When dining in a restaurant, I am often asked about the lighting in that particular restaurant. The dining area must provide a good amount of light in order for people to see each other. It should be a natural light rather than a bright light and it should be one that is soft and subtle rather than a spotlight or are spotlighting the room. A lot of people seem to have no problem with traditional dining room decorating but when it comes to bright lighting, they go bonkers. So, how bright should a dining room light be?
When you are choosing a dining room light fixture, you need to consider this question. If you are not going with traditional dining room design, you might want to consider a recessed lighting type fixture. This means you would have a light built into the wall and it would be recessed so it would not reflect off the walls. You can get these types of lights in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
You can also get table top light fixtures. These can also be built into the wall as with the recessed type lights. If you want to use traditional dining room decorating, then this would be the way to go. Table top light fixtures give your dining room a very elegant look.
But what about if you are going with a more contemporary style of dining? How bright should a traditional dining room be? That is an easy question to answer. In modern kitchens and dining areas, it seems like people go crazy about the lighting. They will put huge crystal chandeliers with dozens of tiny pendants on every table and bar.
There is nothing wrong with having things that are elaborate like that. It just seems kind of clinical. You don’t want to go that route. Instead, you can choose fixtures that are subtle. They will still create a great atmosphere but they won’t feel like an eyesore.
If you are only putting lights in one or two places in your dining room, then a single fixture should do it. You will want to choose a chandelier if there are going to be a lot of people eating. If there will only be a few dining companions at night, then a small tabletop lamp will do. And if you have a bar, then a bar light is perfect.
A chandelier will give a dramatic flair to your dining area but it is not terribly practical. A Chandelier is quite heavy and will need at least two people to support it. If there are other pieces of lighting that you want to use in conjunction with it, then you will have to move at least one other object. This means you might lose the ambiance that you are trying so hard to achieve with this one lighting fixture. The best lights for this place are those that have a softer glow or ones that cast subtle shadows.
If you want to create the right mood for your dining room, then you have to know what the right mood is. Bright lights can sometimes work brilliantly for dining tables and other areas, but if you have drapes or blinds covering your dining area, you may not want to expose your guests to too much light. Choose the mood you want and then choose the proper dining room light to complement it. If you know how bright should a dining room light be, you will have no problem coming up with the right choice.
Another thing to consider when figuring out how bright a dining room light should be is the size of the dining area itself. Remember, you do not want to flood your dining room with light. Instead, you want it to seem intimate and serene. If you have a very large dining area, you should probably go with indirect lighting instead of direct so that it does not glare on your guests’ faces. Direct light can also cause people to become uncomfortable and may even cause them to glare at each other.
Also keep in mind how many people are expected to be using the dining room light. If it is for two or three, then you might consider getting a bit more light than you normally would. However, if you have a large group of friends and family eating dinner frequently, you should probably stick to the traditional amount of light for a dining room light. It is better to have too much light than not enough, especially if it is a smaller space.
When figuring out how bright a dining room light should be, you have to keep in mind what your options are. Do you want to have soothing natural light, or bright lights to showcase your dishes? If you are going to be using your dining room light often, then you will probably want to go with the latter. On the other hand, if it is a dreary day and you don’t plan to be using your dining room lights much, then you will want to stick to the former option.