How Far to Put Chandelier From Ceiling?

Windows

• Many chandeliers are in foyers with vaulted or two-story ceiling height. Often such foyer entryways have a window positioned above the door at the two-story height. In this case the chandelier is typically positioned so that it will center on the window and be visible to arriving guests. Showing off the light fixture is part of the design consideration as such fixtures are often quite expensive and an upgraded feature in the home.

Volume

• Consider the volume of a room since some chandeliers' roles are to fill the empty overhead space. In a sense the chandelier in this case becomes the furnishing of the air space. Larger rooms may use a number of chandeliers to fill a large volume of space as well as to provide good lighting. For a chandelier to look good it should hang at least a few feet from the ceiling. The bottom of the chandelier should not interfere with the function of the room.

Tables

• When a chandelier is in a room over a table, it is customary to position the chandelier 30 to 32 inches above the table to allow for conversations across the table. This will usually allow 12 to 18 inches of chain above the chandelier even in low-height, 8 foot ceiling rooms. The height of the fixture is calculated at 3 1/2 inches per foot of room height.

Multiple Chandeliers

• When you use multiple chandeliers the ceiling height tends to be more than 8 feet. The chandelier may be smaller in size if it appears at regular intervals around a space. The chandelier looks best if it is at least 18 to 24 inches from the ceiling, so long as the bottom of the chandelier is above 7 feet from the floor. In an 8 foot ceiling room this isn't generally possible and you will use ceiling mount fixtures instead. The fixture should be high enough for people to walk under the fixture without feeling it is low.