Chandeliers on my mind

Thank you to the Washington Post for including this post in your Blog Watch on January 17, 2008!

I have a ceiling fan in the family room. Yes, I know that most people immediately remove the ceiling fans from their homes, but this one has stayed. It doesn't really bother me, even though I never use it. What bothers me is that the room is so dim that I can't even read in the room, even in the day (there is a screened porch off of my family room, which filters the light). I know that indirect light is fashionable, but it does not work in this room. Three lamps and a reading light do not help matters. I need overhead lighting. I do not really want a ceiling fan with lights, since I really would prefer to have a chandelier.

A picture from an Atlanta real estate listing. A very large and tall chandelier, but the ceiling looks like it is a bit vaulted in the middle.

This chandelier looks like it is low, but because it over the ottoman, and not in a path of traffic, it works.

So, I am going to get a reasonably priced chandelier that I like, and that can stay with the house when we sell in a few years. In my ideal world, I would be buying a gorgeous chandelier from Julie Neill Lighting, or a lovely Niermann Weeks chandelier. In my next home, this is what I will be doing. Both of these companies make unique, hand-crafted lighting that is incredibly beautiful. However, I know that if I buy one of these for my family room, I will never want to part with it, and the buyer of my home will feel the same way (because the buyer of my home is going to have great taste, of course).

I like this chandelier (below), and it is very reasonably priced. It reminds me of the NiermannWeeks Italian chandelier, but much less expensive! This chandelier is 27" wide by 33" high in the small size, and 31" wide by 36" high for the large size.



I am concerned that this might be a bit tall for a family room that has a ceiling of 9 1/2 feet high. The chandelier will be partially, but not entirely, over a coffee table; the chandelier will be centered on the room, but the coffee table is centered on the armoire (which is not centered on the wall because there is a door to the left of the armoire).

This is a family room from an Atlanta real estate listing. The ceilings are higher than mine, but you can see how this chandelier is not quite centered over the coffee table because the entertainment center is not quite centered on the wall.

I also really like this turned wood chandelier from Julie Neill Designs (below). The dimensions are 27"h, 26" wide, but it can be custom made to any specification. The height might be better for the room, although the width might be a little small for the room.

The Mollie chandelier, Julie Neill Designs

This one is quite nice too (below), not as nice as the custom Mollie because this one is mass produced and not custom made, but it looks good in person. The dimensions are 41" wide, 29" high.

The small Mansion chandelier (above), found in just about every home furnishings store in Atlanta!

I did some of research on recommended heights and widths for chandeliers in non-dining room spaces. One source had a calculation based on the size of a room: add the length and width of the room (in feet), and use this number translated as inches to get a good proportion for the width of the chandelier. My family room is 16' x 18.5', which means that a 34.5" wide is a good proportion for the room. However, given that the room focus is off center, and there is quite a bit of furniture (armoire, chest, sofa, chair and a half, coffee table, two side chairs and a skirted table), I think the smaller size chandelier might work fine.

But what about the height? If the chandelier is 33" high, and allowing room for one link and the hookup (4"), this leaves 77", which is 6'5". Is this enough? Some sources say it must be at least 7 feet off the ground, but only 5 1/2 feet if it is over a table.

Should I just look for a different chandelier that is not so high?

To visit my store, Quatrefoil Design, click here.

To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.

To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.

http://www.quatrefoildesign.com/

Please visit Quatrefoil Design for more inspirational images.