LIGHTING

LIGHTING
Ambience is everything
DO
Put your lights on a dimmer. Dimming lights makes the room feel warmer and more romantic. For buffet lamps, that means using three-way bulbs.
Match your chandelier shades (if you have them), with the shade color on your buffet lamps.
Have lighting around the perimeter of the room (through buffet lamps, recessed lighting or sconces), and not just centered in the middle.
DON'T
Depend totally on the chandelier -- even if it's a beautiful one.
Put high wattage bulbs into your chandelier to increase the lighting on the table. This will increase the heat and cause glare.
Forget to remove the cellophane wrapper from the shades on your buffet lamps. If you leave it on, the heat from the bulb will dry out the cellophane, causing it to tighten, permanently warping the shade.
CHANDELIER FACTS
Not sure how high to hang the chandelier? The rule of thumb is there should be 30 to 36 inches from the top of table to the bottom of chandelier.
For a room with 8-foot ceilings, hang the chandelier 30 inches above the dining room table. For each additional foot your ceiling height increases, the chandelier should be raised 3 inches. So, if you have 9-foot ceilings, your chandelier should be 33 inches above the dining table.
Set the chandelier at least 6 inches in from all four sides of the table to avoid bumping your head as you stand to leave the table.
Choose a chandelier that fits the room and the table. Here's a guide: Take the room size, add those numbers together, and you'll know the size chandelier you need. For example, if your room is 12 by 14, you'll need a chandelier that's 26 inches in diameter.
If your table is oversized or small, you need to take that into consideration. Or if your ceiling is low (8 feet), you can't go with a large chandelier. While if you have a 12-foot ceiling, a larger chandelier works better.
An oversized chandelier works better than one that is too small.
Sources: Knight Ridder Newspapers