Chandelier Sizes

Dining Rooms

• Chandeliers typically end up centered over dining tables. First, be sure yours will hang about 30 to 32 inches from the top of the table. Then calculate the diameter of the chandelier by taking the measure of the table. Some designers feel the lighting should be half the width of the table. If your table is 48-by-60 inches, your chandelier should be about 24 inches in diameter. Other designers vote for two-thirds the width of the table. As a slightly oversize chandelier looks better than a slightly undersize one, you can size a chandelier for a 48-inch wide table as big as 32 inches in diameter without being heavy-handed. For a round table, use the half ratio -- a 60-inch diameter table gets a 30-inch diameter chandelier.

Foyers

• A chandelier in the foyer is a powerful first impression, so make it a good one. To estimate size, measure two adjacent walls and add the lengths of those walls together in feet. Use that figure, in inches, for the diameter of the chandelier. Your 8-by-10 foot entry then gets an 18-inch diameter chandelier. If you have a cathedral ceiling or two-story windowed foyer, you can go larger but be sure the chandelier hangs so it is visible through the window over the door.

Bedrooms

• A chandelier in the bedroom can look whimsical, decadent or romantic. Usually a bedroom requires a mid-size chandelier, a fixture from about 20 inches to 36 inches in diameter. If you live in a palace and your bedroom is suitably palatial, then measure the length and width of the room, turn that number into inches and let that be your guide for the diameter of your bedroom chandelier. For extra glamor, hang a mini-chandelier in a walk-in closet.

Minis and Multiples

• Small chandeliers can work in tiny spaces. A very small bathroom could be a miniature jewel with a delicate chandelier. A double sink bathroom is symmetrical and classy with two matching small chandeliers, one over each sink. A very long table in a dining room or a large work island in a kitchen looks balanced when two chandeliers, each 1/3 the width of the table or countertop, are centered over opposite ends.