Chandeliers to Brighten Kitchen Tables
The chandelier has long been a focal point in formal dining rooms, adding elegance and ambiance to special occasion meals. But did you know that chandeliers can also lend style and brightness to more casual kitchen spaces? With the right design and placement, a kitchen chandelier can transform an ordinary kitchen table into a radiant highlight of the room.
Chandeliers are no longer reserved only for fancy spaces - they can fit beautifully into cozy kitchens as well. From farmhouse to modern and everything in between, kitchen chandeliers are a great way to upgrade your eat-in kitchen or breakfast nook. Keep reading to learn more about choosing, styling, and installing the perfect kitchen table chandelier.
Considerations When Choosing Kitchen Chandeliers
When selecting a chandelier to hang over your kitchen table, there are a few key considerations to factor in:
Size and Scale
First, look at the size of your table and overall kitchen space. A chandelier should be proportional to the table, without feeling too small or overwhelmingly large. As a general rule of thumb, choose a chandelier with a width equal to or slightly less than the width of your table. An overly massive fixture can feel imposing in a kitchen rather than elegant.
For particularly large, open concept kitchens, multiple smaller chandeliers spaced evenly apart can help fill the room with light. Measure carefully and use common sense to find a chandelier scaled to complement - not compete with - the existing layout.
Required Brightness
Consider when you use your kitchen table and how much light you'll need. Is it mainly for casual breakfasts and the occasional dinner? Or is your kitchen table a homework station and craft zone as well? Task lighting is especially crucial if you'll be doing detailed work at the table often.
Chandeliers that use candle or halogen bulbs often give sufficient illumination on their own. For extra brightness, look for fixtures fitted with LED lights or integrate other light sources like sconces or under-cabinet lighting.
Style
When browsing kitchen chandelier options, you'll find styles ranging from ornate and classical to sleekly modern. Choose whichever aesthetic best fits your kitchen's current design scheme or the look you're aiming for during a remodel. Some popular genres to consider:
- Farmhouse: Rustic wood beams, visible bulbs, metal accents
- Modern: Geometric shapes, brass or chrome, globe bulbs
- Traditional: Curved metal arms, crystal or glass beads, candle bulbs
- Transitional: Simplified classic shapes, linen or cotton shades, vintage filament bulbs
- Coastal: Woven wicker, shell accents, nautical rope details
Most major lighting retailers categorize their chandelier selection by style to simplify the browsing process. You can also search terms like "farmhouse kitchen chandelier" or "modern dining chandelier" to hone in on your perfect aesthetic.
Tips for Picking the Right Kitchen Table Chandelier
Beyond the basic criteria of size, brightness, and style, here are some other helpful tips for selecting a showstopping kitchen table chandelier:
Match Your Kitchen's Decor
Pay attention to finishes and materials that coordinate with other elements of your kitchen design. For example, if your kitchen hardware is mostly black stainless steel, gravitate toward chandeliers with metallic black, gray, or even coppery accents. Or if your color scheme revolves around deep navy blue lower cabinets, seek out a coordinating shade of blue in the chandelier's structure or beads.
Factor in Ceiling Height
Hanging a fixture too low over a table looks awkward and potentially hazardous. But allowing too much empty space between the chandelier and table top can make furniture and diners seem disconnected from the light source. Generally, most lighting experts recommend a hanging height of 30-36 inches (around 7-8 feet) from the bottom of the chandelier to table level.
Account for additional height if your chandelier has very long beads, pendants, or other decorative lower elements that suspend farther down. You want ample breathing room between standing adults and the fixture. For families with small children, err on the higher side for safety if needed.
Location Over the Table
Traditionally chandeliers are centered precisely above the dining table, aligned with any other lighting or architectural details on surrounding walls. Symmetry generally provides a pleasing aesthetic. However, you also have leeway to hang a chandelier slightly off-center or closer to a particular edge, depending on traffic flow patterns or electrical junction locations.
Just be wary of locating the chandelier too close to walls, which can make the fixture seem crammed. Allow ample elbow room all around for ease of movement and furniture rearrangements as needed.
Installing Your New Kitchen Table Chandelier
Ready to get your dream chandelier glowing over the kitchen table? Here's an overview of the installation process:
Hire an Electrician
Unless you are highly experienced working with electrical wiring, installing a chandelier requires professional help. A licensed electrician can correctly join all wires from the chandelier to junction boxes in compliance with local building codes. They also have the right equipment to safely install the chandelier mounting plate secured to ceiling beams.
When hiring an electrician, be sure to ask:
- If any repairs are needed before mounting the chandelier
- What type of wiring the fixture requires
- Their process for installing a chandelier in a kitchen
This ensures proper setup for a chandelier specifically designed for a kitchen rather than formal dining room. The installation area, materials, and ventilation often differ between the two spaces.
Hardwired vs Plug-In
Standard chandeliers are hardwired directly to junction boxes hidden behind the ceiling. But some also come as plug-in fixtures. You simply connect a power cord to an outlet instead of wiring. Plug-in chandeliers involve easier DIY installation. However, they limit location flexibility unless your kitchen has abundant spare outlets already ideally positioned.
Hardwired chandeliers allow customized positioning unconstrained by outlet availability. Hardwiring is especially preferable for very large or heavy chandeliers requiring maximum ceiling support. Consult your electrician on which option makes most sense for your kitchen's infrastructure.
Dimmer Switches for Adjustability
Consider installing dimmer switches to control ambient chandelier brightness as needed. Dimmers give you flexibility for everything from romantic dinners to raucous family game nights to working on household paperwork. Masterful lighting complements each kitchen activity.
Be sure to choose dimmer switches specifically rated for your chandelier bulb type. The dimmer switch connects inline with standard wiring instead of a regular toggle switch.
Some chandeliers also come with integrated dimmers or smart technology for app and voice controls. However built-in dimming tends to increase costs of budget-friendly fixtures.
Styling Your Kitchen Table Under a New Chandelier
Once your sparkling new chandelier is wired up overhead, focus on decor below to beautifully leverage that eye-catching centerpiece:
Tablescapes and Centerpieces
Experiment with table runners, placemats, centerpiece vases or cake stands, and other decorative table layers reflecting the chandelier's colors and materials. For example, try a hammered metal vase under an industrial loft-style light. Or set a crystal wine cooler under ornate Czech crystal chandelier beads. Cohesive styling pulls the whole dining space together.
If possible, integrate some chandelier hues or textures into dining chair selections as well. Or vice versa - pick up chair wood tones or fabric patterns in the metals, glass, or materials of your lighting fixture. Consistent little design details enhance the room's flow.