We’ve all been to those homes that have the perfect chandelier in the foyer or entryway, the dining room, and perhaps even the living room. You’re welcomed by the warm light glittering off of the ornate crystals, and you sit under an elaborate fixture during dinner or while you converse with your friends or relatives. This experience may have caused you to think about how you could add chandeliers to certain rooms in your home.
At LightStyles in Cornelius, we have a fantastic selection of chandeliers from which to choose. No matter where you want to install a new hanging fixture, you can find the right lighting for any setting.
Which Rooms Need Chandeliers?
As we mentioned above, the foyer, dining room, and living room are popular spots for chandeliers. If you have a two-story entryway, then hanging a chandelier that can be seen from the front of the house can make your property more appealing and inviting. For the dining room, the chandelier can create the formal ambience that you want the space to have. For the living room, you can go all out, since you likely have the square footage and ceiling space to accommodate a larger fixture.
Other rooms to consider are the master bedroom and bathroom. A small chandelier above the bed can add the perfect touch, and a mini chandelier in the master bathroom can provide the ideal ambient lighting while also making the space feel more elegant and spa-like.
Installing Your New Chandeliers
Once you’ve chosen the rooms where you want your new chandeliers, and you’ve selected the fixture for each space, it’s time to install your new lighting. While hanging a chandelier isn’t terribly difficult, it can prove to be challenging. Hiring a professional electrician could be the way to go, especially if you’re replacing an existing fixture and you want to be sure the wiring is correct.
You’ll also want to think about the clearance you’ll need above, around, and below each chandelier. For example, your new dining room chandelier shouldn’t be so large that it nearly touches the walls, and you’ll want it to be high enough above the table that someone can see the person sitting across from them.
The general rule is that the chandelier should be hung 30 to 36 inches above the table. This normally applies to dining rooms with eight-foot ceilings, and if your ceilings are higher than that, then add three inches for every foot. This means that if your ceilings are nine feet high, then you can hang the chandelier 36-39 inches above the table. In the end, you want to be sure that the fixture isn’t too low or too high, as this can affect the lighting in the room and make things feel off-balance.
For the foyer chandelier, you’ll want to take ceiling height into consideration once again. Generally, the fixture should hang at least five feet down from the ceiling in a two-story foyer. If you have a large window above the front door, then make sure the chandelier is centered in this window. This will require some measurements from either you or the electrician in order to ensure the light is in the right place. If you have a smaller foyer, then make sure that the chandelier is high enough above the floor so that no one runs into it when entering the house. Seven to eight feet is often a good place to start with this measurement.
Find Your Chandeliers Today
We hope that this post has provided some good information, and that you feel like you’re ready to begin looking for chandeliers for your home. As you’re thinking about budget, installation, and other aspects of new lighting, let our expert staff help you make the best decisions. At LightStyles, our goal is to help you have the best lighting experience possible.
