For one, you should know the right chandelier size that you require. Keep in mind that the bottom of the chandelier should be at least seven inches from the floor so you have to measure the height of the room from the floor to the ceiling. As for the diameter, you can simply give the area of the room to the company so they can calculate it for you. Remember that a chandelier easily draws attention so if it is too large or too small, it is a mistake people will easily notice, making the entire room less attractive.
Indeed, custom chandeliers are offered by many lighting companies. If you opt for these, though, you will be asked a lot of questions to ensure that the finished product meets your exact specifications, so you should have a clear idea of what you need.
Chandeliers used to be found only in the living rooms of spacious mansions and grand hotel lobbies and function rooms. Nowadays, though, they can be installed in any home, even yours. Indeed, you can choose from many different types and styles of chandeliers and if you cannot find what you're looking for or don't want to go through the process of having to browse through various catalogues, you can always have a custom chandelier made, especially if you have an innovative modern chandelier in mind.
Once the size has been decided, it is time to describe the style of the custom chandelier that you want, which is the more difficult part. First, you have to find out if you want a traditional chandelier, a transitional one or a modern chandelier. A traditional chandelier is usually one with tiers and has a frame usually made of either antique brass or polished brass with the bulbs attached to the frame. With modern chandeliers, however, the design is more varied and minimalist. Aside from these three design types, you can also choose from other more specific chandelier designs, such as Art Deco, Rustic, Asian, Renaissance or even Tropical. There are also dozens of finishes available.
In order to choose the right style, you have to consider the style of the rest of the room, so that the chandelier will complement it rather than go against it. If you can't pinpoint the style of the room, you can just choose one element of it that stands out and use that as the basis for creating the design of your custom chandelier. If you are good at drawing, you can sketch the design of the chandelier you want and then show this to the lighting company to serve as a guide.
In some cases, you can also specify what bulbs you want the custom chandeliers to use so you should take advantage of this option. The bulbs can be exposed or enclosed in spheres or shades and they can be fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, xenon and even LED. They can also be colored or have dimming capacities to create a dramatic effect.
By keeping all these in mind, you can truly have a chandelier that is custom made to meet your needs. It will be one of a kind, as well, so when people ask you where you got it, which they surely will, you can just smile and say that there is no other like it.
Sarah Brighley is a full-time mom and an avid blogger of home improvement ideas. She loves to share the best tips in interior design and furniture.
Take a walk through your home and figure out where you need new light fixtures and what kind you need like flush mounts, sconces, chandeliers, pendants, etc. Don’t forget about bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways!
You’ll find that some spaces can only accommodate one kind of fixture and others are more flexible. For example, if you have 8’ ceilings, you may only be able to use flush mounts - or maybe a semi-flush mount - for overhead lighting in a lot of your rooms, so that means you can narrow your search and exclude fixtures like low-hanging pendants or chandeliers (except for over a dining table of course!).
During this step, you’ll also want to figure out if you need any electrical work done - do you need to move a junction box or add any new ones? If you do, I’d suggest finding your fixture first so that you can get the placement right. This is especially true for things like island pendants and wall sconces. For most “regular” overhead fixtures, this matters less. You’ll likely just center them in the space.
Use your decorating style as a guide for choosing your light fixtures. Don’t know your style? Pinterest is a great place to start! I also wrote up a post recently on using Instagram to define your style, so you can head over and give that a read if IG is your jam.
Once you’ve got that figured out, the easiest thing to do is to stick to light fixtures that fit nicely into those style categories and keep the theme going throughout your home. There are certainly ways to make a more eclectic mix work beautifully, but I think for most people, keeping it simple is a key to success!
I love mixing metals, but if you don’t feel confident doing that or prefer to stick to a single finish, just choose one and carry that throughout your home! You’ll see that I did that in my example whole house lighting plan starters, and you really can’t go wrong with that.
Metal finishes can be a little tricker to match than you might think, so I’ve got a couple of “watch outs” for you as you choose one:
Make sure the sheen is the same. If you choose nickel for example, I’d go with all polished or all brushed. If you mix them, even though they’re technically the same color, it won’t look right - just trust me on that!
Blacks aren’t always black. Many, many fixtures that look black in photos are actually an oil-rubbed bronze. And to make it more confusing, some fixtures that are labeled as oil-rubbed bronze or antique bronze actually look like matte black. Ugh! Just be sure to pay close attention and look at closeups of the fixtures to see what the true finish is. Reviews can help too.
Polished nickel and chrome are different (don’t mix them!). It may seem like a silver metal is a silver metal, but that’s not the case! Polished nickel has a warm undertone and chrome has a cool undertone. You see chrome a lot in kitchen and bath fixtures - less so in lighting. Nickel is a lot more common. I have a bias for polished nickel over brushed generally these days because sometimes brushed nickel can look cheap if it’s not done well. That’s just a personal preference though!
I’ll admit, this part is more of an art, so it’s not as straightforward to understand! Generally, if you can echo design elements from one fixture to another, that’s going to help a ton with a cohesive look.
For example, if your dining room chandelier is minimalist with a curvy shape like the one I have in my matte black lighting plan below, you might choose island pendants that are also minimalist and have a bit of a curve to them. The simple pendants I included in that same plan are just that. See how the top part has a curve to it? That’s what I mean by having similar lines and feels. If you have any questions about that, I’d be happy answer them!
All right, so with all of that in mind, here are my three starter guides for light fixtures! I’ve got flush mounts, semi-flush mounts, chandeliers, pendants, single wall sconces, and vanity lights. What I love about these is that they all work well together, and you can mix and match them throughout your home! I hope they’re helpful as you’re shopping for your own home.