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A
chandelier in a kitchen is almost always the focal
point.
It's a
stylistic reference point too, and often a showpiece. So
it's important to get it right. Here are 17 tips for
integrating a chandelier into your kitchen:
1. Match your chandelier style to the interior
design style.
2. Install a dimmer.
3. Control the chandelier separately from the
other lighting in the kitchen. Don't put all the
lighting on one dimmer or switch.
4. If yours is an eat - in kitchen with a table
and chairs, consider installing a chandelier above the
table.
5. For a non eat-in kitchen choose a centrally
placed chandelier that doesn't hang down too low: the
kitchen is a work area.
6. Scale and proportion matter: a big chandelier
is right for a big room, a smaller one for a small room.
Obvious, but often overlooked.
7. The center of the kitchen is usually the best
spot to mount a chandelier. If the electrical junction
box is not positioned there, call an electrician or
handyman to have it moved to the centre point, so it
looks right.
8. A chandelier's diameter should be 12 inches
narrower than the width of a table. Wider, and you risk
banging your head on it when you get up from the table.
9. Hang a chandelier 30" to 34" from the ceiling
over a kitchen island or dinette table in an 8 foot high
room. If your kitchen ceiling is higher than 8 feet,
hang the chandelier 3 inches higher for each additional
foot in ceiling height.
10. If your kitchen does not have a range hood
with a fan and your chandelier will be close to the
stove, consider a simpler rather than more elaborate
design, with glass rather than fabric shades. Easier to
clean.
11. Have an electrician install a heavy
chandelier. The Phantom of the Opera is a great movie,
but don't try it at home...
12. For a traditional chandelier or one with
historical style, consider a
ceiling medallion to
embellish the look.
13. Warm toned frosted glass or fabric shades
will flatter guests under or near a chandelier. Avoid a
chandelier with harsh brightness, sharp contrasts, or
small point sources of light, with no soft shades.
14. Use other lights (on
dimmers) in the room,
along with the chandelier. A single light source is
rarely as interesting as a major source with subtle
accent lights in the background. Without an additional
light source the room will seem smaller.
15. In an eat-in kitchen, consider installing two
recessed, narrow-beam ceiling
downlights on either side
of the chandelier over a table. Focus the two narrow
beams on the table centerpiece.
16. If you are using both a chandelier and a
pendant light in the same room, match the style of the
pendant to the chandelier. At least have some common
element between them to link them together.
17. A chandelier in the center of a non eat - in
kitchen can have a dual function as chandelier and
general uplight, if it has frosted shades open at the
top, like cups. Soft light washes the ceiling from the
open cups, helping to give overall light to the room.
Two for one.
How can you co-ordinate your chandelier with other light
fixtures in your kitchen, to achieve that designer
"layered" look? Read the next article:
7 Other Light
Fixtures that Work Well with a Chandelier in the Kitchen
>>
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