The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Chandelier

There is a common myth that chandeliers only work in large properties. People often think that a regular house couldn't possibly be big enough to handle one.

This idea dates back to the origins of chandeliers, as well as images we've seen in TV dramas set in huge stately homes. The earliest incarnations of chandeliers were indeed both decorative and large. Did you know that they've been around in one form or another for more than 500 years?

All the pomp and ceremony around chandeliers, however, misses one important point. Over the past few decades, they have been created in a thousand different styles to suit different tastes and room sizes.

Today you'll find chandeliers in restaurants, hotels and homes large and small. Does this mean you can put up a chandelier in a tiny studio apartment? Probably not. But for anywhere with a good-sized ceiling height and a bit of breathing space, there will be a chandelier to fit.

When people decide to have a chandelier light fitted in their home, they are usually drawn to the idea for one of two reasons. The first is style: they've seen a specific fitting they like. The second is what chandeliers represent: the last word in luxury.

By fitting a chandelier at a key location in your home, you are showing your guests that you appreciate the finer things in life. This is true even if you choose just a small chandelier, such as this three-light polished chrome crystal chandelier from Diyas. You need a clearance of around 80cm above head height to install it – which means it will work in many properties.

Some chandeliers need a significantly higher ceiling, however. The Regent Prague 24 Light Czech Crystal Chandelier, for example, measures 175cm from top to bottom – meaning you'd need a ceiling height of around 4m to avoid anyone brushing their head against it.

If you thought that chandeliers were only for the super-rich, guess again! While we certainly have a number of high-end chandeliers costing more than £5,000 (our most expensive chandelier is priced at £68,000), we have others starting at just over £160.

In fact, it's easy to find a chandelier that fits your budget on our website – just choose the price bracket that suits you from our drop-down menu. If you're wondering what the typical price that people pay for a chandelier is, it's around £500-£800.

There are some stunning options in the £500-£800 price bracket, such as the Inina chandelier from Diyas.

When deciding which chandelier is best for your property, the starting point is always the size of the room. In simple terms, the bigger the space, the bigger the size of the chandelier you can add without it looking too big.

One metric that people find useful is to add the width and length of your room (in feet) together, and then use this to determine the maximum width of your fitting (in inches). So a room that is 15ft wide by 20ft long = 35ft. The max width of your chandelier, then, would be 35 inches.

To determine the correct height for your chandelier, measure the ceiling height in feet and then double or treble that in inches. So a 14ft ceiling height should comfortably accommodate a chandelier measuring 28-42 inches.

Things are different when hanging a chandelier over a table. As a general rule, our experts feel that the light should be no more than around 2/3 the size of the table. It can hang much lower than when it is in the centre of the room – but should be no lower than around 30 inches above the table. 

If you want to ask us more specific questions before making a purchase, such as "can a chandelier chain be shortened?", please just ask our expert team. They'll be happy to help.