Tell me what you think! I have narrowed down my choices for my dining room chandelier. According to formulas I have found here: based on room size, it should be about 25 inches. Based on the formula of table size it should be 30". (room is 13 long by 12 wide = 25) versus (2/3s width of 45" table is 30")... So everything I am considering is between those 2 sizes. Current fixture (shown in the room photo) which is 22", always looked way too small for the room. So I am thinking that even 25 will still look too small. The prospective fixture that is my favorite, however, is almost 30". Will that be too big for the room? Here is something I set up to show scale. Not sure how well it will show up here. I have put two wood dowels into the arms of the old chandelier. Each has hanging tabs of masking tape at the ends to indicate width. The tab is all the way at the end on the left side, and a few inches in on the right. The lower dowel is 25 ½, representing the smallest chandelier, and the upper is 29 ¼, representing the widest. The vertical yellow thing you see sticking up? ThatÂs a tape measure, extended to show where the bottom of the new chandelier will be. The old one is hiked up to allow moving the furniture. Looking at these for scale, IS the longer 29 ¼ one too wide? Here are my choices: Below is my favorite stylisticallyÂbut the width is 29 ¼ . Another choice below: still 29 " . Two narrower ones follow: this one is 26. This is my second favoriteÂbut I wonder if it is too bulky/klunky. ItÂs also a LOT more expensive than the others. This one below is 25 ½. The smallest. Thanks!

wow--I guess I forgot to preview after correcting my typos in that last post! sorry. I'm not sure I like the look of a single pendant in this room. we have a very modern halogen over our 42" kitchen table and when we put in the leaf--the ends of the table are really cast into darkness. I think I might get creative tomorrow and mock up some of these fixtures with cardboard and string--to see the scale in my room. I did finally get the furniture back against the walls so we can have seating for Easter. The poly on the trim will have to wait (again!)

Our floors are reclaimed heart pine and we purchased them through Appalachian Woods in Stuarts Draft, Va. They were actually taken from an old bldg. in Chicago I believe. They were sanded and refinished with the BonaKemi floor finish. We really like them but they are very soft. They have a website online if you are interested. Great people to work with!

oh I'm just dizzy. So much beauty! I stopped over here hoping for this exact thread. I am currently shopping and struggling for a chandelier for our "formal" dining room/space. It is meant to be the formal dining, but it is litterally eight feet from the front door. There is no real foyer. It also has a 15 ceiling and only a wall and a half seperating it from everything else. The fixture in there is very wrong and light just seems to disapear. Everything is so expensive out there, its very frustrating. Thanks Sumnerfan for starting this thread. It helps so much to be able to see the rooms with the fixtures instead of a store full of fixtures.