Over a dining table a pendant hangs lower than any other light in the house, close enough to the surface to make the table the brightest thing in the room. One large pendant anchors a round table; a row of smaller ones runs the length of a long one, with the size and spacing set by the table rather than a rule.

What a dining table asks of a pendant

Even light along the whole surface and a clear sightline across it. A single pendant over a round table lights the center and the faces around it; a linear piece or a row over a long table keeps the ends as bright as the middle. Twenty-five of our pendants suit the table. Alba, Velina, and Topaz run long for a rectangular table, Alba and Velina in brass and alabaster and Topaz in gold and crystal. Kinsley and Avery are solid brass domes and globes for a row, Arabella hangs two or three travertine orbs, Luka and Sylas run LED bars, and Obsidian, Raven, and Celestial bring crystal in black and gold.

How to choose the right size

One pendant over a round table: about 12 inches narrower than the table. A linear piece over a long table: about two-thirds of its length, so a 96-inch table takes Luka at 150 cm or Velina's larger size. A row: pendants 8 to 12 inches across, two or three to a table, 24 to 30 inches apart, odd numbers often balancing best. Hang the bottom 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop. Twenty-one of the 25 are tagged for 8 to 9-foot ceilings and twenty for angled ceilings.

Styles and rooms across the range

Brass and alabaster suit a wood table and linen chairs; crystal in gold or black suits a formal room; a row of brass domes suits a mid-century one. Every linear option sits together on the linear pendants page. Where the table is round and the room wants one shape, the dining room chandeliers page is the alternative, and the dining room lighting collection holds the wall lights that finish a sideboard.

Every one runs warm white, and 22 of the 25 dim from the wall switch. Measure the table, decide between one piece and a row, and only then choose a shape.