Choosing a chandelier and bulb count for the size of the room

An oversized chandelier crowds a room; an undersized one gets lost. A practical way to choose diameter, hanging height and bulb count for your room.

A chandelier looks lovely in the showroom, but once home it either overwhelms the ceiling or looks like a toy in a large room. The reason is simple: the high ceilings and large floor area of a showroom distort your sense of scale. The second problem is the amount of light: a small three-arm chandelier cannot light a large living room, while a twelve-arm model dazzles in a small bedroom. The calculations below help answer these two questions separately.

Chandelier diameter: a simple rule

A rule of thumb often used by designers: add the room's length and width in metres and multiply by ten; the result is a suggested chandelier diameter in centimetres. For a 4 × 5 metre room, 4 + 5 = 9, so roughly 90 cm. For a 3 × 3.5 metre bedroom, about 65 cm.

This is a starting point, not a law. If the room has other large furniture, tall cabinets or heavy curtains, a slightly smaller model looks lighter. In a minimalist interior, a large single chandelier can be a deliberate statement.

Height: clear of heads without crushing the ceiling

In the middle of a room, where people walk underneath, there should be enough clearance between the lowest point of the chandelier and the floor for comfortable passage, usually a little over two metres. With a standard ceiling of about 2.7 metres, that means the chandelier's overall drop must be small, or a flush-mounted model should be chosen.

Rooms with high ceilings have the opposite problem: a chandelier hung short gets lost under the ceiling, and much of its light goes on lighting the ceiling. In such rooms the chain or cable is extended. A commonly quoted guide is to lower the chandelier by roughly 7–8 cm for every 30 cm of ceiling height, but checking by eye on site is more reliable.

A chandelier over a dining table is not in a walkway, so it can hang lower, about 70–85 cm above the tabletop. Its diameter should then be clearly less than the width of the table so that seated people do not hit it.

How much light: the logic of the calculation

To work out how many bulbs you need, start from the amount of light, lumens, rather than watts. The calculation has three steps:

• Target level. Choose the illuminance you want in lux. For general light in living rooms and bedrooms a relatively low level is often enough; kitchens and work areas need more. Suppose the target is 150 lux.
• Multiply by area. A 4 × 5 metre room is 20 m². 20 × 150 = 3000 lumens, the approximate light that should reach the room.
• Allow for losses. Dark walls, shades and frosted diffusers absorb some light, so allow a margin for what leaves the chandelier.

Then divide by the lumen value on the bulb box. If one bulb gives about 400 lumens, 3000 lumens needs eight bulbs. If the chandelier has only five arms, either choose brighter bulbs or add another light source to the room: a wall light, floor lamp or spotlights.

Remember that not all the light has to come from the chandelier. Often the chandelier provides most of the general light and local lamps provide the rest.

Arms, groups and colour

In a multi-arm chandelier, all the bulbs do not always need to be on. If the chandelier's wiring is split into two groups with a double switch, some bulbs can be used day to day and all of them when guests come. That gives both comfort and savings.

All bulbs in one chandelier should be the same model, wattage and colour temperature. Different bulbs glow in different tints on each arm, which spoils the look. It is wise to keep one or two identical spares.

Checklist

• The chandelier's diameter suits the room size.
• There is comfortable clearance underneath in walkways.
• A lumen calculation has been done, with extra light planned if needed.
• The fitting's maximum wattage is respected.
• All bulbs are the same model and colour.
• The chandelier is securely fixed to the ceiling, with its weight taken into account.

Once the chandelier size is fixed, bulbs for it can be chosen among Zəfər İşığı frosted and filament E14 candles or E27 LED bulbs; buying several of the same model gives a chandelier a uniform look.