How high should a pendant lamp hang above the dining table?

The size of a pendant lamp decides whether it suits your table. The height decides whether you can still see each other. The latter goes wrong most often, and it is solved with a tape measure in two minutes.

The rule of thumb: 75 to 85 centimetres

Measure from the tabletop to the bottom of the lamp. Between 75 and 85 centimetres is the right height for most situations. Lower than 70 centimetres and you look at the lamp instead of your guest. Higher than 90 centimetres and the light spreads too much: the table is no longer emphasised.

If you are torn between two heights, choose the lower one. A lamp that hangs too high loses its function; a lamp that hangs slightly too low feels intimate.

When to hang it higher

With a ceiling above 2.80 metres you can go to 85 to 90 centimetres, otherwise the lamp looks visually isolated in the room.

If the lamp is wide and open underneath, such as a large ring or a bowl, you can go a little higher, because you do not look through it. With a lamp that has a closed shade directing light straight down, keep to the lower limit.

Several lamps above one table

If you hang two or three lamps side by side, keep them all at the same height. Differences in height look restless, even if only a few centimetres. Space them evenly and keep at least thirty centimetres between them.

What if the table moves?

A common mistake: the lamp is hung before the table is in its final place. First decide where the table goes, then hang the lamp. The centre of the lamp belongs above the centre of the table.

Cannot move the light point? Then a lamp with an adjustable pendant or a suspension chain is the solution. Almost all our pendant lamps are adjustable in height.

And the size?

The right diameter for your table is in what size lamp above your dining table. Unsure about both? Visit our showroom in Arnhem. There the lamps hang at full size.

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