How High Above a Dining Table Should a Light Hang?

The correct drop for a dining light sits between 75cm and 90cm above the tabletop, but that range only makes sense once you understand what it is balancing. This guide explains how a lower fitting tightens and intensifies the pool of light while a higher one spreads it across the room, and where the two effects meet. It shows how to adjust the drop proportionally for high, low, sloped and vaulted ceilings, and why the seated sightline test tells you more than the measurement alone. There is guidance on spacing two or three pendants over longer tables, keeping them at matching heights, sizing shade width against table width, and handling a ceiling rose that sits in the wrong place without electrical work. Bulb colour temperature, output and dimming are covered too, along with the layered lighting that stops a pendant creating a bright island in a dark room. A short FAQ answers the most common questions on chandeliers and measuring....