Lighting is one of the key elements and budget-friendly ways to add a touch of luxury to your home, regardless of whether you live in a mansion or a small apartment. While there are several different lighting fixtures used in Pakistani homes, one recurring theme is the addition of a chandelier in the drawing or dining room to make the space appear grander. As such, it becomes imperative for homeowners to know how to choose the right chandelier to wow their guests. However, choosing the right chandelier for your home is a challenging task as there are a number of considerations that need your attention.
How to Choose the Right Chandelier?
Add style and elegance to your home by selecting the right chandelier for your space. Picking a chandelier requires the following considerations:
- Hanging it in the right room
- Choosing a complementing style
- Determining the right diameter
- Measuring the length
Now let’s discuss how to choose the right chandelier in detail below.
Hanging It in the Right Room
First and foremost, you’ll have to familiarise yourself with the best type of lighting for each room of the house before you start shortlisting a chandelier for your home. For instance, you’ll primarily find people hanging chandeliers at home in their drawing rooms or dining rooms, mainly because these are the key areas in a home, where homeowners usually entertain guests and need to add that extra element of luxury and grandeur.
This begets the question: Are chandeliers only used for grand designs? Well, modern chandeliers might not be as fancy as the traditional ones, and of course, can be used as a practical lighting solution in any room, but every fixture in your room affects its overall ambience. Thus, you should determine what message you want to convey to your guests when they walk in through the door before you add an elaborate chandelier in your guest bedroom or master bathroom.
Choosing a Complementing Style
Once you’ve decided where you’ll hang your chandelier, you’ll also need to take a look around the room and determine what mood, style, and ambience you want to create with the lighting fixture. Don’t choose a traditional, ornate chandelier for a minimalist home, and avoid modern fixtures if your drawing room is furnished with traditional, bulky furnishings, heavy curtains, and fancy wallpaper.
This means you need to create a harmonious interior, one that is true to the interior décor style you want to showcase around the house. So, you need to choose a chandelier that adds more oomph to your home’s interior rather than creating a confusing design.
Determining the Right Diameter
The size of the chandelier is an important consideration before you head to the market to buy a chandelier. The diameter of the fixture should be directly proportional to the room you want to hang the chandelier in, so take accurate measurements of the room as per the specifications mentioned below:
- Measure the length of the room in feet
- Measure the width of the room in feet
- Add these two measurements together
- The number you get is the diameter for your chandelier in inches
This means that if your drawing room is 14 feet long and 6 feet wide, you’ll get a total of 20 feet when you add both the values. Accordingly, a chandelier with a diameter of 20 inches is the right fit for the space. If you decide to hang a chandelier over your dining table, opt for a diameter that is at least 1 foot less than the width of the table for the perfect look.
However, if you’re unsure at any point in time, know that bigger is usually better when choosing chandeliers as over-sized fixtures will only command more attention in a room, coving up your need for a focal point in the room. In comparison, a small chandelier might seem silly in a huge space and can throw off the proportions of a room horribly.
Measuring the Length
Selecting the right chandelier also involves knowing the ideal height to hang a chandelier. This is why you must measure the ceiling height for an estimated length before choosing a chandelier for any space. Generally, if you have high ceilings, the chandelier should be fairly long. Most chandeliers hang about 7 feet off the ground, but there must be a distance of at least two feet between the tip of the fixture and the tabletop for a chandelier over a dining table, .
Remember that while you will be measuring the length beforehand, adjustments can be made to the fixture after purchase. You might be able to remove a few links from a chain-link hanging, cut the chord down to the required length, or drop the chandelier down while it is suspended from the ceiling using weight-bearing wires to extend or shorter the length as needed.
Choosing the right chandelier for your home is easy once you keep the above-mentioned tips in mind. You might also consider hanging more than one fixture based on the size of the room and the furniture you have styled it with. Here are some light mistakes to avoid while decorating your home.
Stay tuned to Zameen Blog for more home décor posts and tips. You can email us at blog@zameen.com with your comments and suggestions.
