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Chandeliers
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Published: October 19, 2006
Gatherings with family and friends bring a house to life. Everyone gathers in the kitchen and dining rooms because they have the most light–and probably because that’s where the food is. People tend to gather around light. Chandeliers are customary to hang over the dining table. It is the quality of light shining above, the detail, the nostalgia, and beauty that accents the elegance of a sit down dinner.
Chandeliers can also accent a high ceiling, a kitchen, a hallway or any room in your house. A chandelier can make a room your own.
Chandeliers come in all styles reaching back to the sixteenth century to modern time. The materials have changed, but the idea is the same. They do more than light up a room; they accent it with complex arrays of glass shapes that scatter light in attractive patterns. They can be ornate or simple in design.
When deciding on a chandelier, the size is just as important as the type you choose. You want the chandelier to complement the space, not take over. Chandeliers come in various sizes. A starting point for the width of a chandelier begins by measuring the length and width of the room. Using the sum of those two numbers in inches is approximately the width for the chandelier. For example, if you room is 10' by 14' feet, the chandelier should be around 24 inches in width. Consider going smaller if the room is full and has a lot of furniture or larger if the room is open. The higher up the chandelier is hung the smaller it looks.
The length of a chandelier depends on the use of the room. For a dining room, it is common to hang it 30 to 34 inches from the top of the table–higher up for larger center pieces. Higher ceilings look better with tall chandeliers. Ceilings eight feet or less only need a small one.
Determining the Length of your Chandelier
For example:
If your ceiling is eight feet high, your table is 30’, and you want the chandelier 32’’ from the table top. Eight feet is 96’’, minus 30’’, minus 32’’, minus 4’’ equals 30’’, the approximate length is 30 inches.
Crystals are the jewels of the chandelier. They are made from glass that act as prisms refracting the light as it shines through. Back in the sixteenth century, they were made of Rock Crystal which could be cut by hand. Rock Crystal is still used today for some chandeliers. It is a natural stone, a colorless variety of mineral quartz. More commonly today, crystals are made of glass with a percentage of lead. Premium crystals are made of 30% or more lead. Strass is the finest quality used in manufacturing crystal chandelier lighting fixtures. Strass crystals are made by using a precision process of machine cutting and polishing invented by Daniel Swarovski in 1895. They are known to be optically pure and have an invisible layer that repels dust.
What to look for in crystals is sparkle and light refraction. They should be a decorative element. They do not all have to match. Having a few different shapes and colors can give off a unique look. There are many different shaped crystals and the name generally reflects the shape. Some common crystal shapes (in no particular order) are: pear, half pear, kite, octagon, pentagon, triangle, chain bead, oval, ball, rosette, drop, snowflake, star, heart, almond, and kite.
When installing a chandelier, if your location is not wired it can be anchored to the ceiling with a wire and plug running to a nearby outlet.
40 watt light bulbs are most commonly used for chandeliers. For a small room six to eight lights will do. For a larger room choose a chandelier with eight or more lights. For all types of chandeliers, a dimmer switch is recommended. This will give you control of the amount of light so you can change it up according to the occasion.
"Crystal." Chandelier Parts. 18 Oct. 2006 .
Katz, Cheryl, and Jeffrey Katz. Chandeliers. Gloucester, Mass: Rockport, 2001.
"Lead Chandelier History." W. W. York and Co. 18 Oct. 2006 .
"Size Selection." King's Chandeliers. 2005. King's Chandeliers Co. 18 Oct. 2006 .
Related Articles
Chandeliers come in all styles reaching back to the sixteenth century to modern time. The materials have changed, but the idea is the same. They do more than light up a room; they accent it with complex arrays of glass shapes that scatter light in attractive patterns. They can be ornate or simple in design.
When deciding on a chandelier, the size is just as important as the type you choose. You want the chandelier to complement the space, not take over. Chandeliers come in various sizes. A starting point for the width of a chandelier begins by measuring the length and width of the room. Using the sum of those two numbers in inches is approximately the width for the chandelier. For example, if you room is 10' by 14' feet, the chandelier should be around 24 inches in width. Consider going smaller if the room is full and has a lot of furniture or larger if the room is open. The higher up the chandelier is hung the smaller it looks.
The length of a chandelier depends on the use of the room. For a dining room, it is common to hang it 30 to 34 inches from the top of the table–higher up for larger center pieces. Higher ceilings look better with tall chandeliers. Ceilings eight feet or less only need a small one.
Determining the Length of your Chandelier
- Begin by measuring the ceiling height
- Subtract your table height
- Take away the desired distance between the table and the chandelier
- Subtract four inches for the ceiling hook-up
- The remaining space is about the length your chandelier should be
For example:
If your ceiling is eight feet high, your table is 30’, and you want the chandelier 32’’ from the table top. Eight feet is 96’’, minus 30’’, minus 32’’, minus 4’’ equals 30’’, the approximate length is 30 inches.
Crystals are the jewels of the chandelier. They are made from glass that act as prisms refracting the light as it shines through. Back in the sixteenth century, they were made of Rock Crystal which could be cut by hand. Rock Crystal is still used today for some chandeliers. It is a natural stone, a colorless variety of mineral quartz. More commonly today, crystals are made of glass with a percentage of lead. Premium crystals are made of 30% or more lead. Strass is the finest quality used in manufacturing crystal chandelier lighting fixtures. Strass crystals are made by using a precision process of machine cutting and polishing invented by Daniel Swarovski in 1895. They are known to be optically pure and have an invisible layer that repels dust.
What to look for in crystals is sparkle and light refraction. They should be a decorative element. They do not all have to match. Having a few different shapes and colors can give off a unique look. There are many different shaped crystals and the name generally reflects the shape. Some common crystal shapes (in no particular order) are: pear, half pear, kite, octagon, pentagon, triangle, chain bead, oval, ball, rosette, drop, snowflake, star, heart, almond, and kite.
When installing a chandelier, if your location is not wired it can be anchored to the ceiling with a wire and plug running to a nearby outlet.
40 watt light bulbs are most commonly used for chandeliers. For a small room six to eight lights will do. For a larger room choose a chandelier with eight or more lights. For all types of chandeliers, a dimmer switch is recommended. This will give you control of the amount of light so you can change it up according to the occasion.
"Crystal." Chandelier Parts. 18 Oct. 2006 .
Katz, Cheryl, and Jeffrey Katz. Chandeliers. Gloucester, Mass: Rockport, 2001.
"Lead Chandelier History." W. W. York and Co. 18 Oct. 2006 .
"Size Selection." King's Chandeliers. 2005. King's Chandeliers Co. 18 Oct. 2006 .
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