Which pendant above a dining table? Size, height and distance
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A pendant above a dining table is one of the rare purchases where a ten-centimetre mistake tips the whole room. Too small and it disappears. Too low and you can no longer see the person opposite. Here are the rules interior architects work to.
1. Diameter: a question of table width
The most widely used rule: the diameter of the light equals one third to one half the width of the table. In practice:
| Your table | Recommended diameter |
|---|---|
| 70 to 100 cm (round or small) | Ø 30 to 40 cm |
| 100 to 140 cm | Ø 40 to 50 cm |
| 140 to 180 cm | Ø 50 to 60 cm |
| 180 cm and above | two or three pendants |
On long tables from 180 cm, a single giant pendant rarely works. Two Ø 40 cm pendants spaced about 70 cm apart are calmer and light the tabletop more evenly.
2. Height: 60 to 70 cm above the tabletop
This is the number to remember. 60 to 70 cm between the tabletop and the bottom of the light.
Below that, the pendant dazzles and cuts eye contact. Above it, the light disperses into the room instead of drawing attention to the table. Under a ceiling higher than 2.60 m you can go to 75 cm: the proportions of the room carry it.
A simple test before you drill: sit down at the table. The bottom of the light should sit just above your eyeline when you are sitting up straight.
3. Colour temperature: 2700 to 3000 kelvin, nothing else
Above a dining table there is only one right answer: warm white, 2700 to 3000 K. Neutral white (4000 K) gives food a grey cast and turns the room into an office. Cool white (6000 K) has no business in a dining room.
If your pendant has an E27 socket, the bulb is your choice. Take an 8 to 12 W LED at 2700 K, ideally dimmable.
4. The material changes the light
Two pendants of the same size can produce two completely different rooms, depending on the material of the shade.
- Woven rattan or bamboo — the weave lets light through and draws patterns on the walls and ceiling. Alive, warm, visibly handmade.
- Silk or natural linen — filters the light into an even, gentle halo, without glare. The calmest choice above a table.
- Travertine or sandstone — stone lets little through and concentrates the light downwards. Very directed, very graphic, close to a gallery effect.
- Matte resin — concentrates the light into a clean circle on the tabletop. The most technical, most precise effect.
5. The three most common mistakes
Buying too small. By far the most frequent. On an online store a Ø 50 cm pendant looks enormous; above a 160 cm table it is exactly right. Measure your table, not your impression.
Not centring on the table. The light goes at the centre of the table, not the centre of the room. If the table isn't centred in the room, you either move the ceiling outlet or work with an offset ceiling rose and a fabric cable.
Forgetting the ceiling height. Under 2.40 m, choose a low shape — a drum or a flat dome — rather than a tall, bulky silhouette.
In short
Diameter: one third to one half the width of the table. Height: 60 to 70 cm above the tabletop. Temperature: 2700 to 3000 K. From 180 cm of table: several pendants. With those four numbers you are right nine times out of ten.