How Far Down Should Your Modern Chandelier Hang?

These days, in the realm of the modern chandelier, it is no longer a lighting fixture that is suspended directly from the ceiling. The chandelier is more commonly hung at an attractive height for the room, throwing its illumination wherever needed. But how far down should your fixture hang? How low is too low?

Dining Room

• The bottom of a modern chandelier should sit at about 30 to 34 inches from the top of the dining table in a room that has a ceiling of 8 feet high. If your dining room is taller, hang the chandelier 3 inches higher than this for every extra foot of ceiling height (so it doesn’t look too low).

Foyers

• The bottom of a modern chandelier should sit at least 7 feet from the floor in foyers, and even rooms, where people will need to walk underneath them. If you have a two-storey foyer, hang the chandelier about one-third of the way between ceiling and floor.

Kitchens, Bedrooms and Living Rooms

• The bottom of a modern chandelier should sit no less than 30 inches above a table or other surface, as this leaves you ample room to place items on the surface. Hang chandeliers higher in rooms with overly high ceilings.

At the end of the day, you should use your own discretion when it comes to hanging a modern chandelier in your home – if you feel it is hanging too high or too low and then adjust it until you are happy. The rule of thumb, however, is that chandeliers should sit no lower than 30 inches above a table and no lowers than 7 feet when people need to walk underneath it.