DINING ROOM Lights set the perfect mood

Don't rely solely on the chandelier, designers say.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Lighting sets the mood throughout a home, but perhaps nowhere more than the dining room.
Candles, buffet lamps, rope lighting, recessed cans or chandeliers -- each can give a different feel to mealtime.
The holiday season is here and the focus turns to dining rooms, so it's a perfect time to think about ways to light the room for ambiance.
"Lighting is everything in setting a mood," said Suzanne Warthen, who operates a lighting-consulting business, Lighting by Design. "Low levels of lighting make food more pleasant. It makes the whole environment more pleasant," she said.
Mix it up
Designers suggest combining various types of lighting and spreading it around the room.
"The biggest mistake people make in dining-room lighting is they depend totally on the chandelier," said Laurin Johnson, of Laurin Johnson Interiors. "That isn't sufficient. It doesn't give you the mood you're going for."
Interior designers suggest adding a couple of lamps on a buffet table, or using sconces as a secondary source of light. The idea is to spread the light around the perimeter of the room.
And -- increasing in popularity is recessed lighting and rope lighting.
Whatever kind of lighting you use, designers agree on this: Always use the dimmer.
"By using dimmer switches, you can change the mood," said Steve Foster, vice president of The Lite House. "You can go from a casual and bright mood to a more romantic mood, just by dimming the lighting on the chandelier."
Whatever type of lighting you choose, the options have never been more plentiful. Here's a look at some of the possibilities.
CHANDELIERS
The traditional star of dining room lighting, chandeliers come in all styles, sizes and -- shapes.
"A chandelier is the center of attention whether on or off," said designer Kris Deaton of Deaton and Trussell Interiors.
Chandeliers often use small flame-shaped bulbs to simulate candles, and there are a large variety of shades available for them. Lighter-colored shades will allow more light into the room, while dark or black opaque shades will dim the light from the bulbs, Deaton said.
As for style, brass and antique brass have dropped some in popularity, Foster said. Replacing them are painted finishes, earth tones and crystal.
"More people are trying to blend fixtures into paint colors and table and fabric finishes in dining rooms as much as [other] living areas," Foster said.
Chandeliers range in price from $40 to $5,000, depending on the size and style, with formal crystal chandeliers the highest priced.
RECESSED LIGHTING
Recessed lighting -- where the bulb is recessed into the ceiling -- is gaining popularity in dining rooms, particularly in newer homes.
Recessed or track lighting provides general lighting and allows you to highlight items in the room.
"So many times, the table setting is lost under a chandelier," Warthen said.
Warthen said she recommends low-voltage recessed lighting about 1 foot out from each end of the chandelier.
"That not only lights the table, but it also makes the crystal and silver and china look really pretty," she said.
Low-voltage recessed lighting also can be used to highlight the columns that are popular in dining rooms with open floor plans.
Also popular are low-voltage recessed pinhole lights, which allow light to escape from a pinhole in the center.
Several of those can be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart down the center of the table. The middle light can highlight the centerpiece, with the other two lighting the table.
Another option -- if there's not a chandelier -- is to use a pinhole light at the center of the table over the centerpiece arrangements. Then, you can go out about 2 feet from each corner of the table and place a recessed light. That way, the light is not over anybody's head.
Also to create a mood, recessed cans can be placed around the perimeter of the room to give a more subtle approach and creating more atmosphere, said Mandy McCathern, manager of Modern Lighting Center.
BUFFET LIGHTING
Two lamps on each side of a buffet or sideboard can add a traditional touch to a dining room.
Buffet lamps generally have narrow shades so they look best placed a short distance from the wall rather than pushed against the wall, Deaton said.
Johnson suggests a couple lamps with at least 60-watt bulbs on a buffet table as a secondary source of light.
Other options include recessed or track lighting above buffets or breakfronts. Miniature low voltage pendants suspended 3 feet above the buffet offer a more contemporary look.
ROPE LIGHTING
McCathern, of Modern Lighting Center, said rope lighting in tray ceilings is becoming the biggest thing in dining room lighting she's seen in the past year.
Rope lighting can be added to a boxed tray ceiling, illuminating the ceiling and giving it a little glow, she said.
It also can be used as lighting for a buffet or china cabinet.
ACCENT OR PICTURE LAMPS
Individual or strips of low voltage minilights can be put under shelves in a china cabinet or hutch to show off collectibles.
Or, small lights can be used to illuminate special pieces of artwork hung around the room.
SCONCES
A buffet or sideboard can be flanked with wall sconces on each side. Or sconces can be used on the opposite side of the room.
Designers suggest choosing fixtures that complement the chandelier.
CANDLES
Much dining-room lighting tries to imitate the look of candles. Of course, you can always use the real thing.
"I don't care if it's just us in blue jeans or shorts, I light my candles," Johnson said. "I like that mood." In her dining room, she uses oil-filled candles that don't smoke or drip.