lighting
Add the length and width of the room together in feet and then use the sum, but in inches, to determine the fixture size. “If you have a room that’s 10 feet by 12 feet, then the diameter [of the] fixture should be in the 22-inch range,” Whitehead says. “Personally, I tend to scale up a bit and would look at something that would be 24 inches in diameter.” Use the table size to help determine the fixture size. The American Lighting Association advises that a light fixture should be 12 inches narrower (6 inches on each side) than the smaller side of the dining table. For example, a table that is 48 inches wide by 72 inches long should have a light fixture that is about 36 inches wide.
How high: Each designer has his or her own preference, and each dining room is unique and may call for something slightly different, but most experts suggest suspending the light fixture so that its bottom hangs 28 to 36 inches above the dining table. Rooms with taller ceilings can support light fixtures hung on the higher end, while those with standard 8-foot-tall ceilings might call for fixtures hung closer to 30 inches from the table.
Know your glow. The light fixture should not be your only consideration — the type of lightbulb is equally important. Halogen, compact fluorescent and LED bulbs come in a range of warm or cool hues. Much like the color of your walls, the type of glow you want is mostly a personal decision. If your walls are covered in cooler tones, you might want to warm them up with a lightbulb that casts a warm glow. Conversely, you may want a cooler glow to brighten up a darker space.
Get your swag on. If you are adding new pendant lighting but don’t want to deal with the expense or hassle of changing your home’s electrical setup, cord swags can be a stylish solution. Swag them loosely over a bar or a hook, as seen in this kitchen, or secure the cord tight to the ceiling for an industrial look.
Table hopping. When hanging a light over a table or a kitchen island, 28 to 34 inches is the recommended distance from the bottom of the light to the surface of the table or island. However, the size of the light makes a difference. In general, a smaller light can be moved lower and a larger light can be moved higher.
Consider ceiling height. Knowing your ceiling height is important when selecting hanging light fixtures. Some lights come with adjustable cables or rods, but others don’t. Don’t get stuck with a light that hangs too low or too high. As a rule of thumb, the bottom of a light should hang about 12 to 20 inches below a standard 8-foot ceiling. For each additional foot of ceiling height, add 3 inches
While sprinkling candles throughout a house is a classic way to add a relaxing layer of light to your home, lighting them is not always practical or desired. A more reliable way to get a similar sparkle is to add small glowing accent lights in otherwise dark spaces, such as the trio of lights that brighten up a stairwell in this Orange County, California, home designed by Geoff Sumich Design.
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