Tips On Choosing The Right Chandelier For Your Home

Orange chandelier by Lamps Plus – $99

The most common mistake people make when they are purchasing their chandeliers is not choosing the appropriate sized fixtures. I’ve seen fixtures that are either too large and overpower the space, or too small, which not only don’t provide adequate lighting, but also appear misplaced. 

 Before choosing and buying a chandelier you need to find out:

• The height of the ceiling, since higher ceilings require larger fixtures.
• The size of the room, since the chandeliers should be proportionate to the rooms. Sometimes if the room is very large, additional light fixtures may be required.
• If the fixture is for the dining table or above an island, the shape and size of the tables and islands are important factors to keep in mind. The ideal fixture will compliment these and not fight against them.

A general rule and/or formula to help you to choose the right chandelier for your rooms is this:

Add the dimensions of the rooms and that would be diameter of the fixture. Therefore, if your room is 14 x 18, then the chandelier’s diameter should be 32 (14+18=32) inches.

Chandeliers by Crate & Barrel

Tips:

Entry/Foyer

• Determine the diameter of your fixture by following the above formula.
• If you choose or are choosing a multi-tiered chandelier, remember that the bottom of the fixture needs to be AT LEAST 7′ above the floor.
• For multi-level entries where there is a window, you should center the fixture on the window to create symmetry from the inside and the outside of the window.
• Again, if your foyer is very large, you might have to use either additional wall scones or up-lighters to achieve the right amount of illumination.

• Assuming that your dining table is correctly proportioned to the room and the height of your ceiling is 8′, then the chandelier diameter should be 50% of the width of the table and the bottom should be hung 30″-32″ above the dining table. You can add an additional 3″ to the diameter of the fixture if your ceiling is 9′, and for any dining room with a higher ceiling than 9′, it’s best to use multi-tiered chandelier to fill the space between the ceiling and the dining table.
• Please note that the chandelier should be hung to the center of the dining table and NOT to the center of the room. First determine where your dining table is going to be placed and then hang the chandelier centered on the table. 

 

 

New Trend:

 

Smaller scaled chandeliers or mini chandeliers are becoming more and more popular. This allows home owners to use these fixtures for more intimate settings as well. For example, having two hanging mini chandeliers on either side of a bed vs. the traditional bedside lamps provides more glamour, interest, and an element of design for master bedrooms. According to the ALA (American Lighting Association), chandeliers are now becoming more and more popular in bathrooms and kitchens.

 

Let there be light… and that is a good thing for ALL homes!