 1 light pendant by Westinghouse Lighting and Calvin 1 light pendant in black by Bromi Design.

#2 The contemporary chandelier

Image via Stadshem.

There is this trend of hanging an impressive statement chandelier over the dining table, usually a heavy crystal or rococo inspired one. An up to date translation of this trend suggest more contemporary fixtures, slimmer lines and forms in copper or brass finish, more or less something like the above. Again, take a notice on how an offset table location issue is solved.

Shop similar: 5 light brass chandelier by Junkyard Lighting and 'Priti' handmade brass pendant light by Studio PGRB.

#3 The au naturel chandelier

Image via Mokkasin.

This is a more iconic lighting solution but, have to admit it, it looks gorgeous! This simple candle chandelier by Mokkasin is dressed with an ivy garland and the result is fresh, earthly and somehow fairy. There isn't going to be any bright light coming from this one, though, so it's either a romantic candlelit soiree or there has to be a second lighting source around.

Shop similar: Wrap this artificial mini green English ivy garland around this 2 loops iron hanging candelabra by Ruff By Margo. (*please be extra cautious with fire ^^)

#4 The bare bulb pendant

Image by Petra Tiihonen via Kotivinkki.

It can be a single bulb pendant or a bunch of them forming a cluster or aligned in a axis parallel to the table. Actually, this sort of lighting is pretty flexible so can be adjusted to almost any type of dining room. You can play with the color of the cords or fancy it up by substituting the usual spherical bulbs with impressive ones of various shapes and sizes.   

Shop similar: E27 pendant light by Muuto and a great collection of modern light bulbs.

#5 The string lights

Image by Ernie Enkelaar for 101 woonideeën via the Style Files.

Everything that involves string lights is on top of my list, in this case my 'how to light up my dining table' one (actually is n.5 in our case but that was a bit random). They instantly create a festive atmosphere and are fun to switch on even for that reason alone. Check this post on the kitchn to see what I'm talking about.

Shop similar: String lights with brass sockets at Onefortythree and these fancy colorful ones by American Lighting LLC.

#6 The sconce

Image via Apartment 34.

This can be a very practical solution when you table is close to a wall. An swing arm wall lamp, like the one in the house of Erin Hiemstra of Apartment 34 pictured above, guarantees that there will be plenty of light throughout the table as it is long enough to almost reach the center of it. You can also try an accordion wall lamp for the same reason or a smaller one according to the size and position of table.

Shop similar: Potence swing arm lamp by Southern Lights TN and industrial scissors articulating wall lamp by Long Made Co.

# 7 The floor lamp

Image by Phu Tang via The Design Files.

Have you ever considered using a floor lamp to light up the area around your dining table? A large arc lamp can do the trick and add a creative touch to your home design too. In the dining room of Juliette Arent and Matthew Squadrito pictured above you can spot the Tolomeo floor lamp by Artemide serving its purpose. This idea can prove extremely useful when living in a rented space with no power source on the ceiling above your table or nearby.

Shop similar: Raku floor lamp by Nuevo and Blazar floor lamp by dCOR Design.

How do you light up your dining room? Is it a typical pendant over the table, one of the ideas above or something else? I'd love to know!

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