Dining room chandeliers have become very popular in this country in recent years, not only because they offer homeowners a superior lighting solution, but also allow you to show of your sense of style as well.
In a radical departure from the past, chandeliers don't have to be stuffy crystal affairs any longer. Instead, they have taken on a new life at the hands of today's savvy designers, allowing a wide range of designs to find their way into stores, including those online.
One of the freshest takes on dining room chandeliers are ones that have candle fixtures. Many of these are forged from wrought iron and depending on the size of your dining room and the height of your ceilings, can be a simple one-layer affair or two or even three layers in height. Thanks to innovative manufacturing techniques, it's hard to tell incandescent candle lights from real candles. Manufacturers have even added such thoughtful touches as faux wax drips down the sides of the fixtures.
But don't always take things at face value. In many cases, homeowners are installing dining room chandeliers that use real candles instead. This not only gives the room a warm, romantic glow, but saves a few dollars on the power bill as well. Of course, a dimmer switch on electric lights can come pretty close to creating the same ambiance and savings, without having to deal with dripping wax or the possibility of fire.
Choosing the right chandelier depends largely on the space and the style of the furniture and room. Wrought iron models can fit a traditional or contemporary d?�cor well, depending on the design. Black and silver create a cool look to the room, while brass and gold finishes add warmth.
When it comes to the lighting itself, you will want to decide whether your room would look better with open lighting or ones that use shades. Traditional crystal dining room chandeliers can be very elegant, but tough to keep clean. Shades can help direct light onto the table while open lighting can bathe the entire room in even light. If you want to use shades, you can add some pin spots to the ceiling to add additional light, such as over a serving buffet or to illuminate artwork on the walls. Torchieres or wall sconces are another good option. These should be placed on dimmers as well, just in case you want to set the lights low to create a more intimate mood when dining. Creating layers of lighting is always a good strategy in any room, but particularly in dining rooms.
If you are considering adding dining room chandeliers to your home, you'll want to consider the scale of the fixture. You'll want to pay close attention to this detail, since a chandelier that is too small will draw visitor's eyes away from your otherwise beautiful setting.
Two issues factor into the size. First, the height of your ceiling. If you have 9' or higher ceilings, you'll want to invest in a multi-layered chandelier to create a more dramatic and dynamic lighting effect. Next, you want to think about the size and shape of your table.
Ideally, you want to have dining room chandeliers that are about 50% of the table's width or even bigger. The bottom of it should rest about 30" above the top of the table in an 8' room. If you have a 9' ceiling, it would be 33" and so forth, adding 3" for each foot of additional ceiling height. As far as width, you can use a nifty trick to decide on the diameter. Measure the length and width of the room. Add the measurements together in feet and convert the number to inches. In other words, if the measurement of the width and length is 42', you can purchase dining room chandeliers up to 42" in width and have a nice scale.
Whatever you do, be sure to purchase a chandelier that uses standardized bulbs. While those special bulbs can look nice for a few years, you may have a hard time finding them 10 years from now, or pay top dollar to replace them when they eventually burn out.