Pendant lights above dining table

[strongblackcoffee]

Okay, so maybe other people just don't move their tables around... but we're just working out where to put the lighting in our new kitchen/diner and I'd love a beautiful pendant or three over the table - but what if we then decide to move the table?? Is there an easy way to adjust the position of the lights, or do you just have to never ever move the table? Not sure I could be that definite on where it goes...

By 'move the table', I just mean turn it around, or shuffle it a couple of feet across the room. Just that the lights would then be in the wrong position - unless there is something clever and adjustable that you can do [hopeful face]

always wondered exactly the same thing! sorry Im no help I know. I can only assume you have to make 1 decision and live with it.

It is a problem. Our ceilings are some form of special Kryptonite cement, I think, and drilling into them requires specialist equipment, muscles, time, and preferably ear defenders. The only solution we came up with to this problem was to leave sufficient flex/chain to loop it on a cup hook adjacent to the ceiling rose or whatever it's called - the electrical doings, anyway - if you move the table, you can then move the cup hook rather than the wiring.
Maybe someone else has a better solution!

Ah okay, interesting. I'm glad that I'm not being completely daft then. It's difficult isn't it, as I'm not definite enough about the position of our dining table at this stage. A cup hook (whatever that may be!) may have to be the solution then, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has any other brilliant ideas!

We decided against one for the same reason and we have since moved the table. Our living space was new though and had a few different options. How long have you been in your place / current layout?

Have googled cup hook. I now know

The layout is going to be completely new, that's the problem. It's an extension of our existing dining room, to join it up with the kitchen. So we are BOUND to move things around once we get used to the space.

I don't think there is an easy solution. Have you got a single light fitting? We have three (overkill) in our kitchen/diner, which means that it doesn't really matter re location/brightness, but if you want to have a feature light over the table, wherever it is put, then you'd best ask a tradesman... DH usually does all our DIY with lots of swearing so I tend to assume everything is more expensive/hard than it sounds on paper!

Be careful how you phrase it though, I've had a few experiences of tradesmen being deliberately obtuse misunderstanding, so you need to be clear if you aren't talking about a one-off move, but that you want flexibility to change your table and the light around every week if that's what you want.

At the moment there is nothing as they are just building it, so we can basically tell them what light fittings we want. I completely agree about being very clear about what we want though, just wish I could work it out before the builders actually ask me...

The space is fairly square, but will also have the patio doors, so table could go either way round and may be better against the wall and just pulled out into the centre occasionally for guests. And we may find out that it gets in the way of the doors too much and have to shuffle things around because of that. Basically, the more I think about it, I don't think we can possibly put in a pendant light!!!! Will start looking at appropriate wall lights.....

You can either have one wired in, which will involve some degree of faff as it will need to come from the existing fitting, up through the ceiling and then down to the position where you want the extra light.

So you'll need a spark to do that. (electrician - don't rush off to google again!)

Or you can have one that just plugs in to a wall socket, and then is positioned just using a ceiling hook (preferably into a joist above the ceiling, don't just screw it into the artex) and then you can put that wherever you want but it won't look so tidy.

With the wired in one, you can generally get a hook to put up so that the flex is retained at any position you want, within a certain radius.

Again though that will look messy.

Best to decide where your table is going and then have it wired in.

Oh x posts.

In that case I think you should ask them to put something in - and you don't have to use it, but it's there if you do decide to.

Thanks Rooners, that's a good idea!

If you are getting a proper electrician, you could ask him to fit you a plug-in ceiling rose (they are not very common) which enables you, should you so desire, to remove the flex and lamp part from the ceiling, and fit another of different length. That will enable it to either hang straight down over your dining table, or to reach one of the many cup-hooks that you install, so that it hangs in a different place. It will be an advantage if all the cup-hooks are about the same distance from the rose. You will need him to provide you at least one extra plug-in part connected to a pendant, with a long flex on it. As they are not very common it may be difficult to find a matching one at another time.

like this
Ashley are OK but if you can get a Crabtree or MEM it is better.

Oh that's interesting, thank you pigletjohn - really helpful!

I have a similar thing. What our electrician did was to leave the wires in the ceiling (we didn't have the dining table at the time). We now do and when I have chosen a light fitting he will come back and go through into the ceiling and fix the light in the right place over where the dining table now is . However , I will be committed to the dining table in that place (outside of the cuphook idea) , but for us as the space is not huge that isn't a huge issue. The advantage is (ours is also a new space) that it gives you time to decide where the right place for the table is .

I forgot we did that too but don't think we would get one now as the down lights would look wrong.

In exchange I got a kind of chandelier for the adults' lounge