"Behind the Scenes - Chandelier Height . . . "

Marina Project, SMW Design, San Francisco

Greetings,

Thought we'd start out our Monday with a little math problem.  If an antique brass chandelier leaves Chicago going 85 miles an hour - and a dining table leave Miami on the fourth Tuesday after New Year's Day - How high do you hang the chandelier over the dining table?

Well, actually, someone emailed me the other day with that very question.  Well - not *THAT* very question - but a more general one requesting advice about the proper height to hang a light fixture over your dining table.

Antique Chandeliers.

And, yes, there can be a simple math equation to solve this particular dilemma.  Here's how I do it :

To start, hang your fixture 35 inches above the surface of your dining table -

or basically 65 inches from the floor.

BUT, in cases of larger rooms, add two inches to that

height for every foot over 9 feet of ceiling height.

I can almost hear all of you saying "What?!?!?!?"  

Modern Chandeliers. 

The 35 inches over the dining surface (usually a 30 inch height) gives you a great place to begin . . . but adding a bit more based on your ceiling height gives the light fixture proper balance in the room.

So a dining room with an 11 foot ceiling - you would hang at 69 inches from the floor.

(the basic 65 inches, plus 4 inches (two for each foot of ceiling height over 9 feet))

Candle Chandeliers.

And clearly, this works for candle-lit fixtures as well as electric ones.

But remember - always trust your eye.  

Use the equation to start, but always be willing a add or subtract a bit

based on how the fixture actually looks and feels in the space.

Happy measuring,

Scot

(all images from SMW Design - photography by Nicolas Smith and Eric Tagan Hooten)