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Help me choose a light fixture for the dining room

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appletini

appletini

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 29, 2004
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2,696
Everyone,

I am planning to have the electrician come next week for some other things, but while he is there I''d like for him to install my dining room lighting, the only problem is I don''t have any yet. The only light in there is one randomly placed recessed light. We think the previous owenrs might have been vampires b/c there is a major lack of lighting the in the house, but they had tons of lamps.

My ceilings are 8ft high, and my dining room is open with the formal living room, so I don''t want anything that will overwhelm the room or make the ceiling look short. I''m torn between a smalish chandeleir type fixture or some mini pendants.

Also the majority of the hardware in my house is bronze, so I''d love to go with a bronze finish...And our house was built in the 50s, and my taste is "modern classic"

First...here are some pics of the room and then I''ll post some pics of possible lighting, please post any pics of possible suggestions.

dininga1.jpg
 
...

dininga2.jpg
 
...from the living room...by the way I plan on just adding recessed lighting to the living room...

livinga1.jpg
 
...

livinga2.jpg
 
Here are the larger options...

light-option1.JPG
 
Here are the mini pendants...

light-option2.JPG
 
appletini, I did this for a living/fun for a long time, built new homes and selected all lighting.
I loved selecting lighting and hardware, jewelry for the home!

One of the 1st things to consider is style, then finish, then size.
When I was working with clients, most always failed to consider size, they just
selected what they liked. One of my biggest peeves is a too small chandelier.
With an 8ft. ceiling you do have to consider that, so you are on the right track there.
Just don''t go too small. In a formal dining area, I rarely went under 28".
I would stay with 1 fixture, save the mini''s for a kitchen island or other application.

Take your pictures with you and visit some lighting showrooms. You will have to buy
what is in stock if you visit these places. To order a fixture from a lighting showroom can take weeks/months.
Of course, there are always the big box stores you can find something at.

some of my online hunting grounds are:

www.lightinguniverse.com
www.lampsplus.com

tons more on the net, but if you are doing this next week, you will have to buy locally.
Gonna look at your pics some more now....
 
Of your pics, light 1 is the best. It looks to be the largest and has more "umph".
Also consider light bulb placement, do you want to sit at the table and look up to see glaring
bulbs in your chandelier ! For that alone, I usually selected fixtures with shades pointing up.
The only time to reconsider that is if you need direct light to work with, like in a kitchen or
work area.

Your rooms look traditional/ formal to me. Love the rug! I can see where you are going with the
modern touch. And you can extend that with lighting for sure. There is soooo much out there to choose
from. It can be exhausting, I know. Just keep looking if you are not sure. Post more here if you want,
I''d love to see where you are going with this!
 
 
I like #4 but I also like the fourth one Crooked posted because it echos the leafy floral pattern on your chairs. However, because of your furniture, I would want white or white frosted lamp globes, not the beige...
 
I am the odd one out, but I like four. People always seem to have dark dining rooms and it drives me nuts, so something with downward facing shades would be my preference.
 
maybe something like this? It''s formal, yet has a modern twist and would work with your ceiling. Just a thought.
this is a newer look I''m seeing in magazines, on new home tours and trade showrooms.
this one is from Maxim Lighting, I think I located it at Farrey''s online.

appletini.jpg
 
Actually, I like this style better, but this fixture is too small in diameter

maximAvant.jpg
 
We just purchased three new lighting fixtures and I definitely prefer the shades pointing up. I cannot stand light directly in my eyes. Also, I avoided anything with candelabra bulbs because I like plenty of light-especially in a larger room.
 
The best advice I can give you is to have the electrician install the light on a dimmer switch. It is so nice to be able to adjust the light levels (we have dimmers in the dining room, kitchen, living room and master bath and I love them).

I agree with Bebe that you should not go too small. We also have 8 foot ceilings, and we have a dining room chandelier that is 27" wide and 19" high (plus chain). Keep in mind that you do not have to worry about hitting your head on a light that is suspended over a table, even if you have lower ceilings. Chandeliers are usually hung 30-36" above the table.

This gives some tips on size and how to hang: http://www.lampsplus.com/htmls/lightingnews/changechandelier.asp
 
Everyone,

Thanks for your suggestions...its been a busy day at work so I haven''t had a chance to look at everything.
 
I like 3.
 
by the way the arms on 4 and 5 can be rotated to point light up or down.
 
Decorating ideas are so personal so I can't help much except to say that I got this one from Ballard Designs for my kitchen. Very reasonable and attractive in a nice transitional style. Best of luck!

ballard.jpg
 
Everyone, Thanks for your suggestions. The electrician did come on Friday, but since I hadn''t made a decision, I had him put a second recessed light in to balance the room until I do find the perfect fixture.

I did just stumble across this on the home decorators website, what do y''all think...In addition I remembered that I do have a family crystal chandalier hanging in my grandma''s house (it actually originates from the other side of the family, she rescued it and had it restored). Next time I''m at her house I''ll have to take a pic, but I think it would be too fancy for my house.

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Isabella_Five-Light_Chandelier/290/

light-option8.JPG
 
I think that one is pretty but I wouldn''t neccessarily put it with the rest of your decor. Of course everyone''s taste is different though so take this with a grain of salt.
 
You have such a traditional home that I can''t picture any of those chandeliers in the space. They are all so transitional/modern.
 
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