Choosing a chandelier: size, height and placement

A chandelier is not a lamp but an announcement. It determines how a room is experienced before anyone is properly inside. That is exactly why it goes wrong when the size or height is not right.

Where it comes into its own

In a hall with a void, above a spacious dining table, or in a stairwell with open sightlines. What these places have in common: height, and the possibility of looking at it from several sides.

In a room 2.40 metres high a chandelier is let down by the lack of air around it.

Determining the size

Above a table, keep to half to two thirds of the table width. In an open space, add the length and width of the room in metres; that number in centimetres is your diameter. See what size lamp suits your room.

With a chandelier, look at the height of the fitting too. A wide but flat model looks unfinished in a void; there you want vertical length.

The height

Above a table 75 to 85 centimetres above the top. In a hall or void at least 2.20 metres of clear headroom, and with two floors preferably at eye level seen from the landing. That way it works from below and from above.

Weigh up maintenance in advance

Glass and crystal show dust. Ask yourself how you will reach it in two years' time. If it hangs above a stairwell, that is not a detail but a design choice.

How to clean glass and brass is in how to keep your lamp looking good.

Light is secondary here, but not zero

A chandelier gives atmosphere, not task lighting. Supplement it with wall lights or spots, otherwise the room stays below the level you need. See how many lumens you need per room.

View our exclusive collection, with ten years' warranty on the whole lamp.

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