3 Things to Consider When Choosing a Chandelier

Chandeliers have a way of making a room look elegant and luxurious. They conjure images of the English aristocracy and Kings in castles (or maybe that is just me). Chandeliers are more a piece of decoration than an actual source of light and as such, classic chandeliers are usually found in the rooms where guests would be accepted, like the living room, foyer or dining room. A good chandelier can be the center piece for a room and an incredible talking point for guests. As such, when purchasing a chandelier you want to make sure that you get it right (not only because of the cost involved). 

When choosing a chandelier, it is important that you consider a few things to ensure that you choose the most appropriate one.
 

1. Height

Chandeliers come in a large range of different sizes and heights.  Therefore, you need to make sure that the one you purchase is proportionate to the size of the room that it will be in. Now this may seem a little self explanatory but you would be amazed at how many times people neglect to take this fully into consideration. If the room is huge, then a small chandelier just wouldn’t make any impact and the appearance of the room will suffer. And vice versa, if the chandelier is too large for the room then it can be overbearing and slightly obnoxious. If you are looking to place the chandelier above a dining table, then you must make sure that it is placed high enough as to not be obstructive in people's vision, but not too high that it goes unnoticed. make sure to measure the height above the table and pay attention to chandelier dimensions while shopping. 

 2. Style

When choosing chandeliers, make sure that you consider the style of the room it will be placed in or the style of your house in general. Do you have a modern looking house, a chic house, a Victorian house? Choose a chandelier that has the same style so that it actually contributes to the particular style of the house. A modern chandelier in a Victorian house would look out of place and thus would not be an appropriate choice.  This may require a certain amount of shopping around as good chandelier designers are not found on every street corner.  However, trying to make two styles fit is considerably harder than simply taking the time to source a chandelier that is 'in line' with the room it will be placed in.

3. Additional Lighting

As mentioned above, chandeliers aren’t really for lighting purposes. Of course they provide lighting to a room but it is also for decorative purposes. Do not purchase a chandelier with the sole intention of providing light for a room - the functionality of a chandelier far exceeds simple lighting requirements. Choose a chandelier that can provide some sort of lighting but be ready to install other sources as well. You can have floor lamps at the corners of the room or add table lamps, etc.

These are 3 crucial factors to consider when choosing a chandelier. There are, of course, a lot more factors to take into account when looking to acquire a chandelier, like the quality, and material, so do your research and take your time. It is better to do it right the first time rather than having to replace it later!  A quality chandelier does not come cheap so making sure you choose the right chandelier is even more prevalent in this case.

Written by Gloria Philiips, guest blogger from www.roccoborghese.com