I wouldn't think they all have to match exactly. I would keep them in the same style even if they aren't in the same finishes and I wouldn't go too far in the opposite direction, i.e., shiney chrome with antique brass. I just asked a similar question about matching all hardware with light fixtures. If it all matched exactly it would stand out more than if there is some variance. Good luck. I envy you. I wish I was moving into my new house this year, but I'm not. Maybe next year.

I certainly wouldn't sweat it, and I think brutuses's advice is right on. My first priority would be to choose fixtures that will produce enough light for each area. I wouldn't want the fixture styles to be drastically, clashingly different from each other. In situations where I could see multiple fixtures from a single living/activity area, I'd like them to have some common design elements so they look like they belong together. "Matching," however, doesn't do much for me at all, and can come off as timid and boring.

I second the advice of brutuses and jon1270. We have different finishes on almost all of our lighting and they were chosen by two designers (a lighting one and an interior decorator) -- of course OK'd by me. They kept with the same sort of style, but the color of the metals varied. We used browns, blacks, pewter. We also used different manufacturers (Hinkley, Candela, Murray-Feiss) to vary the look and add interest. We kept the same style in the same room, but never repeated the same fixture elsewhere.

Here is our foyer chandelier. It's by World Imports, Olympus Tradition Cracked Bronze.

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Here's our wall sconces by Candela.

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Kitchen island light by Hubbardton Forge:

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Powder room vanity light by Hinkley:

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And our guest bath vanity light by Hinkley:

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gardenchick: thanks a lot for posting the pictures.

Hi, Thank you so much for posting the photos. They are lovely. I really like your wall sconce. They are all different but work together so well. I'm sorry to get back so late...we are closing on 12/20 and I am deep in boxes. I would add pictures of my selections when I make them, but I don't know how to put them on line.

Is there a rule of thumb for how large or high up the foyer fixture should be? Same for the dining room? I was looking at a 35" deep urn pendant for the foyer light until I realized that it would hang too far down. We have 12' ceilings and the foyer is 6 feet wide and opens onto the living and dining rooms.

Thanks.

A dining room chandelier should hang about 30-36" above the table.

A foyer light should be no lower than 7'6" off the ground, but if you have a transom-type window above your door in the foyer make sure the fixture can be seen from outside looking in.