A good rule of thumb is to make sure your chandelier is one-half to three-quarters the width of your table.
For a round or rectangular table, a chandelier should be about ½ to ⅔ the length of the table.
As a general rule of thumb, the chandelier should be positioned about 30 to 36 inches above the table surface. You want enough clearance to get in and out of your seat without bonking your head, but you also want the chandelier to be a star in the show.
But we promise to make the math manageable with our simple ratio: 2.5 inches in fixture height per 1 foot of room height. This means that for a standard eight-foot-high ceiling, you'll want an option with a fixture height of about 20 inches. Note: For some visually-light chandeliers, you can up the ratio to 3:1.
Example Guidelines:
For a dining table that is 48 inches wide, the ideal light fixture should be between 24 and 32 inches in width. For a narrower table that is 36 inches wide, opt for a fixture between 18 and 24 inches wide.
Interior design guidelines recommend hanging your chandelier between 30 and 36 inches over the table surface in a room with a ceiling height of eight feet. You can add three more inches per foot for higher or vaulted ceilings.
The generally accepted rule for hanging dining room chandeliers is that the bottom of the fixture should hang between 30 and 36 inches above the top of the dining table. This range assumes you have an 8-foot ceiling.
The perfect chandelier can be an incredible focal point for your dining room design, and create the perfect atmosphere for gathering. Dining chandeliers that are too large or not big enough can detract from the overall balance of your design.
A handy rule of thumb is that a chandelier should be 12 inches narrower than a table and have at least 48 inches of space from each of the room walls or edges. Hang a chandelier approximately 30 to 34 inches over a table with an 8 foot ceiling height.
Round or Oval Chandeliers: While not the traditional choice for a rectangular table, round or oval chandeliers can create a captivating contrast. Placed strategically above the table's center, they add a dynamic focal point and introduce a softer element to the space.
Leave at least 7 feet of clearance between the bedroom floor and the bottom of your fixture, so your tallest friends and family don't hit their heads and so the room doesn't look overwhelmed by the chandelier.
Contemporary crystal lighting is not your grandmother's chandelier. Gone are the days of stuffy, outdated fixtures. Our crystal lighting embraces sleek, modern designs that blend seamlessly with any decor style.
A chandelier or other low-hanging fixtures should be centered over the dining table, not centered in the middle of the room. For example, if you have other furniture in the room, your table may not be exactly in the center of the space – and that's okay.
The chandelier's bottom should be at least 7 feet above the floor. For every foot of ceiling height, raise the chandelier by an additional 2–3 inches. For instance, if you have a 10-foot-high ceiling, choose a chandelier that measures approximately 20–30 inches in height.
If the room is around 12′ x 12′ the fixture should be 22″ to 27″ wide. If the room is around 14′ x 14′ the fixture should be 24″ to 32″ wide.
The best way to achieve this is to select a fixture that's diameter is somewhere between half and three quarters the diameter (or width) of the tabletop. For example, if the dining room table was 48" wide x 60" long, the chandelier that is 24" to 36" in diameter would be an appropriate size to compliment the table.
As a general guideline, for standard 8 to 9-foot ceilings, it's recommended to choose a chandelier with a height of approximately 2.5 to 3 feet. However, if your ceiling is higher, you may need to scale up the chandelier accordingly.
As a general rule, the bottom of your lighting fixture should hang between 30 and 34 inches above the surface of your kitchen island, depending on how high your ceilings are. If your ceiling is higher than eight feet, then you can mount the chandelier about three inches higher per foot.
In a nutshell, when you are trying to hang a chandelier, then make sure that the bottom of the chandelier is no less than 30 inches from the table surface in a dining room and no less than 7 feet from the floor in a hallway or stairwell.
To choose the right height size of your chandelier, multiply the height of the room (in feet) by 2.5 or 3. The resulting number is the best size for your room height (in inches).
Know your chandelier's dimensions to avoid these issues have it fit perfectly within the space. The height of the chandelier depends on the height of the ceiling. If your ceiling is tall, then your fixture must be tall. If your ceiling is low, then you need a smaller fixture.
If your ceiling is less than eight feet high, your dining room chandelier should hang 30" to 34" from the table top to the bottom of the chandelier and be centered over the table. If your ceiling is higher than eight feet high, the recommended clearance is 36 to 40 inches.
Linear Chandeliers are ideal for long narrow spaces and most commonly complement a rectangular table, such as over a dining room table or kitchen island.
When deciding how high the fixture should be, the rule of thumb is for the bottom of the fixture to be about 30 to 36 inches above the surface of your table. If you have a really tall ceiling, you should add a few inches to that distance.