Fixture Styles to Consider
How Big Should a Chandelier Be? The Complete Sizing Guide
Chandelier Sizing Rule (General)
The most widely-used chandelier sizing rule is to add your room’s length and width in feet — the result in inches is a good starting diameter. A 14 × 12 ft room suggests a 26-inch chandelier. This is the room-size rule and works well for living rooms and bedrooms.
Dining Room Chandelier Size Guide
For dining rooms, base the diameter on your table, not the room. The formula is ½ to ⅔ of the table width. A 36-inch wide table calls for an 18–24 inch chandelier. For rectangular tables, a linear chandelier often looks more proportional than a round one.
How High to Hang a Chandelier
- Over a dining table: 30–36 inches above the tabletop surface
- In a living room or bedroom: bottom of fixture at least 7 feet from the floor
- In a foyer: at least 7 feet clearance above where people walk; in 2-storey entries hang from the upper ceiling
- General rule: add 3 inches of drop for every foot of ceiling height above 8 ft
Chandelier Fixture Height
Fixture height (the physical length of the chandelier body itself) should be approximately 2.5–3 inches per foot of ceiling height. A 9-foot ceiling suits a fixture 22–27 inches tall. For double-height foyers, scale up proportionally.
Kitchen Island Pendant Spacing
For pendants over a kitchen island, allow 6–9 inches from each island edge to the outermost pendant, and at least 6 inches between pendant edges. Hang 30–36 inches above the counter surface. Standard pendant diameters for islands are 8–12 inches.