Help! What Size Chandelier Do I Need?

 

One of the most common questions we get from our customers is about the size of chandelier they should purchase for their space. It can make shopping for a chandelier a little bit daunting. Well, fear not - you are on your way to being an expert in chandelier sizing for your home!

The first thing to consider is the space that you'll be using your light. Are you looking for an overhead light for a room or a fixture for above your dining table? For example, if you're looking to purchase a chandelier for your foyer, you need to take into account the height of the ceiling and size of the foyer. Is your foyer one story or two? Is it a small hallway or a large expansive room. 

The two impo

rtant factors to determine chandelier size are height and diameter. In terms of height, the rule of thumb is to accommodate 2.5-3 inches of chandelier height for each foot of ceiling height. A standard 8-foot ceiling requires a chandelier that is 20-24 inches in height. When considering diameter, you want to add the height and the width of the room together. Use that figure as inches, and you have the suggested diameter of the chandelier for that space. For example, if the room is 15 by 20 feet, the sum is 35 feet. The approximate diameter of a chandelier in that area is 35 inches.

Another factor to consider is the placement of your light in the room. Say you are looking for a chandelier to hang over your dining table. You want to center the light directly over the table. The exception to this is if your table is long and you want to place two smaller chandeliers or pendants over the table instead of one. In this case you'll want to choose chandeliers with a diameter one third of the width of the table and hang them centered on each half of the table. For example, if your table is 48 inches by 96 inches, you would divide 48 by 3 equaling 16 inches. Therefore a chandelier with the diameter of 16 inches would be perfect. The same would be true for spacing pendants over an island.

 

Regardless of whether you choose one or two fixtures, you'll want to hang them approximately 30 to 34 inches above the table with a standard 8 foot ceiling height. If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet, mount the chandelier(s) an additional 3 inches higher for each foot of ceiling. So if your ceiling is 10 feet tall, your lighting fixture should be hung 36-40 inches over the table.

 

Another fun idea is to hang a chandelier in an unexpected space, like above a bathtub, in a nursery or above a bed. Wherever you choose to hang your piece the most important thing is that it reflects your own personal style and that you totally love it!