“We often see that the more intimate a dining room setting, the more pared back the number and size of lighting fixtures,” says SONNEMAN founder and designer, Robert Sonneman. “In order to echo the architecture, smaller spaces beckon a minimalist approach.” If you’re thinking about how to hang pendants over your dining table, there are a plethora of factors to consider before selecting the right fixture for your smaller-sized spaces.

In our streamlined, simplified guide, we’ll walk you through how to hang pendant lights over a dining table, from selecting the right fixture for your space to identifying the color temperatures that strike the right atmosphere.

Considerations When Hanging Pendant Lights Over a Dining Table

There are a few key details we recommend considering when hanging a pendant light over a dining table. Each section will be focused on the end result of achieving minimal, yet striking, dining room lighting.

Think About Proportions

In every room at home—particularly in small rooms where efficiency is key—it’s important to think about the existing proportions of your space and furniture. An oversized fixture can make smaller dining room areas appear claustrophobic and unbalanced. Ideally, your pendant fixture will reflect the scale of your dining room and table. We recommend the Koma Edo Pendant for medium-sized transitional spaces, whereas the Koma Taisho and Liquid pendants accommodate smaller spaces.

Measure the Details That Matter

For a successful, scaled dining room design, there are a few measurements we recommend taking to keep proportions in check when selecting pendant light fixtures. Measure your dining room’s diameter in feet. This measurement will be the ideal diameter, in inches, of your pendant light. Finally, when hanging pendant lights over a dining table, height matters. It’s best that your pendants are hung between 30” and 36” above your dining room table’s surface. You can visualize this—and make any desired adjustments to length—by hanging a string or ribbon from your ceiling before installation.

Choose Your Shade

When selecting a pendant light over your dining table, its shade materiality and translucency have the ability to impact its lighting output. Metal and opaque shades, like the Koma Edo Pendant, focus distributed light downward onto your surface, making it an ideal option for a cooler, calmer atmosphere. Alternatively, translucent or semi-translucent glass bulbs, like the Liquid Pendants, disperse ambient lighting throughout your entire space for a more expansive feeling. 

If you’re looking for visual inspiration beyond a pendant light over your dining table, take a look at our Dining Room Inspiration section or other dining room lighting products.