It might seem like you can just hang a chandelier and your living room will magically transform into the Metropolitan Opera House. I know from too much experience, it won’t, but a girl can dream. I must admit, however, that my old apartment in New York City with four mismatched living room couches shoved in a corner, a table covered in plastic bags, and gentlemen roommates playing beer pong, was somehow redeemed by the huge chandelier glistening overhead. Nonetheless, coordinating a chandelier requires attention to the art of design.
I recommend playing some up tempo Beethoven as you peruse the pictures in this blog.
The ornate brass chandelier featured above is so gorgeous, it’s easy to think it would look good anywhere. However, it’s a traditional piece, and the decor in your home should reflect an old world theme in some respects to pull this one off.
If you live in a minimalist modern apartment full of sharp angles and little to no color, the Glacier Chandelier would complement the space very effectively.
With so many styles, such as the chandelier with fluted champagne glass lights, deciding your general “motif” and sticking with it is the hardest part. So mull your personal style over as we explore the next design standard.
Proportion. When hanging the chandelier from a high ceiling in a large room, it should be 10′ to 11′ from the floor. A chandelier’s appropriate width can be assessed by the size of the room.
(length of room+width of room in feet = width of chandelier in inches)
In a 12′ x 12′ room, the chandelier should be 24″ wide. This is a classical design perspective to help you know where to begin looking. Don’t think of this as a rule to hold you back. Perhaps you adore two miniature chandeliers and want one hanging above each nightstand on both sides of your king size bed. Go for it if it feels right!
It is recommended that for a table of 4 to 6 people, the chandelier’s diameter should be between 20″ and 24″. With a table that seats 6 to 8, diameter can be between 25″ and 29″. If your table seats 8 to 10 people, you have a rare and exciting opportunity to light up your dining room with a chandelier as wide as 30″ to 36″. If the chandelier hangs above a table, it needs 30″ to 32″ of distance from the surface.
The detail and elegance in this golden Maria Theresa style chandelier deserves mentioning. With a diameter of 30″, encompassed by a silk shade and dangling golden teak hand polished crystals, this chandelier is pure honey colored eye candy. The style is so versatile. It can please both a traditional and a modern home.
Well, this blog wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t gush about crystal chandeliers, the most beloved, most popularly sought after chandelier. These are priced by how the crystals are cut. Crystorama offers a huge selection of beautiful and affordable chandeliers with the Elements and Spectra machine-cut crystals. Machine-cut crystals are naturally less expensive than hand-cut crystals. Hand-cut crystals are polished on a wooden wheel. Each piece is individually crafted by an artisan. The imperfect, subtle traces of wood left on the crystals increase the hand-cut crystal chandelier’s value because it tells the story of the hours of labor that went into creating that unique work of art.
So try looking at products from manufacturers such as Crystorama, reputable for their exquisite machine and hand cut crystal chandeliers, and Sea Gull Home & Garden, known for more modern glass shade chandeliers. Also Triarch International has immense variety. Let me know about your favorites. I love all of the ones I featured today. My home with its conspicuous Victorian theme is begging me to decide on a style soon.
Out of all of them I can’t help but choose the
Glacier Glass Chandelier. It’s retro but has the modern taste that would probably make it fit in to any sort of house givin that maybe a few things would have to be arranged to balance this angled piece of art.
I agree completely. Because the glacier is clear, it can be coordinated to work almost anywhere. I’d love to see it in an entry hall hanging above a small white round.