Now that a lot of the major renovations are nearly behind us on the main floor (nearly!), I am turning my attention to furnishings and decor. It’s true–for the most part I haven’t made ANY of those decisions yet because I was so preoccupied making major decisions. (Although we did get this skirted sofa from Arhaus and this Blue Velvet one from Lulu & Georgia!) But the next decision I’m trying to make is: Is this room ready for a chandelier?? I think so?
We haven’t chosen one yet because we wanted to wait to see how the arched window and the fireplace finished up and really feel the new space before making a decision. Psst–This is a great example of designing in phases!
The arch window is such a focal point, and so is the fireplace, so we’re not looking for something that’s TOO much of a statement piece. But isn’t the purpose of good lighting to enhance a space?
There was an antler chandelier hanging in this room when we bought the house last year. It’s not right for our current design, but in another setting (maybe a future cabin!), and maybe painted white, it would be beautiful. I’m so glad this chandelier was hanging when we arrived because it gave me a good idea of the scale this room needs. The OG chandelier was too small for this room: The vaulted ceiling is 16 feet, and the fireplace is 87 inches wide. The chandelier needs to hang low enough AND wide enough to fit the scale of the room.
There’s a rule of thumb that says that a room can handle 2.5 inches in fixture height for every one foot of room height, which means that this room could handle at least a 40-inch-long chandelier. Another rule suggests adding the dimensions of the room together (in this case, 17′ x 19′) and converting this to inches (36) to determine to diameter of the chandelier. To me, that seems to small for this room!
We mocked up what this room might look like with a 30″, a 40″, and a 50″ chandelier diameter. These aren’t technical drawings (the photo is not taken exactly at eye level), but they’re helping us to envision the scale.
As for the style, there are a lot of modern elements in this room already, so I’m leaning more traditional on the chandelier. We had two big wagon wheel chandeliers in the cabin, and I’d love to try another fresh style. Below, we rounded up lots of styles and sizes. Do you have a favorite?
25-39″ Chandeliers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
40-49″ Chandeliers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28
50″+ Chandeliers
I agree, your chandelier needs to be big. I personally like 50 plus inches number 7!
Your living room is spectacular!
Don’t put a chandelier in the living room
Also, what is the color of the trim paint?
Who makes the blue sofa? and what is the fabric?
I love #8 in the 40-49″ group. My only concern is whether it’s large enough. But I think the accent color, the dark metal, and the more classic shape is really nice for your space. #24 in that same group would be my fall back. Whatever you do, I think you should lean traditional, unless it’s a really unusual piece. I just don’t think you want to go too modern in there. High ceilings like that can benefit from some warmth, and if you’re trying to create an urban cottage effect, it’s even more important. And traditional/rustic pieces can do that. You also don’t want to go too small. I like some in the first group but I just think they’re too small for space. In the last, 50″ group, I like #7 a lot. It’s only 41.5″ wide, but it still has a substantial presence and the shape is good and it has that traditional, urban cottage feel, imo.
I should add, I like #7 in black or bronze or whatever it is.