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Traditional Chandeliers – Do’s & Dont’s

Gone are the days when traditional chandeliers were only found in grand, stately homes, or only hung in dining rooms or grand entryways. Chandeliers, in all their forms, can be found in many modern homes, adding a sense of elegance and sophistication. Traditional chandeliers, shaped like a candle holder and draped with crystals, in particular, have made a welcome comeback, and can be hung just about anywhere in your home.

Traditional chandeliers have the ability to create atmosphere in any space. Create a romantic setting in the bedroom, add a touch of glamour to your bathroom, or make an elegant statement over your dining table.

When done right, chandeliers can make the perfect statement, however, there are some do’s and dont’s to consider when looking to add a chandelier to the different spaces in your home.

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Entry

The entry to your home is your visitors’ first impression, and sets the tone of your home. Traditional chandeliers hung in your entry can be the perfect welcome. Even in more contemporary homes, a chandelier can add glamour, personality, and life to clean, contemporary décor.

One of the benefits of traditional chandeliers is that they tend to have multiple “candles”, or light sources, and so provide a good overall ambient light to your entry. They also serve as an eye catching focal point for the space, and draw your guests into other areas of your home.

DO:

Be mindful of installation of your chandelier in terms of height and placement. Your entryway is also a practical space. For a single-story entry, a good rule of thumb is to have a clearance height from the floor to the lowest crystal on the chandelier of 2.1m. This will generally allow you and your guests to walk directly under it with ease.

It is also important to consider placement in your entry so as to allow for the opening of your front door, or any other internal doors that may open into your entry.

DON’T:

Hang the chandelier below the second floor in a two-story entryway. Take advantage of the height available to you, and hang your chandelier where it will make the most impact, and draw your eye to the high ceilings.

Traditional Chandeliers in your Entry

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Dining Room

If the entry is the first impression to your home, the dining room is definitely the space you can make the greatest impression.

Again, the ambient light provided by traditional chandeliers ensures adequate light to your dining table during meals, all the while adding an ambience all of it’s own. Not to mention, the glamour factor you and your guests will feel dining under a chandelier!

DO:

Go bigger, not smaller, in your dining room!

As a guide to diameter for your chandelier, measure the width of your dining table, and install a chandelier roughly one half to two thirds the width of your table. You can also afford to hang a little lower over your dining table to create a little more impact.

For hanging height above your dining table, measure the distance from the top of the table to the ceiling, then divide by 2. This height is where the bottom of the chandelier should finish.

The key is to achieve a dramatic, yet still balanced, look. So, if you feel your chandelier is overwhelming your table, or interrupting your guests’ ability to interact, hang a little higher.

DON’T:

Hang overly elaborate traditional chandeliers too close to the table. Heavily detailed light fittings do take up a lot of visual space, and can take away the ambience you were trying to achieve.

Traditional Chandeliers in your Dining Room

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Living Room

The goal of most living rooms is to create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. A space where you can retire to after a busy day, where you can spend time with the family, and where you can entertain.

Hanging traditional chandeliers in your living room will help create a more intimate space. It is also the perfect source of ambient light for the room, to which you can add layers with things like wall lighting, or lamps.

DO:

Consider the room size before selecting your chandelier.

The width of your chandelier will always come down to the size of the space, and your personal taste. You don’t want your chandelier to overwhelm your living room, however, chandeliers are also not designed to be conservative, so don’t be afraid to go a little larger!

When calculating the height of your chandelier, as with your entry, 2.1m above the floor is a good guide. So, if you have standard height ceilings of 2.4m, you don’t want your chandelier any taller than about 30cm, which doesn’t allow a great deal of height, so you may consider a flush mount chandelier in this case.

DON’T:

Limit yourself to just one chandelier if you have a very large space. Depending on the room’s size, install two or more slightly smaller fixtures.

Hesitate to experiment with styles. You can add a modern chandelier in a room with an old world feel to bring the two styles together, or adding a traditional chandelier can be a charming piece in a contemporary room.

Hang the chandelier less than 1.2 metres from any wall. Generally, in your living room, your chandelier will be centred in the room.

Traditional Chandeliers in your Living Room

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Stairwell

Like your entry, your stairwell or void area is the perfect space to add traditional chandeliers. These areas of your home can often be forgotten about from a design perspective, and there is no better way to fill a space than to fill it with light, and do it with a little bit of sparkle!

DO:

Select a chandelier appropriate to the size and scope of the space. A chandelier too small will be swallowed up by a large open space, something too big will cause obstruction. A good rule of thumb is to hang your chandelier around 2m from the top of the stair landing. This is the mid point where the stairs change direction. This will create a good visual from the top and bottom of the staircase. Not all staircases have a midpoint. In this case, you would revert back to the 2.1m allowance from the highest stair below the hanging chandelier.

DON’T:

Select a chandelier design to blend in with your architecture or décor. Allow your chandelier to stand out and make a real statement in this space!

Traditional Chandeliers in your Stairwell

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Bedroom

One of the best places in your home to have moody lighting is the bedroom, and adding a traditional chandelier is one of the best ways to create a romantic feel. Like in other spaces of your home, a traditional chandelier provides a focal point within your bedroom, and can really help to set the tone and mood of the space.

From a functional perspective, a traditional chandelier provides a good, even spread of ambient light throughout the room. For most of us, task lighting in the bedroom will be via bedside lamps, which means you can afford to go a little less functional, and a little more decorative with your overhead lighting.

As with other rooms in your home, your chandelier does not need to be hung in the centre of the room. Instead, centre the fitting over the centre of the room’s strongest feature, which in this case, will be your bed. In bedrooms with lower ceiling heights, however, it may be better to hang nearer the centre of the room to allow your chandelier to hang lower without obstructing use of the bed. There are no hard and fast rules here, so choose a placement that is both practical, and allows your feature piece to shine.

DO:

Consider the light output of your chandelier. The purpose of any light source in your bedroom is to provide ample light to move around, and then soft light to create mood, and to help you wind down before sleeping. Selecting a chandelier with fewer “candles”, and selecting globes with warm white colour temperature can help achieve this.

If you do want to go big with your chandelier in terms of light output, consider installing a dimmer switch so you can adjust the light output as required.

DON’T:

Overload on chandeliers in the bedroom! Go big and bold on your chandelier, but don’t hang a chandelier from the ceiling, and then smaller chandeliers over your bedside, for instance. As much as we love chandeliers, you can overdo it! Let your feature chandelier/s, whether it’s two by your bedside, or one centrally located, make a statement.

Traditional Chandeliers in your Bedroom

Add a Traditional Chandelier to your Bathroom

Should I really hang a chandelier in my bathroom?

The answer is, yes!

Besides the bedroom, the bathroom is another room in your home where you can add a little glamour to create an inviting ambience. The sparkle from your chandelier will reflect off your mirror and make you feel like you are in an expensive spa retreat!

The options of what style and where to hang a chandelier in your bathroom really are endless, with no hard and fast rules. The important thing to take into consideration in this room, however, is meeting regulations for lighting in wet areas. It’s always best to consult with your electrician on fittings for this area.

DO:

Select your chandelier appropriate to the size of your bathroom. We squeeze a lot into our bathrooms, and it would be easy to overwhelm this space.

DON’T:

Rule out a chandelier if your bathroom is small. You can still achieve the glamourous feel a traditional chandelier adds to a space with a flush mount chandelier, or even wall sconces that take on the elements of a chandelier.

Traditional Chandeliers in your Bathroom

Adding a traditional chandelier to your home is the perfect way to add a little glamour and a whole lot of ambience to almost any room. Chandeliers are unique and bring something special to an interior space.

If you still have reservations about the suitability of a traditional chandelier in your home, or would like to look at the range of styles and options available, speak to one of the lighting experts at Rovert Lighting & Electrical. We can help you to select the perfect chandelier statement piece for your home.

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