15 Dining Room Lighting Ideas to Brighten Your Space

When you’re getting ready to light your dining room, there are lots of factors to consider—from the type of lighting you’ll want to use and how much space you have, to the fixtures that best complement your home decor.

Dining Room Lighting Fixture Ideas

There are so many options for illuminating your dining room table. You can go classic or think outside the box—whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to make the space your own!

1. Silver Branch Chandelier

This silver branch chandelier is a modern choice that gives any dining room a sleek feel. If you are looking for a unique focal point to draw the eye, a branch chandelier makes an impressive addition to your dining room. 

2. Vintage Pendant Lights

Going for a vintage feel? Choose pendant lights that are shaped like vintage lamps to complete your vibey dining room look. The glass shade gives the dining room a soft glow at night, which is an ideal ambiance for a romantic dinner or small gathering.

3. Track Lighting

Brighten up a factory-like loft space (or yes, your dining room) with track lighting. As it’s super easy to install, this type of semi-flush mount lighting is a fantastic way to light larger spaces while still leaving space for creativity. Stick to simplicity or mix and match lighting fixtures to personalize your space. 

4. Wild Horn Chandelier

For a dining room with a rustic feel, try a wild horn chandelier as a focal point. This centerpiece chandelier can transport you from a more traditional dining room to a cozy winter ski lodge. Matching furniture or contrasting wallpaper can round out your space’s decor for a woodsy and naturalistic feel.

5. Half-Moon Sconce

Half-moon wall sconces are a creative take on traditional wall sconces. Go ornate like this Art Nouveau-inspired wall sconce for a classy retro dining space—or pick a clean, simple look for a modern feel to tie together your dining room.   

6. Matte Black Pendant Lights

Try traditional matte black pendant lights to give your modern kitchen or dining room a vintage feel. These large, factory-inspired black pendant lights are perfect for tying together any space with elements of new and old. 

7. Rattan Pendant Lights

Rattan pendant lights are popular dining room light fixtures for an earthy feel. Looking to get creative? Just mix together different wickers and weaves. These pendant lights come in different shapes and sizes so you can use just one, mix and match shapes, or even hang them at different heights. 

8. Orb Pendant Light

Want to keep it simple while still adding a splash of style? Try an orb pendant light. Though cage-style chandeliers come in a ton of different sizes, you’ll commonly see a cage adorned with small lights like this. An orb chandelier is a simple way to add a homey feel to your dining room without a lot of fuss. 

9. Sputnik Chandelier

Sputnik chandeliers are an Art Deco classic that will never go out of style. Even in a modern space, this Sputnik chandelier makes a stunning focal point without interrupting the room's modern aesthetic. If your home has an open floor plan, even better—a well-placed chandelier helps to clearly delineate the dining area from the living room.

10. Globe Pendant Lights

Put a modern spin on a rustic farmhouse dining room with globe light pendants. These versatile, clear glass lights fit easily into any dining room. Add a subtle modern sheen to a rustic dining room to make it shine.   

11. Votive Chandelier

Another modern style, this votive chandelier is a minimalistic take on a classic. The clear glass votives reflect their surroundings and bring the room’s colors together effortlessly. As versatile as it is stylish, this LED chandelier makes a stunning focal point in any simple, modern dining room. 

12. Modern Wall Sconce

Lighting doesn’t always have to be the star of the show. Votive lighting is perfect for drawing the eye to an existing focal point, like this stunning marble wall. These modern flush mount wall sconces use LEDs to illuminate the space while drawing attention to existing features.

13. Rectangular Chandelier

A rectangular chandelier makes for an unusual focal point. Both the dining table and the rectangular cage chandelier elongate the room, giving the illusion of more space. The clear glass in the chandelier brings together the black and brown wood tones for a cohesive feel. 

14. Modern Black Wall Sconce

In a room with a lot of light, a wall sconce is an ideal choice. These semi-flush wall sconces make for perfect dining room lighting fixtures, especially for a space with tons of ambient light. 

You can always add a floor lamp or table light with a lampshade for soft light at nighttime gatherings. Windows, skylights, or other glass architectural elements will reflect the small light sources and give the space a soft glimmer. 

15. Crystal Chandelier

A timeless beauty like this crystal chandelier can really pull your dining room together. This kind of chandelier mixes classic with a touch of modern. The candelabra layout, combined with the modern bubble glass, makes this chandelier a lovely fit for any space.   

Types of Dining Room Lighting 

We’ll walk you through some different types of lighting and their common uses in your home. While traditional uses for lighting can help inspire you, there are no hard rules—so feel free to mix and match by type and fixture to fit your personal style. 

Chandeliers

Crystal chandeliers are maybe the most traditional and popular choice for formal dining room light fixtures. In the modern world, we know that a dining room is not always just a dining room, but often a multi-functional space. Chandeliers of all types have also become multi-functional. You’ll see them making appearances in dining areas above kitchen islands, countertops, and tables—and you might even see one in a living room. 

A chandelier is generally a ceiling light fixture with several light sources. It’s suspended from the ceiling by a single cord or sometimes supported by a swag, especially if it’s a traditional heavy crystal chandelier. 

Here are just a few examples of the types of chandeliers you might consider for your dining room:

• Beaded chandeliers

• Cage chandeliers 

• Candelabra chandeliers

• Empire chandeliers

• Lantern chandeliers

• Orb chandeliers

• Sputnik chandeliers

Chandeliers are a great way to get creative with your dining room lighting fixtures and really express your personal style in your dining space.

Pendant Lights

A pendant light is a hanging light that has only one lighting source. Pendant lights have become increasingly popular in homes today, for their flexibility and as outlets for creativity. 

Pendant lights can be made out of almost any material to fit any space, though they may be best known for their modern industrial use as source lighting. The trend for pendant lights as dining room lighting fixtures is definitely on the rise.

Here are just a few ideas of the styles and patterns of pendant lights you can use in your dining room:

• Vintage pendant lights

• Minimalist pendant lights

• Ratan weave pendant lights

• A mix-and-match of different types of light pendants

• Oversized pendant lights

• Asymmetrical pendants lights 

You can even hang your pendant lights at different heights and in different areas to break up the space. With so many options to choose from, you can see why so many homeowners go with a versatile pendant light in their modern dining rooms.

Wall Sconces

Wall sconces are an incredibly flexible type of lighting fixture. Though they are most commonly found in entryways or hallways, they’re also excellent in dining rooms. Wall sconces are usually hung about three-quarters of the way up the wall to act as functional guiding lights where you need them most. 

In a dining room with low ceilings, a wall sconce is your best friend. When a hanging fixture like a pendant light or a chandelier might get in the way, a wall sconce is unobtrusive while simultaneously adding style to your space. Use them to accent a buffet, or even break up an open floor plan.

Wall sconces are also fantastic for spaces that get a lot of ambient light from windows or glass doors just when you’re starting a dinner party. You can enjoy the beautiful natural light, then transition to soft light. Install a dimmer switch or app-controlled LEDs to help blend your space from day to night. 

Here are just a few ideas of the styles of wall sconces you could consider for your space:

• Half-moon sconces

• Mid-century modern sconces

• Spotlight sconces

• Armed sconces

• Candle sconces

Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is any type of lighting that is set back into a wall. Almost any type of light can be recessed, but some types of recessed lighting are more common than others. Generally, there are three parts of a recessed light: the housing, the trim, and the lightbulb itself.

Many types of recessed lighting are designed for small LED lights and can last a long time. This is particularly helpful if you want to add recessed lighting in hard-to-reach areas like ceilings or above work areas. You might even see them used outside on the ground to illuminate paths or subtly highlight outdoor features.

Recessed lighting has become increasingly popular in indoor spaces like dining rooms. These lights can easily brighten up large warehouse spaces and make small spaces feel bright and airy. Most types of lighting can be recessed, including recessed wall sconces and even small recessed chandeliers.

Flush Mount Lighting

Flush mount lighting is another fixture type you might consider for your dining room. From wall scones to fascinating modern LED chandeliers, this style of lighting fixture is extremely flexible.

If you’re looking to seamlessly blend your lighting in with your dining room decor, flush mounting could be right for you. Flush mounting looks classy, from minimalist to modern or any style in between. Matching your lighting fixture to your furniture will give you a holistic look. 

Many flush lights can use multiple types of light bulbs, but their popularity has grown as more people switch to LEDs. They also have the added benefit of being easy to keep clean, as they don’t accumulate as much dust or other debris. 

Semi-Flush Lighting

Semi-flush lighting is similar to flush mount lighting—the key difference is just in how much space is between the ceiling and the fixture’s base. A semi-flush typically hangs down a few inches, while a flush mount light features a base that sits directly against the ceiling or wall. Semi-flush fixtures come in a huge range of shapes and sizes—everything from large overhead fixtures, to workstation lights, to wall sconces. 

Perhaps the most popular type of lighting you’ll find, these types of lighting fixtures are found in dining rooms across the country. Much like flush lighting, this type of fixture tends to be easier to clean. It’s also often easier to access and change the bulbs in a semi-flush lighting fixture.