I recently joined a wonderful "shaping spaces" webinar hosted by John Cullen Lighting, an event centred around how we see light and how our brains interpret it. And it reminded me of why designing a lighting plan is one my favourite aspects in the interior design process. I think it's also because it's responsible for setting the "mood" of the room otherwise known as the ambience, and it will also determine how we perceive the colour and furnishings within that room. Lighting always needs to serve a purpose, otherwise it's a waste of electric energy (in other words, it's bad for the environment!) so it's important to add lighting that's suitable and functional within the specific space.
My dining area is one of my favourite spaces in my house because it's responsible for so many great memories. It's where myself, family and friends enjoy many evenings of wonderful food and chatter! I love my lighting in this area, I've created a warm setting with my use of a low hanging tiered ball chandelier with warm light bulbs. which looks very stylish in the evening.
My dining table is a stunning Calligaris with a chic elliptical tempered black glass top, which works well with my sparkle table setting themes at Christmas time!
Some designers believe having just one centre light in your dining space is not enough, and I think I would advise depending on the size and layout of your space. But if you can get away with having only one fabulous light it will have a great visible impact.
So here are some top tips for you to keep in mind when selecting lighting for your dining space:-
Decide on your room theme/style - formal, modern, eclectic, or traditional etc
Light Height - very important because irrespective of your ceiling height, you need to make sure you don't block the view.
Functionality - the light needs to serve its purpose, but don't forget your style.
Bulb - it will not matter how amazing your chosen light is, if you use the wrong bulb your lighting will be a disaster.
Shape - very important, it needs to be around 30 cm smaller than your dining table.
Add a Dimmer - if you have a small intimate dining room this is a simplistic way to adjust lighting according to the ambience you want to create.
My new site advertiser Habitat have a stunning range of lighting available at the moment, why don't you take a look through their latest collections.
"Lighting for the home represents the perfect blend of the necessary and the nice. It helps us see in the dark, but is about so much more than that. It can create ambience and set a mood, it can highlight a space to make it the best version of itself, and as a product, it's an accent that can make a statement..." Ros Humphries, Buyer for Lighting @ Habitat