skip to main content

Building a Home

Can you help me decide which size foyer fixture?

15 years ago

I will cross post this in the lighting forum, but there is more traffic here. :) I am trying to decide on what size of lantern light fixture to get for our foyer. The foyer is not large - 7'6" x 7'8" - but it is a 2-story foyer. The lantern I like comes in 19"w x 35"h or 25"w x 44"h. I want it to be substantial enough, but not to overwhelm the foyer. (For what it's worth, the house is a Georgian centre hall style; I want to hang the lantern so it's centered in the 2nd floor window over the front door. That window is 4 ft tall.) I am leaning toward the smaller fixture, but don't want to make a mistake... I would so appreciate your input!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

txcat
15 years ago
This is from hinkleylighting.com

HALL AND FOYER:
Hall and foyer fixtures can create a welcoming atmosphere, while providing you with the general lighting you need to greet guests and assure safe passage into other areas of your home. Use flush and semi-flush fixtures, large chandeliers or pendants and sconces in hallways, stairways, and foyers.

HOW TO SIZE A FOYER FIXTURE
To determine the overall height of a hall or foyer fixture, always keep in mind the bottom of the fixture should be at least 7 feet from the floor. This will determine whether you use a flush, semi-flush, or if you have a tall ceiling, a multi-tiered chandelier.
When sizing a chandelier or pendant for your foyer, add the length and width dimensions of the foyer area together and convert the total into inches. Example: The area is 18 feet by 14 feet. Added together this equals 32 feet. Then convert your sum to inches: the chandelier's diameter should be approximately 32" in width.
In a two-story foyer, if there is a window above the front door, center the chandelier so it can be seen from outside. If the foyer is extra-large, you may also want to install sconces in the foyer. Sconces should be installed 60" from the floor and 6 - 8 feet apart.
Since a standard ceiling outlet box will only hold a maximum of 50lbs., some large chandeliers and foyer pendants require special mounting hardware. Hinkley fixtures weighing more than 50lbs. are marked in this catalog for your convenience and will come with additional heavy duty support hardware and complete installation instructions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lighting
lsst
15 years ago
Personally, I would go with the larger lantern.
From the first story looking up things appear smaller than they actually are.
Related Discussions
Please vote and help me decide on replacement lighting fixtures
Q
Comments (1)
Ask for 50% off at any retail lightning showroom, even when not on sale if that will finalize your decision. You might be told .. OK.
...See More
What size chandelier for foyer? Please help, must decide!
Q
Comments (8)
Your foyer sounds exactly like mine, actually, yours might be a touch larger. I currently have a huge fixture in that space. I believe the original owners chose it to fill the large window, and fill it does! We call it the big brass spider. I'm struggling with getting rid of it because its a gorgeus real brass fixture (and priced at $3k new on Progress Lighting website), but I feel its far too large. It has 3 tiers, 21 lights total and trips the breaker if I have it on and try to vacuum the hall. Now, my fixture is 48 inches wide, and it is far too large. But I think 36 would work for me, and I think from what your describing, my foyer is slightly smaller than yours. Here is a link that might be useful: The big Brass Spider
...See More
Down to 3 floor plans. Can you give me pros/cons to help me decide?
Q
Comments (7)
The more bumps, roof lines etc the more expensive. The cheapest to build is a box, so the closer to a box your footprint is the cheapest, therefore I would say the farmhouse would be more to build. I noticed the laundry was upstairs in the farmhouse also, will this be a home you live in when you are older? If so you may want main floor laundry. I do like that the dining room is part of the kitchen, never had any use for a seperate formal dining room myself. In #56 the master bath seems odd for some reason, and a long way to walk to get a quick change of clothes, I would probably put a sliding door to one of the closets from the bedroom. Laundry does seem ackward here because its not a straight shot or even semi straight from your bedroom to it, where all your clothes and towels will originate. I love the front porch and overall look of the house though. The William one has some good things, the sun/kitchen nook is large enough to be a dining area on its own, allowing you to re-purpose the official dining area and use it as a library/den, etc. You could even make the kitchen larger: taking away space from that dining room, and use the smaller new room as a office/workout room etc If you added 4 extra feet to the bottom of the kitchen, the remaining "dining" room would still be more than large enough for office/workout space. That is still larger than bedrooms I have seen in smaller houses! It has lots of storage and a great porch. And everything you need as you get older is all located on the main floor. You don't mention kids so I haven't really taken them into consideration much, but he farmhouse does have a nice activity/playroom on the 2nd floor, and the William one has the bedrooms spaced a little apart which could potentially avoid some sibliling conflicts, plus that huge future room as they get older and want friends over or a media room. For me I would narrow it further to the farmouse or William. And probably lean more toward the william one because its squareish, seems to have more useable space, and potential with just a few changes.
...See More
Please, help me decide which size pantry to go with
Q
Comments (4)
You have a large space near the front door that looks hard to use. Can you make the pantry/laundry bigger by incorporating that space. You could put the washer and dryer under the window. Then you could have the nice wide foyer. you could have a separate laundry in that front area with a door opening into the foyer.
...See More
vfish
15 years ago
Go with the bigger light fixture:

This is our foyer entrance, the door is 8' high, 4' wide. The height of the foyer is 23' high, with a walk around inside the foyer on the second floor. the diameter of the foyer complete circle is 16'. I went with a 48" diameter light fixture Diameter plus the height rule, a 38" diameter light fixture (which I purchased) looked too small in my opinion (16' + 23' = 39;) therefore, I went with the 48". I love the look and it fits perfectly in that area. Here are a few shots from the outside, to show the foyer area and then from the inside second floor looking across the foyer. I ended up raising the light fixture because it was too much iron with the railing in there.

Also, as lsst mentioned, the 38" light fixture really looked dinky compared to 48" when it was hanging up there looking from below. I also made my fixture extra long, believe it or not it is about 5' in height!

fwiw
V
lsst
15 years ago
To give you a perspective, in the photo, our foyer is 13 x 18. Our chandelier is 42 inches x 42 inches. The opening for the stairs is 18 feet tall and the area within the railing is 8 feet by 14 feet. The photo is of the upper landing area.

{{gwi:1449658}}

Related Stories

Ideabook 911: Help Me Finish My Foyer

By Becky Harris

MOST POPULAR 9 Real Ways You Can Help After a House Fire

By Alison Hodgson

Suggestions from someone who lost her home to fire — and experienced the staggering generosity of community

DISASTER PREP & RECOVERY Hurricane Harvey: How You Can Help

Want to donate or volunteer to aid victims of the storm? Here are groups assisting with disaster relief and recovery

COLOR How Color Can Help You Stay Organized

By Laura Gaskill

This simple trick goes a long way toward helping everyone in the household quickly find stuff — no labels required

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Fire-Wise Landscapes Can Help Keep Your Home and Property Safe

By Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Choose fire-resistant plants and materials and create defensible areas using these design strategies

DISASTER PREP & RECOVERY Hurricane Maria: How You Can Help the People of Puerto Rico

Want to donate to aid storm victims in the Caribbean? Here are groups assisting with disaster relief and recovery

DECLUTTERING When Simplifying, Which Papers to Keep and Which to Toss?

By Tailorly, Professional Home Organizing

Find out which records you can get rid of when you are decluttering or moving to a smaller home

THE POLITE HOUSE The Polite House: What Can I Do About My Neighbors’ Trash Cans?

If you’re tired of staring at unsightly garbage way before pickup day, it’s time to have some tough conversations

LIFE How to Decide on a New Town

By Laura Gaskill

These considerations will help you evaluate a region and a neighborhood, so you can make the right move

KITCHEN DESIGN Houzz Quiz: Which Kitchen Backsplash Material Is Right for You?

By Jennifer Ott Design

With so many options available, see if we can help you narrow down the selection

Sponsored

66 Reviews

Loudoun County's Trusted Kitchen & Bath Designers | Best of Houzz

More Discussions

Sticker shock on doorknobs … would appreciate any tips!

34

63

Layout help needed-18×10 kitchen

13

What color grout for bathroom floor?

28

Has anyone used Calacatta Miraggio?

0