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How high to hang a pendant over a dining table
The 75 cm rule, table size, ceiling height and how many pendants to use: measurements that make a dining light work.
A pendant over a dining table is the light most people get wrong, usually by hanging it too high. It ends up lighting the ceiling and the tops of heads instead of the food and faces.
Start with the height. The bottom of the shade should sit 70 to 80 cm above the table top, so it lights the table without blocking the view across it. In flats with a standard 2.9 to 3 m ceiling, that usually means a drop of 1.3 to 1.4 m from the ceiling. In taller rooms, keep the same distance from the table and let the cord be longer; do not raise the light to match the ceiling.
Next, size. A single pendant should be about half to two-thirds the width of the table. For a 90 cm round table, a 42 cm shade like our cane cage pendant or the 60 cm ribbon pendant for a larger table works well. For a long rectangular table of 1.8 m or more, use two or three smaller pendants spaced evenly along its length, about 60 to 75 cm apart, or one long linear fitting.
Finally, the light itself. A warm 2700 K LED makes food and skin look natural. Fit a dimmer if you can, so the same light works for a family dinner and a late cup of tea. Our electrician installs pendants free in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, and we mark the height with tape on the day so you can see it before the cord is cut.
