Choosing Chandeliers for Your Home Decor

The personality of a room begins with its lighting.  A chandelier is an elegant addition to any room and it can often command attention like no other furnishing.  A chandelier is a ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more branches of lights.  It can be one of life’s most glamorous purchases.  Here are some useful things to know about chandeliers.

A chandelier doesn’t have to be confined to the grand living hall.  Experiment and trust your taste, and remember that modern styled chandelier can be mixed with antique furnishings and antique chandelier can be used with modern styled furnishings.  Elaborate vintage chandelier can provide an air of Old Hollywood glamour to your home.  Hang a chandelier in the kitchen, the bedroom, or even in the guest or half bath.  Allow for at least 6 feet and 5 inches headroom from the floor.

• About antique chandeliers; chandeliers go as far as the 17^th century.  Most antique chandeliers that were preserved today came from the Victorian age as well as the Renaissance and the Gothic and Rococo periods.  A good number of these chandeliers will be gas, electric, or kerosene.  Many of the antique chandeliers will have intricate and elaborate designs both on arms as well as on the globe surrounding the candles.  Many of the antique chandeliers were made of bronze, brass, and crystal and should have aged appearance.  It is important to consult with restorative specialist to properly care for your antique chandelier.  A qualified electrician can easily rewire your vintage chandelier for relatively reasonable fee.

• For energy-saving lifestyle, select energy efficient chandelier from Energy Star approved fixtures.  

• The key to bathroom lighting is that it should resemble daylight as much as possible.  Choose chandelier with waterproof wiring for the bathroom or choose one that takes candles instead.  For skin enhancing light, select fixture with frosted or milk-glass shades with a mild wattage halogen bulb on a dimmer and install wall lights to create a halo of lights around the mirror; this will eliminate shadows.

• In order to hide or dress up the hanging wire with fabric, the sleeved fabric should be three times the length of the wire for a gathered look.

• To supplement the ambient light of chandelier, consider recessed down-light on either side of the chandelier and use a dimmer with separate circuit.  To achieve glitter without glare, keep your chandelier dimmed; this will bring out the sparkle of the chandelier.

• To get an adequate light illumination needs for a room, use this formula:  multiply the width and the length of that room with 1.5.  Most dining rooms require 200 to 400 watts.  Use additional light source rather than a single chandelier for room lighting.  Use dimmers and layering with light; for elegant setting, lower levels of electric light sources all over the room.  Dim each group of light separately to create a variety of dining moods.

• When hanging a chandelier above the dining room table, make sure that the chandelier is 6 inches to 12 inches smaller than the narrowest side of the table.  The bottom of the chandelier should be approximately 30 inches above your table.   

• Turn off the electricity before dusting the chandelier.  For crystal chandelier, put down some old newspaper and spray the chandelier with a weak mixture of dishwashing liquid and warm water and let the dirt run off onto the absorbent paper.

Finally, when shopping for your chandelier, consider the size of the chandelier to the proportion of the space it is to be installed.  Also choose the chandelier to compliment your home’s architectural style, the surrounding furnishings, and your budget.  The personality of your room will shine luminously for many years.