Chandelier Lighting Guides and Information
Chandeliers can be elegant or purely functional, center piece light fixtures or smaller functional lights, the focus of a room or merely provide complementary light. For centuries, chandeliers have provided illumination for all sorts of interior spaces. Kichler Chandeliers are one of the top brands today for any price and style. From the classy to the reserved, these adaptable chandelier fixtures are becoming increasingly versatile. They add sparkle and ambience, while displaying a functionality that is undeniable. When you’re looking for a chandelier, you may have some questions. How much light do I need for my room? How big should my new chandelier be? What are the top name brands? What themes and finishes are available? Whatever your questions, this is a great place to begin.
What room should the chandelier go?
For years, chandeliers were hung in the dining room, living room and entry. But recently even large bathrooms-which have become increasingly popular-and other areas of the home have become ideal settings. Your new chandelier should be large enough to draw the eye without taking up so much space that there is nothing to see but the fixture itself. Keep the ceiling height in mind.
Kichler chandeliers will fill in some of the open space toward the top of your room, making the general feel of the room more friendly and inviting. As a general rule, you want to have the bottom of the chandelier located eight feet above the floor. If you have low ceilings, you will want to be very careful with your selection. No lighting fixture should be so low enough that people have to duck around it just to walk through the room. Seriously do you want people crashing into your chandelier and knocking themselves out?
What size chandelier?
First, determine the length and width of the room and add those figures together. That should equal the sum of and chandelier converted to inches. Example: If the dining room is 18 ft. x 14 ft. Knowing that 18 + 14 is 32, the correct size chandelier for the dining room would be 32 inches in diameter.
If this measurement seems small due to the size of your dining room table, size your chandelier three-quarters the width of the table. In addition, the bottom of the chandelier should be approximately 32 to 34 inches above the dining room table.
The above equation can be used when sizing a chandelier for an entry or foyer. However, foyers can be high, keep in mind the bottom of the fixture should be at least seven to eight feet from the floor. Also, installing a chandelier in a entry, glare can be avoided by buying a chandelier with shades.
How do I light my room?
Lighting a smaller room can be challenging, but much like sizing your chandelier, we have created a formula that works very well to get a general idea on the size of your chandelier. Determine the area of the room by multiplying the length by the width in feet. Then, multiply that number by 1.5. This will give you the total amount of wattage you need for general brightness and size. Example: Again, if your room is 18 feet times 13 feet, when you multiply these numbers, you get 234. Then multiply 192 by 1.5, and you get 351 watts. This would be the recommended wattage value for the room. If you have an 8-light chandelier that requires 40-watt bulbs, 320 watt should be about the right amount of light. If you have a bigger room or need more lighting you can multiply the number by 2.5 to get a stronger idea on the amount of light.
Kichler Lighting and other brand offer hundreds of different choices in from sizes to theme. There is a wide range of themes and styles out there, something will be sure to tickle your fancy and please guests. Some of the themes are available from Kichler Lighting include art deco, contemporary, craftsman, crystal, renaissance, traditional, stained glass, tropical, and tuscan.