Sizing a chandelier  

| Home |

How do I size a chandelier?:

Some notes a customer sent that she collected from the interenet.

When choosing a new chandelier, numbers play an important role. Use the numbers here to help you decide what is right for your room.

    * If the room is smaller than 10' by 10', a 17" to 20" diameter chandelier would be the right size.

    * If the room is about 12' x 12', a 26" or 27" chandelier would look right.

    * If the room is about 14' x 14', choose a 24" to 36" chandelier.

    * A chandelier should hang about 30" from the surface of the table to insure no bumped heads and good illumination.

    * A chandelier should be about 12" narrower than the width of the table over which it hangs.

�        Total wattage of all bulbs should be 200 to 400 to provide sufficient light

How do I determine the proper width for my room?

We advise simply adding the length and the width of your room and using this sum, in inches, as your starting point. For example, if your room is 12' x 14', we would suggest looking at 26" wide chandeliers. You may choose to go down in size if your room is close and full of furniture, or you may choose to go up a bit if it is a rather open room. If you are hanging your fixture in a two story foyer, remember that the higher you hang a chandelier, the smaller it looks, so you might want to consider going a little larger than what the formula recommends. If you are hanging your chandelier in a room with a low ceiling where it is necessary to walk under the chandelier, you might need to go smaller than the formula suggests. Whatever the case, we will be happy to help you determine the proper size.

What about the length?

Whatever fits! For a dining room, measure your ceiling height, subtract your table height (approximately 30"), subtract the distance between the table and the final point of the chandelier (30-34"), subtract 4" for your ceiling hook-up, and the leftover is the space for the chandelier. You may fill as much or as little of it as you like. Of course, high ceilings look better with tall chandeliers, and you can always cover excess chain with a fabric sleeve if you don't like the look of the chain. If you must walk under a fixture, 6 �' or more is usually an appropriate distance from the floor. Again, remember that the provided hook-up plus the necessary one link of chain equals 4". The length of all of our chandeliers is approximate and includes the chandelier from the metal loop in the top of the fixture to the very bottom of the final ball/pendant.

How far from the surface of the table should my chandelier hang?

We like 32" to 34" from the top of the table. This is low enough to complement your table settings, but high enough to be out of the way. If you like large center pieces, you may consider going a little higher.

How many lights should I have?

Each socket can carry a maximum of 60 watts, but 40 watts is usually sufficient and is more flattering to the chandeliers. Smaller rooms do fine with 6 to 8 lights, but larger rooms may require 8 or more lights if the chandelier is your only light source. No matter how many candles on your chandelier, we recommend using a dimmer.

A note regarding sizing:

Since we can't see your room, ultimately the proper fixture is your choice. You choose the chandelier that you feel will work the best with your tastes and budget; however, the above guidelines have worked very well over the years.

A few tips: Unless you have high ceilings and a chandelier that hangs above head height, a chandelier should be at least 12 inches narrower (smaller in diameter) than a dining room table. Otherwise, people could bump their heads when standing up.

Also, for comfortable dining and serving, there should be at least 48 inches of space from each of the dining room's walls or edges to the nearest chair, table, wall, cabinet or other furniture piece

[845]�424�2452

51 Hudson Ridge �Garrison �New York �10524