Thursday, March 20, 2008

Chandeliers ? Size Does Matter!

When many of us think of the chandelier, we imagine ?The Sound of Music? or some similar Hollywood picture featuring grand ballrooms illuminated by some elaborate and massive chandelier. You know the type?crystal for days and so many bulbs that you find yourself wondering how much it might cost to power that monstrosity for a month. But, when you remember the size of the room these ?Hollywood? chandeliers must illuminate, the light fixture actually seems appropriate. This is precisely as it should be because the size of a chandelier is relative to the room in which they are used.

Chandeliers are natural focal points of any d?cor so there is no need to buy a massive one that requires additional ceiling supports in order to hang. When you purchase an over-sized chandelier, the effect may actually cheapen the d?cor and make it seem gaudy or contrived. Remember, chandeliers convey a subtle grace and elegance. This effect is lost when you have a massive chandelier illuminating a small room. The idea is for the chandelier to naturally draw attention without becoming that mole on your aunt?s face that you just can?t seem to stop staring at.

Similarly, you certainly don?t want to buy a tiny chandelier for a grand dining room. Undersized chandeliers send the message that you ran a little short on your lighting budget and will forever look awkward and out-of-place. However, it is quite common to see tiny chandeliers in homes for the simple reason that they are some of the most expensive lighting fixtures available for homeowners to choose. But if you do have your heart set on a chandelier, how do you choose one that is sized correctly?

Many people choose to mount their chandelier above the dining room table. The dining room is a more formal area and is well-suited for chandeliers. The diameter of the chandelier is based upon the width of the dining room table. This is calculated by taking subtracting twelve inches from the total width of the dining room table. The height that the chandelier should be mounted at for rooms with 9 foot ceilings is roughly 30-33 inches from the top of the dining room table. When the ceiling is above 9 feet tall, the chandelier should hang 3 inches more (add 3 inches to the 30-33 inches figure for every foot above 9 feet) above the table for every foot. So, for a twelve foot ceiling, the chandelier should be 39-42 inches above the dining room table.

When not using the chandelier in the dining room, the size is determined by the room dimensions. There are two basic ways to calculate the diameter of a chandelier using room dimensions. In the first, the diameter is calculated by multiplying 2 inches by the total width of the room in feet. A width of 12 feet would require a chandelier with a diameter of 24 inches.

The other method is to add the dimensions of the room and convert into inches. In other words, a 10?X12? room would have a chandelier with a diameter of 22 inches. Some judgment will be necessary but a good rule of thumb is that it is best to err on the small side when you have more elaborate and traditional chandeliers and to go a little large on more modern chandeliers.

Pamela Tice is the owner of numerous lighting and home decor websites including http://www.barnesandwagner.com. Her store offers a complete product line of indoor lighting such as Light Fixtures and Chandeliers, as well as outdoor lighting from the industries leading manufacturers. Everything to light your home in style.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Which Style of Chandelier Suits Your Lighting Needs?

When it comes to lighting effects, not all chandeliers are alike. Here is a run down of the different types of chandeliers and the type of light they are likely to cast over your dining room table.

Late Victorian: The late Victorian style of chandelier lighting is very similar to the late seventies style of chandelier. This style consists of stacked circular glass blown globes that are stacked in brass wheels of usually eight and then four tiers. This type of chandelier casts a very soft pearly glow and look best in a dim wood paneled room. The more stark seventies versions with the pure white opaque glass look best hanging over a kitchen table and tend to cast a much brighter light.

Gas Electric: This style of chandelier consists of tulip shaped flutes and is usually made of heavy engraved glass. In Victorian times there would have been candles inside these frosted flutes but now a days there is candle shaped light bulbs or regular light bulbs. This style of chandelier which is usually mounted on a metallic wheel, whether it be brass, iron or metal, are usually very bright and sometimes look better somewhere like a bathroom where you need lots of light and not necessarily in a dining room where something more subtle is required.

Arts and Crafts: You know you are looking at an Arts and Crafts style of chandelier if the glass shades are dangling downwards from the wheel rather than sitting like cups on the rim of the wheel. This is characterized by balanced mobiles that consist of two to four to six lampshades on a rustic looking metal frame that hangs from the ceiling.

Mission Style: If the chandelier has black iron limbs or wheels then it is probably mission style. Mission style chandeliers usually also have square shades made of streaked white or pearly opaque glass. This type of chandelier usually casts a dimmer light then most.

Wagon Wheel: This eclectic chandelier was a common sight in the suburbs in the seventies and basically consisted of a wooden wheel that was topped with miniature lamps shades. It casts a nice, yellowish dim light for a dining room.

Atomic Age: Also known as a fifties revival style, these are the chandeliers that look like metal starbursts from which shoot multicolored Christmas bulbs. This unique style never seems that dated as it looks both modern and antique at the same time and the light that it can cast is often pretty because of the different colored bulbs. It does however cast a dimmer light than most.

Art Deco Chandeliers – These are getting rarer and rarer and cast beautiful soft lights the colored round pendant drops and flower shaped fluted shades that are characteristic of the style. The glass on an art deco chandelier is often green or pink and it can also be frosted or streaked with color.

There are hundreds of more styles of chandelier lamp lighting, especially if you want to get into discussing crystal pendant chandeliers but the above represents the most common and affordable styles that you can find online or in stores.

Lauren Tyler writes exclusively for LampLightWorld

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Monday, February 11, 2008

Crystal Chandelier for an Appealing Dining Room

Crystal chandeliers are one of the best décor that you can use to make your home sophisticated and elegant. There are plenty of crystal chandeliers that you can choose from. Yes, there is different variety of crystal chandeliers with different styles, colors and designs. So it is really up to you which one you prefer to put to your home. But there are some factors to consider in making it more appealing and elegant as you hang it on your home. You have to decide the specific part of the room you desire to put a crystal chandelier, since you can hang it on your living room, entrance hall, dining room and bedroom. So you have to decide which part you will hang a crystal chandelier. You also have to know that each room requires different styles and designs of crystal chandeliers. If you desire to put a crystal chandelier is your dining room then you have to consider the size. Since there are some procedures that you need to know and use in order to make it more appealing and look good. If you have a six person dining table, you have to choose crystal chandelier that’s 1.5 to 2 feet wide. If you have an eight person dining table, then you have to purchase a crystal chandelier that’s 2 to 1.5 feet wide. And if you have 10 to 12 person dining table then you have to buy a crystal chandelier that’s 2.5 to 3.5 feet wide.

These are the procedures you need to do and follow to make sure that you will be buying the right and appropriate crystal chandelier in your dining room. These can help you avoid dullness and crowdedness. Since if you put a large crystal chandelier in a smaller room then it will look crowded and it you put small crystal chandelier in a big room it will just look dull. So following the right procedures can help you out in making your dining room look good and beautiful. You have to consider the design and style of your dining room as well. You have to search and purchase a crystal chandelier that matches your dining room. In this way, you can make sure that you are making your dining room elegant and sophisticated. Crystal chandelier is definitely a work of art which can make your home to look at its best but this can be possible if you make sure to consider all the factors needed. All of these factors can make you and aid you to have an elegant home and sophisticated one. Let us say, you finally found the one that is right for your dining table, yes, you have an elegant dining table. Bt do not forget that you have to take good care of it in order to make sure that it will continually possesses its shine and spark. Clean it up with long feathered duster to remove the dirt and dust. One a year it is also better to make deep cleaning. But of course, you have to be extra careful with your crystals to prevent it from damages.

Eliza Maledevic Ayson http://www.goldenageusa.com

Eliza Maledevic writes for http://Jump2Top.com - SEO Company

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Saturday, February 9, 2008

Is Your Chandelier Really Crystal? How To Tell

Crystals chandeliers are some of the more sought after ornate lighting fixtures for homes mainly due to its elegance and exquisiteness while still maintaining its functionality as a lighting fixture. They can engender feelings of warmth and wealth to its owners, allowing them to embellish and foster a rather stylish ambiance for whichever room they may choose to hang it in the house, making it an essential ingredient to any household in terms of having an aesthetically pleasing interior lighting.

There are a lot of different types of crystal chandeliers, varying in size, shape, design and lights, giving you the opportunity to find one that best fits your style and home décor. You also need to take a few factors into consideration, such as the size of the room where you intend to put your crystal chandelier, the design of the room and its color, as well as the lighting needs of that room, before you can choose which type of crystal chandeliers is best for your room's aesthetic and functional needs.

Although some crystals chandeliers are more expensive than others, especially since some are made from different crystals, and others have a more ornate and elaborate design patterns and more expensive construction materials, buying a low-costing crystal chandelier does not necessarily mean that you have gotten the better end of the deal. There are some crystal chandeliers out there that are not made from actual crystals, which means that some crystal chandelier manufacturers use fake crystals in their creation, making you actually spend more on something that isn't what you think it is. Keep in mind that the main aspect of crystal chandeliers that makes them so appealing is their crystals, and having fake crystals is far less rewarding and has a lot less visual impact as compared to having the real ones.

There are ways that you can determine the authenticity and quality of the crystals that the crystal chandelier that you are eying has, one of which is through the use of light. Keep in mind that crystals have the ability to reflect prisms of light, which means that when light passes through the crystals, there should be a full spectrum of colors that would emanate from it, energizing the entire room while dazzling the eyes of those who may gaze upon it.

Ordinary glass chandeliers will not be able to duplicate the spectrum of light that crystal chandeliers are able to produce, so be sure to test them out before making the decision to buy one. Don't forget that the atoms of the crystals are ordered in a way that they can perfectly reflect light and color, so the crystal chandelier that you are eying should be able to interact with light if it is real.

Although most crystal chandeliers are expensive, it isn't always the best way to determine if a particular crystal chandelier has real crystals or not, especially since there exists cheaper versions of these crystals in the form of lead crystals. But nonetheless, real crystal chandeliers should still cost you a considerable amount of money, especially if it is brand new, and more so if it is manufactured by a well-known crystal chandelier-producing company. You can actually check with the manufacturers and inquire what kinds of crystals are being used in their creation in order to ensure that you are getting the real thing.

Golden Age USA - http://goldenageusa.com

Vanessa A. Doctor from Jump2Top - SEO Company

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Wrought Iron Chandeliers Will Bring Warmth

You will be able to add a whole other level of warmth and beauty to your life by purchasing wrought iron chandeliers. These kinds of chandeliers can be placed in one of any number of places in your home and they will make all of the difference. You will be able to enjoy your whole home in ways that you never even know that you could.

You will be able to have a ball hosting all kinds of cocktail parties under the twinkling of your wrought iron chandeliers. These are especially wonderful in the front hall. When you walk into your home you want to feel like you are walking into a showroom right? Well that is what these chandeliers are for. They will make your home your palace and it will be so much fun and so exciting. There are even different sizes for you to choose from depending on the level of elegance that you are looking for.

Some people choose the smaller version of the wrought iron chandeliers because they are not quite so fancy. Many people prefer that look of understated elegance and this is a great idea for many home. You may find some with fancy crystals and some without this too will depend on what kind of look you want to bring to your entire home.

If you have shiny floors the very twinkly light fixture are the best choice as they will reflect in the floor like tiny little diamonds. And when you have the crystal wrought iron chandeliers you are looking at a sea of starts all over the alls the floors and the ceiling. There is nothing that compares to this type of effect, nothing at all in the world.

If you are ready to take the look of your home to the next level then look into wrought iron chandeliers. They come in a variety of different price ranges and you will enjoy them like nothing before see in your home.

Tony has worked in a furniture workshop for more than 12 years. He has worked on numerous pieces of wrought iron furniture and has enough knowledge to give you his quick 3-step evaluation of the metal as well as his insights on wrought iron wall decor. This is made available to the public via his wrought iron furniture website, http://www.jlspecialty.com

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