To select lighting for your home, you must first consider the room you're trying to illuminate. In a living or family room for example, you'll want to include general lighting for entertaining and watching television, task lighting for reading, and accent lighting to highlight artwork, plants, and other items of interest. In the kitchen, you'll require task lighting for cooking and other chores, and also general lighting for gathering with family and friends. In the bedroom, you'll want to create an overall atmosphere of quiet relaxation, while providing some task lighting for reading and other activities. Similarly, in the bathroom, you'll require task and general lighting.

CHANDELIERS:

Chandeliers add sparkle and style to your dining room or foyer and provide general lighting needed for dining and entertaining. While chandeliers are traditionally hung in a dining room or foyer, a new trend is to hang chandeliers in other rooms such as the bedroom, living room and larger bathrooms. Mini-chandeliers are particularly great for adding drama when used in unexpected places like a powder room, hallway, or walk-in closet.

SIZING A CHANDELIER

To size a chandelier for your dining room or bedroom, you’ll need to measure the length and width of the room and add those fi gures together. The sum, converted to inches, will equal the diameter of the correct size chandelier (How to Size a Foyer Fixture p.359). In the dining room, if this measurement seems inappropriate due to the size of your table, size your chandelier three quarters the width of the table. The bottom of the chandelier should be approximately 30-32 inches above the table top.