Chandelier Lighting: How to Choose Guide

Chandelier lighting is an interesting way of bringing character, elegance and sophistication along with illumination in your home. To many people the word “Chandelier” is synonymous with huge ornate crystal decorated lights hanging from the ceilings of either some vintage palace or a ballroom. Until recently chandelier light fixtures were the decorative pieces belonging to the homes of only the rich and the elite.  But modern manufacturing techniques and processes have made chandelier lights affordable even for the common man.

Chandeliers are an important part of home décor designed to set the tone and aesthetics of any room. They are traditionally suspended in foyers, dining rooms and living rooms. Chandeliers come in a variety of size, shapes and designs and can enhance the beauty of a room or hall by many folds. However, choosing proper chandelier lighting for your home is not an easy task. When contemplating which chandelier light fixtures to purchase, the following points must be kept in mind.

Most important factor is the size of chandelier. The chandelier size should be appropriately fitting the room size. Too large and ornate chandelier fixtures may cause the room to look cramped while too small chandelier fixtures will merely be reduced to just another type of lighting decoration. For determining the right chandelier size, the following simple steps can be performed:

Size of the room: The diameter of the chandelier depends on the size of the room in which it has to be fitted.  So quite obviously the first step it to measure the length and breadth of the room in feet. Suppose, the length of the room is found to be L feet and breadth is found to be B feet. The approximate chandelier diameter, in inches, is given by adding L and B.

Diameter of chandelier (in inches) = Length + Breadth of room (in feet)

The same formula applies when choosing a chandelier for foyer or hallways. Nevertheless, when an ornate or an aesthetic crystal chandelier is desired, even a slightly smaller chandelier (as determined by the above formula) will work.

Height of the Room: The next step is to choose the appropriate height of the chandelier, which of course depends on the height of the room. As a general rule, larger the distance between floor and ceiling, larger should be the height of the chandelier used in the room. However, it should be kept in mind that chandelier fixtures should not overpower the complete room.  

Although they are no hard and fast rules to determine chandelier height, some general guidelines do exist. When selecting a chandelier light for Foyer, remember that thedistance between the chandelier and the floor surface should not be more than 7 feet. On the other hand, for dinning rooms, make sure that the clearance between the table surface and the chandelier is approximately 3 to 3.5 feet (the height where you can see the person sitting on the other side without any disruptions). Moreover, dinning room chandeliers should be smaller than the width of the dinning table to avoid people bumping into them. Moreover, the shape of the dining table should also be taken into consideration when buying a chandelier. For a round dining table, a round chandelier fits better while for a rectangular table a wider pendant style chandelier can be used.

Chandelier design should conform to the overall architecture and décor of the room and everything from furniture, wall hangings, and curtains to the color of the carpet must be taken into account. For a room decorated with antique furniture styles, traditional chandelier lighting must be used. Crystal chandelier lighting falls into this category and these chandeliers are available in ornate styles with rich embellishments and intricate designs. Crystal chandeliers when crafted with black wrought iron frames give a more dramatic appearance of luxury and fame to your home.

On the other hand contemporary chandelier lighting provides sleek and stylish designs for modern homes. These modern chandelier lights are finely crafted to provide that extra class –affect to your home and are available in various shapes and sizes. These are suitable for use not only in living and dining rooms but also in kitchens, study rooms and even bathrooms. A 3 light chandelier or a 5 light chandelier are the most common variants used in modern homes and are also light on the pocket.