A light over the dining table is often the centrepiece of a home — and the most common mistake is getting the size wrong. Too small and it looks lost; too large and it overwhelms the table and blocks the view across it. The good news is that a few simple proportions get you most of the way there.
Start with the table, not the room
Over a dining table, size the light to the table. The classic rule:
- Diameter: choose a chandelier or pendant that is between one half and two thirds of the table's width.
- Clearance: leave at least 15 cm (6 in) between the edge of the light and the edge of the table on each side, so no one bumps their head standing up.
For example, a table 100 cm wide suits a light roughly 50–65 cm across. A 90 cm round table works well with a 45–60 cm fitting.
Long tables: one large light or several smaller ones
For a rectangular table longer than about 180 cm, a single round fitting can leave the ends in shadow. You have two good options:
- A linear chandelier about two thirds of the table's length.
- Two or three pendants in a row, spaced evenly along the table. Keep roughly 60–75 cm between the centres of each pendant, and set the outer pendants at least 15 cm in from the ends of the table.
Odd numbers (three pendants) tend to look more balanced over long tables; pairs work beautifully over shorter or round ones.
How high to hang it
The bottom of the fitting should sit about 75–90 cm (30–36 in) above the tabletop for a standard 2.4 m (8 ft) ceiling. That's low enough to feel intimate and light the table, but high enough to see across it.
For taller ceilings, raise it slightly: add around 7.5 cm (3 in) for every extra 30 cm (1 ft) of ceiling height. Visually heavy or very large fittings can go a little higher; small, light pendants can go a little lower.
A quick test before the electrician fixes the height: sit at the table with a friend opposite and check you can see each other comfortably without the light cutting across your eyeline.
Open-plan rooms and double-height spaces
When a dining table sits in a larger open-plan space, the light also has to hold its own in the room. If you're between two sizes, go for the larger one — fittings almost always look smaller once they're hung. In double-height spaces or stairwell voids, a common guide is to add the room's length and width in feet and use that number in inches for the diameter (a 4 m × 5 m room is roughly 13 ft × 16 ft, so around 29 in or 74 cm).
Don't forget the light itself
- Diffused over exposed: shades in alabaster, opal or fabric soften glare at eye level — important when people are sitting underneath for hours.
- Dimmable: dining lights should always be on a dimmer so the same fitting works for homework, dinner parties and late-night conversation.
- Warm colour: around 2700K makes food, skin and timber look their best.
The short version
- Width: ½ to ⅔ of the table's width.
- Long tables: a linear fitting at ⅔ of the length, or 2–3 pendants spaced 60–75 cm apart.
- Height: 75–90 cm above the table, plus 7.5 cm for every extra 30 cm of ceiling.
- Dimmable, diffused and warm.
Send us your table size and ceiling height through our contact page and we'll recommend a size and hanging height for the piece you have in mind.
