Related Showrooms
• LightingUniverse.com - Lighting for your Home
Here's another great tip from BobVila.com.
A dining room chandelier is a great focal point for one of the most important entertaining and family-gathering spaces in your home.
You can spend anywhere from $100 to several thousand dollars on a chandelier and choose from an enormous variety of styles. From Tiffany stained glass and craftsman to colonial brass, Venetian glass and the traditional cut-crystal styles, the selection is dizzying.
Here are some guiding principles to help you choose. First is style: when it doubt, keep very close to the period and architectural style of your house. If you’re feeling brave and your décor will support it, you might find an intentionally unexpected mix that expresses your personal taste. A wildly colorful modern glass piece can look great in a traditional dining room, as can a rustic iron piece in a modern loft.
Next, find the right size for your room. Measure the room dimensions in feet and add them to find the suitable diameter in inches. For instance, a room that’s 10 by 12 feet would look great with a 22-inch chandelier.
Consider the size of your table. The chandelier should measure roughly a third of its width and hang 30 inches above it. If you don’t have high ceilings, a multitiered chandelier is probably not the right choice.
If it’s hard to visualize how your favorite pick will look in the room, do a cardboard mockup. It will give you an idea of the space the fixture will occupy and help you find its correct installation point in the ceiling. You want the chandelier centered on your table, which is not necessarily centered in the room.
While it will be the focal point, don’t count on the chandelier as the only light source in the room. Wall sconces, recessed lights in the ceiling or table lamps will help illuminate the room without blinding those at the table.
For power, estimate you’ll need between 200 and 400 watts total, divided between all the bulbs. Install the chandelier on a dimmer switch so you can control the intensity of the light based on the occasion. Like most electrical jobs, this installation is best left to a licensed electrician.
Find out more at BobVila.com:
The ultimate home improvement web site!
© BobVila.com 2008
|
|
|
|
