Tips for Choosing a Chandelier

Chandeliers serve to both brighten and decorate any room with a class and elegance that is difficult to match with other types of lighting.  Choosing the perfect type of functional and decorative iron lighting remains as important to the home as any other aspect of decoration, and that any type of light fixings, particularly chandeliers, should be added with the same care as other artworks.  When hung properly and chosen carefully a chandelier can certainly add value to a home.  With so many styles of chandeliers available, it is important to make some early on decisions on what you want your chandelier to do for the room in which you are placing it. One of the first things you should consider is the manufacturer in which you are going to purchase your chandelier. The look of wrought iron chandeliers cannot be beat as it adds unlimited style and sophistication to your home, at a fraction of the cost of crystal or many other chandelier materials. Additionally, wrought iron lasts must longer, making your investment in the product a lasting, versus the short shelf life of many other chandelier materials.

Putting it in perspective

A chandelier should bring out the room in which it is placed in without distracting from the rest of the design.  If you are designing a simple room, choosing an elaborate or ornate chandelier may cause it to look out of place or too predominant in the design.  On the other hand, in a richly colored and heavily decorated room, a stark circular hanging may both over light the room and overpower it, coming off bleak instead of homey.  If hanging in a dining room, measure the table —generally the chandelier should be twelve inches shorter than the table's width.  The proportions of the room to the chandelier can be another crucial decision.  Measure both the room and any potential chandeliers to make sure that the chandelier will fit without either getting lost or engulfing your entire room.  Remember that while the hanging height of your chandelier will be based mostly on the height of your room, but you will want to hang the chandelier at least eight feet high at the lowest, if possible. 

Watts the problem

The strength, measured in watts, of the bulbs for your chandelier are also a consideration.  Sixty watts is the normal strength for chandeliers with one or two sockets.  A chandelier with more than three should use forty-watt bulbs, with these in place, should light the room without overpowering it.  It may also be worth having a dimmer switch installed, which will give you more control over how much light your chandelier gives the room.  This can be perfect for evening candlelit dinner parties when you want just a little extra light, but not at the expense of your candles.