How to Light a Thanksgiving Table: Chandelier Height, Size and Dimming

Written by Rick Kovac, COO of Golden Lighting

The takeaway: A Thanksgiving table looks best under a chandelier that's the right size, hung at the right height and dimmed well below full output. Get those three right and candles do the rest.

Key takeaways:

Hang the chandelier so its bottom sits 30–36 inches above the tabletop, centered on the table, not the room.
Size it to the table: the fixture should be one-half to two-thirds as wide as the table.
Dim more than you think. Light that measures 25% of full output looks about half as bright to your eye, so a well-dimmed room still reads clearly.
Use 2700K–3000K bulbs, and keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 this year, almost four weeks after the clocks fall back. In most of the country the sun will be down before the turkey comes out of the oven. That makes the dining-room light the most important light in the house that day.

You don't need new lighting to get it right. You need the fixture you have to be the right size, at the right height and on a dimmer. If it isn't, there's still time to fix it before the 26th.

Styled scene: Elwood 6-light chandelier in Antique Black Iron, dimmed and hung low over a Thanksgiving table set for eight at dusk, with taper candles and an autumn centerpiece

Styled scene: the Elwood 6-light chandelier in Antique Black Iron, centered on the table and dimmed for dinner.

Step one: check the height

The single most common dining-room mistake we see is a chandelier hung too high. It floats near the ceiling, lights the top of everyone's head and leaves the table in shadow.

Measure from the tabletop to the bottom of the fixture. The house standard, shared across most lighting references, is 30 to 36 inches.
Go to the higher end for a tall or wide fixture, or if your guests are tall and the fixture blocks sight lines across the table.
Center it on the table, not the room. If the table isn't centered under the ceiling box, a swag hook or a canopy offset kit moves the fixture to where the food is.

This only applies over the table. Anywhere people walk, keep the bottom of a fixture at least 7 feet off the floor.

Step two: check the size

The table decides the size. The American Lighting Association and most design references agree: the fixture should be one-half to two-thirds the width of the table, and kept about 6 inches inside the table's edges so no one hits their head when standing up.

Table width	Chandelier width
36 in	18–24 in
42 in	21–28 in
48 in round	24–32 in

A second check uses the room: add the room's length and width in feet, and use that number in inches as the minimum fixture diameter. A 12 x 14 ft room gives 26 inches. When the two methods disagree, the table wins. For a long table, two smaller fixtures or a linear chandelier keep both ends lit. Our full sizing guide has more examples.

Step three: dim it more than you think

Full output is for setting the table and clearing it. For dinner, dim the chandelier well down. People hold back because they assume a dimmed room will look dark. It won't, because your eye doesn't see dimming the way a light meter measures it.

Curve comparing measured light output with perceived brightness: 25% measured looks about 50% as bright, 5% looks about 22%, and 1% looks about 10%.

Based on the square-law relationship described in Gary Gordon, Interior Lighting for Designers. Golden Lighting chart.

Lighting designers use a rule of thumb called the square law: perceived brightness roughly follows the square root of measured light. So a chandelier dimmed to 25% of its output looks about half as bright. Dimmed to 5%, it still looks about 22% as bright. Even at 1%, it looks about 10% as bright, not black.

For dinner: try 25–40% of full output. The table stays readable and faces look warm.
For dessert and conversation: go lower and let candles carry more of the light.
Use a dimmer that matches the bulbs. LED bulbs need an LED-compatible dimmer. Check the bulb maker's compatibility list to avoid flicker. Our guide to dimmers for LED lights covers what to look for.

Our rule: if you can still read the place cards, it isn't too dim.

Step four: warm bulbs and candles

Use 2700K–3000K bulbs in the chandelier. Know what you're buying, though. A standard LED keeps the same color as it dims; it doesn't turn amber the way an old incandescent did. If you want that candlelight shift, look for bulbs labeled "dim-to-warm" or "warm dim."

Candles are the other half of a holiday table, and they need care. The National Fire Protection Association reports that candles start nearly half (46%) of December home decoration fires. The U.S. Fire Administration advises keeping candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, using stable holders and considering battery-operated candles. Keep taper candles clear of centerpiece greenery and napkins, and never leave them burning in an empty room.

What about cordless lamps on the table?

One of last season's styling trends was a pair of small cordless lamps set right on the dinner table. Homes & Gardens covered it: warm 2700–3000K, two lamps on a long table, one on a round one. It looks lovely, and it solves a real problem in rooms with no chandelier at all. (If that's your dining room, our guide to lighting a room with no overhead light can help.)

To be straight with you: Golden Lighting doesn't make table lamps. If you already have a dining chandelier, we'd rather you hang it at the right height and dim it than crowd the table. If you love the cordless-lamp look, keep the lamps at the same 2700–3000K as your chandelier so the light matches.

The sideboard and the rest of the room

A room where only the table is lit feels like a spotlight. Add light to at least one wall: a pair of sconces over the sideboard or buffet, or art lit on the opposite wall. Lit walls make the room feel bigger and warmer. Mount decorative sconces about 60–72 inches above the floor.