I’ve got dining chandeliers on my mind as I’ve just curated a selection for my parents to choose from for their new condo.  It is an open plan living space with 9’ ceilings and the furnishings are firmly rooted in the traditional camp, but we didn’t want anything too fussy for the lighting. 

We needed the scale to be right for the space and the furniture.  It needed to have enough visual presence to not look lost in the open plan space, but not be too heavy for the size of the table. A lot of things to consider…here are the options I offered, can you guess which one we ultimately chose?

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Nope, not this one…it’s probably just the perspective of the photo, but I’m getting giant man-eating sea urchin of doom vibes here 🤣…gorgeous bathroom though!

There are 3 main things to consider when choosing and installing a dining area chandelier: style, size, and placement.

Style

There are many styles to choose from and your light fixture can match the style of your home, or your furniture, or be a bit of a departure from it. 

Mixing in a touch of a second style is always an interesting way to shake things up and create some dramatic interest, and lighting, such as a dining chandelier, is one place to try that.

Mixing in a contemporary light in very traditional architecture (or vice versa) can be an interesting and eclectic choice that makes the fixture a stand-out feature.  

Matching the style of the light to the architecture will be a more classic choice. Both choices can be right - it all depends on your goals and what else is going on in the space.

Lighting is one of the easiest fixed things in a house to change - way less disruptive and expensive than ripping out tile or replacing counters or cabinetry - so updating or upgrading your chandelier is an excellent way to level up your dining space.

There are all kinds of chandeliers. 

In terms of style there are classic fixtures that are traditional forms but with clean lines so they mix well with a lot of styles, and there are classical traditional chandeliers that have a more period feel to them

There are contemporary fixtures that have a more modern feel and some of which make creative use of new LED technology to stunning effect.

And a new wave of natural materials like beads, shells, and grasses used in chandeliers has brought us many options for a more coastal or boho style.

Below are some of our favorites - click on images for links

Size and Shape

Selecting the right size chandelier is critical.  Too small and it will look like a toy, too big and you risk someone knocking their brains out on it, or in the case of some of the pointy sputnik shapes, putting out an eye!

A simple guideline for the size of a chandelier takes the size of the room into account to get a fixture proportional to the space.  Add together the length and width of the room in feet and that is the optimal diameter of the chandelier in inches.  For example: in a 12’ x 13’ dining room, 12 + 13 = 25, 25” is about the right diameter for the chandelier.

This assumes the table is also in proportion to the room and works best if the room is relatively squarish.  A 30’ x 15’ room might NOT be great with a 45” chandelier depending on the size and shape of the table. And for open plan spaces determining which portion of the space counts as ‘dining room’ can be tricky.

Sometimes a long table is best served by either an oblong shaped fixture or two chandeliers as we did in this dining room. These classic crystal beaded chandeliers wear black shades lined with gold for a soft warm glow..

In the interest of safety, make sure the width of your fixture is at least 18” less than the total width of your table.  

The other consideration is the shape and visual weight of the chandelier.  A leggy light scaled candelabra chandelier or open lantern or mostly clear glass style can often be larger than a denser chandelier with a bowl or a shade.  

Placement

The final piece of the dining chandelier puzzle is the installation.

Please don’t hang your chandelier too high, and for the love of God, please do NOT just leave it up to the electrician to decide how high to hang it! 

Most fixtures in a room with standard 8’ to 9’ ceilings should be 30” to 33” from the table surface to the bottom of the chandelier.  For every additional foot of ceiling height, generally add ~3” to that number.  

Other posts you might enjoy:

Key measurements to know when designing a room

The Right Height to hang light fixtures

How to select light fixtures

Making the most of your DR

A Dining Room Refresh