What Size Claire Chandelier?

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Dear Ballard Designs,

I have a 44 inch wide dining room table.  Picture of my dining room is attached.  Is the 9 arm chandelier too big for this area?  Or should I go with the 6 arm?

Mary

 

Dear Mary:

Thank you for your questions about what size chandelier your need.  Looking at your Dining Room and the height of the ceiling, we think the 9-Arm Claire Chandelier would be the best choice.  So many people “guess” at a chandelier size, and end up with either an overpowering monstrosity or something way too small for the space.  There are a few ways to determine what size chandelier you should use.  The first is to measure the length and the width of the room, add the two numbers together (say the room is 10 x 14 feet, then you want a chandelier that is no bigger than 24” in diameter (10 + 14 = 24).  Another way to determine size, is to measure the width of the table and the chandelier should be between 50  to 75% the width of the table.  As far as how low to hang it, the chandelier, it should be between 30 to 32 inches above the table.

Because the width of your dining room table is 44” wide – your chandelier should be between 22” to 33” in diameter.  This means that either Claire Chandelier will fit (6-Arm is 26 ∏” diameter and the 9-arm is 30 ∏” in diameter).  Another dilemma you think… but we chose the larger 9 Arm Claire because the ceiling is much higher than the standard 8 feet.  So the 9- Arm has two rows of candles making it a more substantial chandelier visually.  We do hope that you understand why we made that choice.  If all of this seems a bit complicated, you can go onto Style Studio – How To’s/How To Select the Right Size Chandelier and find additional information.  If we can answer any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  Send us a picture of your new Claire Chandelier and we will post it on Style Studio Customer Homes.
Sincerely,
The Style Studio Team

How to Decorate Team

We enjoy spending days interacting with How to Decorate readers. From answering Design Dilemmas to writing How To articles and working with guest designers, our passion is to provide informative and accurate resources to help people solve their design problems.

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  1. Reply

    Gina Rose

    October 31, 2011

    I was reading the response above and all of my measurements are the same except my ceiling is only 8ft. Would you suggest the 6 arm in this case? Thanks

    • Reply

      Ballard Designs

      November 1, 2011

      Dear Gina: Because you have an 8 foot ceilig height, we do think the 6 arm chandelier would probably be a good choice for your room.
      The Style Studio Team

  2. Reply

    Elizabeth Sorrentino

    June 3, 2011

    Hi, I recently removed the wall between my dining room and kitchen. my dining room previously measured 11.5 X 13.5 ft.. Now the rooms are open to each other, but I have retained my 44″ wide dining room table and am trying to decide between 5 light chandelier measuring 24″ wide or a 6 light measuring 29″ wide. we will also be having a 44″ wide island light over the 86 in kitchen island and all the space is open. Which size do you think I should purchase? Thanks for your help!
    Betsy

  3. Reply

    Mary

    July 19, 2010

    Thanks so much for your suggestions on purchasing the 9 arm chandelier instead of the 6 arm. I am so pleased with how it looks in our dining room, that I purchased the petite chandelier for our foyer.

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