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Rule of thumb for chandelier size?

linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)

15 years ago

IÂm looking for a new dining room chandelier. IÂve browsed locally now IÂm looking online. Scale is an issue with shopping that way, since thatÂs hard to determine from photos. The dining room is 13 feet by 12. Ceiling height is standard 8 feet.

The old chandelier (provided by the builder) is a standard issue brass thing with 5 candelabra bulbs in glass hurricanes and one central downlight that is a standard bulb. Diameter is 20 inches. Kind of colonial style, which is not MY style at all. One thing I can say for it, it does provide very good light. The downlight is a really nice option that illuminates the table very well. When eating there we use all the lights, and can turn the downlight off if doing other things in the room. The dining room table gets used frequently for sewing and for crafts/framing, so good light is essential. I noticed in browsing that chandeliers with downlights seem to be very rare. I am afraid that without one of those the light really will be inadequate. ItÂs a traditional formally decorated room with an antique walnut dining room set.

In the adjacent foyer we have a large traditional crystal chandelier with fittings of brass. IÂd like something harmonious for this room (not necessarily brass) as you will see both chandeliers in most lines of sight. IÂm thinking a dark metal with some crystals. IÂm not set on the crystal thing as long as it would harmonize and not clash with the one we have. My husband has strong feelings about the foyer chandelier, which he chose, as being similar to one his parents had in their foyer. ItÂs one of the few things IÂve ever seen him get excited about. IÂm happy to accommodate his taste, as he so seldom expresses any preference.

So how can we tell what size and number of lights will be adequate? How would I search for one that does have a downlight (IÂm not even sure thatÂs the correct term), or does that simply not exist in a crystal trimmed chandelier? IÂve seen some I liked with 2 tiers of bulbs, like 5 on the bottom tier and 4 on the top tier, will that look overscale for an 8 foot high room?

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Comments (3)

OKMoreh
15 years ago
The bottom of a chandelier should be about 30 inches above the tabletop, which is to say about five feet (60 inches) above the floor since a tabletop is about 30 inches. With a standard 8-foot ceiling, I think that one of those double-tiered chandeliers will seem to crowd the ceiling.

I don't think I've ever seen a crystal chandelier that provided a good downlight. The best of them give adequate light for eating but wouldn't seem like a good choice for sewing or crafts; others seem to illuminate only themselves.

Here are a few examples of some kinds of pendant lights that do provide good light. I can vouch for the third because it's the one that I have.

These are all from Lamps Plus.
budge1
15 years ago
When I was looking for our chandelier, I came across the formula that the chandy should be twice as wide in inches as the room is in feet. So if your room is 12 ft wide then the chandy should be about 24". Our room is also 12' wide and the first chandelier I tried seemed too small so I went with one that is about 28" wide and it works better for me.
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OKMoreh
15 years ago
Another rule of thumb is that the diameter of a chandelier should not exceed 2/3 of the width of the table.

Most of the time these two rules are in harmony.

In a very large room where the table is not in the center, such as a great room with table at one end, the room-size rule results in a much larger chandelier; hew closer to the table-size rule. Where the scale of the room requires a larger chandelier than the table indicates, it should be hung higher - if only 30 inches above the table, it will annoy people seated at the table.

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