Enhance Your Decor with Distinctive Chandeliers

For many years, chandeliers were used primarily in foyers and dining rooms, but today, homeowners are installing them all over the house, from the master bedrooms and master baths to great rooms and powder rooms.

Most of the time, chandeliers are sold without the shades and are often used that way. Adding or changing shades gives you a totally different appearance and reinvents the piece.

To determine the size of a chandelier that will hang in a foyer, or any room, just add the room dimensions together. If your foyer is 12' by 16', add 12 + 16=28. The proper size chandelier for this space would be 28" in diameter.

Chandelier bulbs come in up to 60 watts so if you have a 10-arm chandelier, that's 600 watts. Try using 40- or even 25-watt bulbs for the right amount of light in your space. Go one step further and install a dimmer to control the glow even more.

Choose a chandelier with a diameter equal to the width of the table. For example, if the table is 54", select a chandelier with a 27" diameter. The chandelier should hang approximately 30-32" above the tabletop. This is low enough to complement your table settings, but high enough to be out of the way.

Glass chandeliers require careful approaches and procedures for care that are different from those for metal or metal and glass lighting devices. In a dining room that's totally open with nothing but columns delineating the space, you may be able to go with something larger

Cleaning your chandelier once a year will keep it shining to its original brilliance. Use a damp or dry cloth to clean your chandelier.