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Sure, many of us have no clue what our breakfast nook looks like for the first 20 minutes of the day, it’s just a bleary background in which we pour copious amounts of coffee down our throats while we focus on the important things in life… which of course is social media. Your breakfast nook becomes a gathering place for friends and family – it’s less formal than a dining room and serves as a great casual retreat from an increasingly fast-paced world.
Relax. Have your coffee. Breathe. A new day has dawned, and it is up to you to make it what you want it to be. Right here, in your breakfast nook, you’re setting a battle plan to get you through the next 24-hours.
As always, we would like to tell you how one little change – specifically how replacing the builder-quality light in your breakfast nook with a new decorative fixture that suits your style – can make all the difference to the feeling of the room. Your new light will embrace you as your eyes slowly focus on the day (thanks caffeine!) and sets the mood for you to get off on the right foot.
Selecting the perfect light isn’t that hard, but a few tips from the professionals may be handy. We’ve put together some ideas on how to choose a breakfast nook light fixture that suits your style and are happy to share them with you here. Let’s go…
So, the general rule of thumb for a chandelier in a room is to add the number of feet of your room’s width to the number of feet of your room’s length, and that’s how many inches wide your fixture should be (approximately). So, a room that’s 12’ x 14’ would need a fixture about 26” wide (12 + 14 = 26).
That gets a little cloudier when your room is a different shape… what if your nook is tucked into a corner? It takes a little more math but is still pretty easy… find where your fixture would hang in the room and measure the distance to both walls. Add those two numbers together, then double that total… that’s the number of inches you should be shooting for. In our illustration, add 4.5 + 6.5 to get 11… double that number to 22 and that’s what you’ll need, about a 22” wide chandelier will fit perfectly in that space.
Got a breakfast nook that’s really just an extra bump in the kitchen? Measure the distance from your light fixture to the nearest wall (in feet), double that number, then add the number of feet to the other wall to get your approximate size. In our example we had 3’ to the nearest wall, and 13’ to the other wall… so our formula is 3 x 2 = 6 + 13 = 19… we’d be looking for a gorgeous new fixture that’s about 19” in size.
Generally speaking, it’s what looks right to you. Professionally we suggest that you would hang your fixture 30”-36” above the table. Here are a couple of ideas of how to get the height absolutely perfect:
Another option is to select a light that has the same finish and style as your other lights. If you’ve got a black modern farmhouse chandelier over a kitchen island (and you’ve got a modern farmhouse style home), then it’s pretty natural that a black modern farmhouse light would be perfect.
Let’s take a look at some of our favorite breakfast nook lighting ideas based on your preferred style.
Create an understated elegant vibe with one of our favorite farmhouse chandeliers. The delicate curves of the Bailey Street Home 147-BEL-1044857 farmhouse chandelier features a distressed antique white finish that softens the dramatic presence, perfectly fitting the farmhouse aesthetic.
We’ve been happy to help you to identify the size, installation height and style that would be just right for your space… now let’s take the next step and bring it into your home. Check out the amazing breakfast nook lighting in all their glorious shapes and styles.
Here at 1StopLighting we’ve got the selection you want, the availability (most products available to ship the next day) all at the price you need. Get the best pricing on the Internet backed by award-winning customer service… at 1StopLighting, we’ll treat you like family.
PRO TIP: If you plan on hanging various fixtures from chains, invest about $15 in a pair of Chain Pliers (you can find on Amazon and other outlets). These are special pliers that push OUT when you squeeze them to open the links, and on the other side of the fulcrum are notched spaces to close chain links perfectly.
The drop-dead easiest way to coordinate your breakfast nook fixture with your kitchen island pendants or chandelier (or other kitchen fixtures) is to choose a light from the same collection. What’s that you say? Most lighting is created as a part of a group (called a specific name, like “Burbury Coast” for instance). You can search for the manufacturer’s name and the collection name and find all of the fixtures that were built to go together, everything from chandeliers to wall lighting to bathroom lighting. The intent is that you could purchase all of your fixtures in the same collection to create an incredibly cohesive look throughout your home.
There’s one more word we’ll leave you on this: eclectic. Sometimes you don’t want things to match, but to coordinate in shape and mix the finishes in a space. A triangular geometrix fixture in the kitchen won’t match a breakfast nook chandelier that is made up of a bunch of circles, but the geometric idea will flow from one to the other.
Let the natural warmth of organic jute create a cozy, paired-back and relaxed style in your breakfast nook. The Crystorama Lighting Jace JAC-10503-SD coastal pendant light features a downward-facing gold finished rod wrapped in jute, creating a beautiful tone-on-tone look that echoes the light and airy feeling of your coastal breakfast nook.
Sometimes design inspiration comes from unusual places; the inspiration for the Kichler Lighting Melis chandelier comes from a wooden honey dipper. With clear glass shades and a gorgeous black finish that exhibits the carved details, the Melis emulates the artistic carpentry of antique furniture.
We love how the Fredrick Ramond Lighting Ariel FR47404BLK modern chandelier has taken the classic mid-century modern starburst shape and reinterpreted it with a sleek, minimalist profile. Starting with a jet-black finish, this gorgeous fixture adds an unexpected dash of elegance by adding sophisticated crystal spires, creating a unique look for your modern breakfast nook.
The brushed natural brass finish of the Kichler Lighting Pallas 52520BNB traditional chandelier softens the classic brass of many traditional homes, creating a more inviting atmosphere for casual dining. Traditional touches like the detailed bobeches (the little ledges at the bottom of the candlestick light holder) and the tapered linen lampshades make the Pallas a standout choice for your traditional breakfast nook.
Transitional homes aren’t quite traditional and aren’t quite modern… they’re somewhere in between. It’s a fresh and clean look, and the Hinkley Lighting Lexi 4993LCB transitional pendant light fits in perfectly. It’s the details that matter, from the off-white textured fabric shade (cut on the bias) to the beautiful black rings with matching knobs while a top strap holds it all together.
Inspiration for the wonderfully tapered Kichler Lighting Deela mid-century modern chandelier has been drawn from Ukrainian vases, echoed in the sculptural column. Add either candelabra or globe bulbs to the open and elegant champagne bronze design and your mid-century modern breakfast nook will be the envy of your friends.
Breakfast nook lighting has been a showcase for the artisanship of our lighting designers for decades, because the style infused in the fixture becomes the style of the room. It’s truly a centerpiece and deserves your sincere thought and consideration when selecting the perfect one.