6 Ideas for Lighting your Dining Table this Christmas

The Halloween decorations are down so now we can start talking about Christmas decorations, right?

Well we'll hold off on the tinsel for now. We're talking about decorating your dining table and what better place to start than with your lighting. Good lighting is central to creating the right ambience and on special occasions like Christmas, all eyes are on the dining table. Your dining table can really benefit from ambient and decorative lighting and this is where you get to really set the mood and tone for your whole dining area.

Dining table with ceiling light industrial style brick

Transform your dining table with the right ceiling light

Its not just about the aesthetics though. According to research, dining in bright interiors will typically make you eat faster, while dim lighting will cause you to eat slower. Lighting can even affect our melatonin levels so for example dimmed lighting can create a more relaxed feeling. We definitely want people to enjoy themselves around the dinner table so its important to consider this aspect as well. Here are a few ideas and examples that might just work for your dining table this Christmas.

1. Keep it Simple

Create a clean, contemporary look with a single oversized pendant to draw the eye to your focal point. Combine with spotlights to give you the option to increase or decrease the task lighting if needed.

2. Create a Statement piece

Create a stunning statement piece above your dining table, varying the number and height of pendants which will affect the lumen output (the amount of light in the room) depending on your room size. Ceiling height is not as much of a consideration but you do need to consider the height at eye level, to make sure that lights aren't getting in the way of conversation or creating a glare. If you use naked bulbs like in our designs, its important to use a warm light so that you don't get blinded when you look up or across the table. Here's a good guide to hanging your lights by Irish designer Aoife Tobin's Style So Simple's Guide to Hanging Lighting Part 1...

3. Get creative with colour

Most of our designs feature naked bulbs so our bulbs need to be easy on the eye. This is why most of them are low lumen and amber tinted because it creates a gentle ambient warm glow. If you're a fan of colour then consider our Fern pendant which features green tinted bulbs on black or natural hemp rope. They are just too nice to cover up! Green is also a very therapeutic colour so adds to that relaxing vibe you want to achieve while eating.

4. Create interest with variety and height

Depending on your room size you can create some stunning effects by varying pendants at different heights. Mix it up with smaller and larger bulbs or different styles - don't go too crazy or it starts to look disjointed. For the Market Bar in Dublin we used a combination of oversized teardrop, ellipse and globe shaped bulbs hanging from twisted hemp rope. This look can be recreated on a smaller scale to create a wow lighting installation. Literally the sky's the limit!

5. Introduce Organic Materials

Our Súgán Light is one of our most popular ceiling lights. The combination of organic and tactile materials like timber and hemp rope along with stunning retro style bulbs helps to create a beautiful tactile and contemporary statement piece for a dining table or kitchen island. Additionally, this versatile ceiling light can be changed by adjusting the ropes vertically or horizontally so you can hang them evenly or stagger them as suits your needs.

6. Build layers of light

All rooms can benefit from varied lighting which helps create a mood but also allows the room work for many different functions. Adding a floor lamp can highlight a corner allowing the main lights to be dimmed. Adding table lamps to a sideboard or drinks cabinet creates different focal points throughout the room and allowing you to turn them on or off to create an inviting space. Turn on the tunes and settle in for a cozy night. The problem is that your guests may never want to leave!