"Designer Math - Getting the Dining Room Chandelier Right . . "

SMW Design - Pacific Heights Living Room


Greetings,

Let's talk a wee bit about light fixtures.  And their size.  And their placement.  And how do you get it right.  As with all questions in design, the solution is going to be a goodly mixture of art and science. The best part is this particular issue is that we're leaning much more on the science part, which means that there actually is an answer.

SMW Design - SOMA Loft Dining Room
When we start new projects here at the studio - here's how I start determining the size of the fixture:
Measure the length and width of your room in feet. Then, add those two numbers together and take that sum and use it in inches. For example, in a dining room that measures 10' x 14', it would be 10 + 14 = 24. You'll want to look for a 24-inch diameter chandelier. Personally, I like to push the limits on scale sometimes. I've been known to add 6 or 8 additional inches if the room needs a big statement. The other parameter to keep in mind is the width of your dining table — for ease of movement around the room.  SO don't let your need for drama make your space challenging to use - lol.


SMW Design - Vail Breakfast Room

Now to determine the placement of the dining room fixture within the room.  First measure the height of the room.  For a ceiling that is 8 feet tall, the bottom of the fixture should begin around 60 inches from the floor. If your ceiling are a bit taller - add two inches clearance from the floor for every foot over 8 feet the height. So for a dining room with a 10 foot ceiling - you're looking at something around 64 inches from the floor.

SMW Design - Vail Dining Room

Now, of course - these are all 'starting' places for placement within the room.  I'm always interested in pushing the boundaries - but, at least you've now got a place to start on your chandelier hunt!

Cheers,
Scot




Comments

Merlin said…
Ooooh, that SOMA lighting!!! THANX!!franki
Digihost said…
Thanks for sharing such good information about dining tables.
Dining Tables

Varsha Reddy said…
Wonderful!! The SOMA loft dining room chandelier is my favourite. It is worth admiring :)


Varsha @ Villas in OMR

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