Springtime means new beginnings, spring cleaning, and alongside it, no doubt a few conversations about doing up that room finally. If you’re looking at a dining room, perhaps overtaken with moving boxes and things that have no place in the house, perhaps a corner for eating at peeking out, maybe it’s time for a change. But where do you start? Well, we’ve got a guide for you on how to light your dining room. Whether you go for a lick of paint or a full restructuring, we’ve got the lighting that will go with it. Read on to find out what the best lighting solutions are for your dining room.

Layered lamps

The first rule of figuring out your dining room lighting is to layer. Sometimes there is only one layer to be had, the overhead lighting layer, and that can look really good. But there’s also a case to be made for dotting layers of light around the room. You can do this with different shapes, sizes, and intensities of lamps around the room. The main benefit of this is that it will create a mood in the dining room when an overhead light is just too intense for the occasion. It also offers your room some style. Are your lamps matching or mismatched? Rustic or modern? There are lots of possible ways to go.

Candles

Even better at setting a mood than lamps are candles. Sixteen Candles is so named for a reason: they just seem to create a moment. Whether you’re going for tea lights dotted around the room or one dining table sterling silver candelabra, you’re going to create a moment to remember with candles. Plus, they’re an environmentally friendly option.

Statement overhead light

The statement overhead light is doing the rounds in trends right now. They come in art deco. They come in bohemian. They come in abstract. They come in traditional. There are no limits on the statement overhead light.

And the best part about them is that they are simple. If you have a dining room that you worry looks too empty, too simple, and just needs that “something”, but you don’t know what, chances are a statement overhead light can solve that problem. You don’t need more décor elements or to paint a wall a crazy colour. Just install an interesting statement piece and build around it. If it needs no further building, then the job is done.

Floor-to-ceiling windows

There is no beating nature’s lighting source. The sun not only has visual superpowers in making your home look bigger, look brighter, make your colours pop, etc., but it also helps your mental health. Sure, you can go out into nature to help your mental health, but getting nature into your home is also a great idea. Imagine a hot coffee and a sunrise, a good meal and a sunset, or simply a study session with the sun coming in rather than the solid, oppressive overhead light.

If you don’t have tall windows, take advantage of what you do have by hanging mesh curtains to allow as much sunlight in as possible.

Conclusion

It’s also worth mentioning that none of these ideas are mutually exclusive. Maybe relying on nature’s light isn’t best when you’re hosting a late evening dinner in winter, and you could do with some layered lamps. Maybe the statement overhead light is too much for the mood you’re going for right now, and you’d be better off with candles. They’re famed for making an atmosphere for a reason. Play around with lights, and you’ll soon find that there are no hard and fast rules.