Enter the shape and dimensions of your table and the height of your ceiling. The calculator gives the height of the bottom of the light above the tabletop and above the floor, the suspension length from the ceiling, the diameter of a single light, and for long tables the length of a linear pendant or the spacing of two to four separate lights. It also works for a kitchen island or a bar.
What does the calculator work out?
You enter: the shape of the table (round, square, rectangular or oval), the length and width or the diameter, the height of the tabletop, the ceiling height, and whether it is a dining table, a kitchen island or a bar. The calculator gives:
- the distance between the tabletop and the bottom of the light, with a lower and an upper limit;
- the height of that bottom edge above the floor;
- the suspension length: how much space there is between the ceiling and the bottom of the light, for cable and fixture together;
- for a single light: the recommended diameter;
- for a long table: the length of a linear pendant, and the diameter and spacing of two, three or four separate lights.
The reasoning behind each figure, with the exceptions and the most common mistakes, is in the guide pendant light above the dining table. With the result, you can search the pendant lights by diameter or length.
How does the tool work out height and size?
Height. Above a dining table or bar, the tool works with 65 cm between tabletop and light, within a range of 60 to 75 cm. Licht.de gives 60 cm, because at that height a light does not dazzle and the view of the person opposite stays clear; up to 75 cm works for large, open shapes. Above a kitchen island where you stand, it works with 78 cm, within 70 to 85 cm, so that you can look over the island while standing; more on that in kitchen lighting. The suspension length is the ceiling height minus the height of the tabletop minus that distance.
One light. The diameter is between a third and half of the table width (for a round table: the diameter), and never so large that less than 15 cm is left to the edge on any side.
Long table. Together, the lights cover about two thirds of the table length, with at least 30 cm free at each end. A linear pendant is between half the table length and the table length minus 60 cm long. For separate lights, the tool works with 20 cm between the shades above a dining table or bar, and with 35 cm and shades of at most 35 cm above a kitchen island, and it always keeps the diameter within half the table width or island depth. If it has to reduce the diameter to do so, it increases the gap, so that the row stays the same length. This gives the diameter and the distance between the centres.
Frequently asked questions
Why 65 cm and not 60 cm, as licht.de writes?
65 cm sits in the middle of the range that works well in practice and leaves room for lights that may hang a little higher, such as large open shapes. The calculator always shows the full range of 60 to 75 cm, so you can choose for yourself.
Does the calculator also work for a coffee table?
No. You do not sit all the way round a coffee table, and anyone who stands up walks underneath the light. There, a pendant light usually hangs much higher, or you choose a floor lamp next to the seating area.
What if my table is extendable?
Calculate with the length you use most often. If you also want to light the ends when the table is extended, a track or a cable system with sliding pendants is the most flexible solution.
Sources
- Esszimmer: Licht für den Esstisch, licht.de (ZVEI)
- Küche: Licht für Arbeitsflächen und Essplatz, licht.de (ZVEI)
- Licht für Wohnräume (presentatie bij licht.wissen 14), licht.de (ZVEI) (2020)
