Make Your Home More Beautiful With A Classy Chandelier
A chandelier can be an ideal option for lighting in your home.
Not just for foyers and formal dining areas, but chandeliers can
also be used to provide lighting in kitchens, bedrooms, as well
as the children's room. But before you go out and look for that
perfect chandelier, here are some things that you need to
consider.
Criteria For Buying Chandeliers
1) Size of the chandelier: The most important element to
consider is the size. If not sized correctly, a chandelier will
not be able to provide lighting as desired and may well not fit
into its designated spot. So here's what you need to know about
sizing a chandelier.
* When choosing a chandelier for a particular room, you need to
first measure the width and length of the room. Add these two
measurements and the resultant sum (in inches) is how wide your
chandelier should be. For instance, if your room is 14 feet wide
by 16 feet long, you need to add these two numbers which gives
you 30. Thus, the ideal width for a chandelier for this room
will be 30 inches. However, you also need to consider the height
at which the chandelier will hang. If you have low ceilings and
the chandelier will hang quite low, you should buy a slightly
smaller one (26-28 inches). But, if you have really high
ceilings, then you should go in for a bigger one (34-36 inches).
This is because the higher the chandelier, the smaller it is
going to appear.
* Another important size consideration is the length. A
chandelier should be at least 30 inches above the table that it
will hang over. This is the optimum height as it is high enough
to leave adequate room to place things under the chandelier and
is low enough to provide the desired lighting. Thus, after
subtracting 30 inches from the top of the table to the ceiling,
and 3-4 inches for the chandelier hook, the space left can be
used to decide the length of the chandelier. Once again, you can
be a little flexible here. If you usually use very tall
centerpieces on your table, you should choose a chandelier that
is a little shorter.
2) Type of lighting required: The kind of lighting that you need
is also an important criterion to consider. Here are the various
types of chandeliers used to bring about different kinds of
lighting:
* Ambient Lighting: If you wish to achieve ambient (general)
lighting, you should go in for a big one, which has plenty of
bulbs and open lights. This will ensure that the chandelier
provides light for the entire room.
* Accent Lighting: If you want to place your chandelier over
something specific so as to illuminate that object, or if you
want it to provide you with accent lighting for specific areas,
then you should choose one with spotlights and down lights. A
spotlight will help you to focus lighting on special works of
art and help to bring about their beauty. With down lights, you
can provide accent lighting for tabletops and other specific
areas.
* Diffused Lighting: Many people like to have sober diffused
lighting in their home. They do not like the glare of very
bright lights. If you too desire such lighting, you should
choose a chandelier with uplights. An uplight will throw light
on the ceiling which then gets diffused and provides a very warm
glow. You can also choose a chandelier with shades as this will
help to maximize the light filtering down but reduce the glare
at the same time.
Thus, once you have decided on what type of lighting effect you
wish to achieve, you can select a chandelier accordingly.
3) Style of the chandelier: As it is most likely going to be the
center of attention in any room, it is essential that you choose
a chandelier that has a look and style which is in keeping with
the rest of your d