Are you moving into a new home or considering some changes to your home's lighting? Lighting is an essential feature of a room's beauty, so it should be the first consideration when decorating a room.
If you've made that consideration already, the next step is to ensure that you choose the perfect ceiling light that illuminates your home and elevates the mood in your home.
Let's begin by asking the right questions:
What's the appropriate measurement for my ceiling light?
Choosing the wrong light fixture can dampen the design of your space. That's why it is crucial to ensure that your lighting fits perfectly into your room space without looking too big or small.
There are some vital measurements to ensure your ceiling lights are just perfect. Let's get into it.
What is the best diameter of my light fixture?
When hanging your pendants, chandeliers, and other ceiling lights, you need to follow a measurement method to get it right.
Start by measuring your room's width and length in feet (e.g 12 feet by 14 feet). Then add the two lengths (12+14= 26 feet). After that, switch the feet to inches (i.e 26 inches). What you have is the best diameter for your light fixture; lighting that is 26 inches wide.
What is the right light fixture height?
Begin by measuring the height of your room from floor to ceiling in feet. (e.g 12 feet). Then, multiply the height by 2.5 to 3 inches (12x2.5- 12x5 = 30-36 feet). Proceed to swap the feet for inches (i.e 30-36 inches).
So, you'll need a light fixture that's 30 to 36 inches tall.
Spacing and Clearance when Lighting Fixtures around your home
Now that we know the best height and diameter for your ceiling lights, let's consider other factors. This is where the spacing between your ceiling lights and their immediate environment comes in. There are also different rules for different locations.
Rules for Placing Lighting over a Dining Room Table
Ensure that the width and length of your lighting fixture are at least one foot shorter than the table length or 6 inches smaller on either side.
Ensure to leave between 28 and 36 inches of space between the bottom of the lighting to the top of the table.
Linear suspension and multi-light pendants are the best matches for over and long rectangular dining tables.
Chandeliers and single pendants work best for round or square tables.
You can make a statement with round canopy multiple lights.
You can also line up smaller pendants across your dining table for a multiple lighting statement.
Rules for lighting above the kitchen stand
The best ceiling lights for lighting above your kitchen stand are the pendants and mini pendants. However, it is crucial to ensure that there's an equal amount of space between all the pendants.
To ensure correct spacing, measure the length of the kitchen island in inches (e.g 80 inches), decide the diameter of the pendants you're using and how many pendants you want to fix (e.g 4 pendants with 10 inches diameter). Combine the diameter of all the pendants and subtract it from the length of your kitchen island (80-40=40 inches).
Add one to the number of pendants already decided to ensure the spacing between each pendant. So, your pendant number becomes 5. Then, divide the 40 inches gotten after subtraction by 5; the new number of pendants. (40÷5= 8 inches). So, the space between each pendant you place should be 8 inches.
It is a notable practice to hang your small or medium pendants with 66 inches to 77 inches between the floor and the bottom of the fixtures.
What is the lowest distance a ceiling light can hang?
When hanging ceiling lights in bedrooms, living rooms, and open foyers, it is best to keep 7 feet between the bottom of the fixture and the floor.
For a hallway or open foyer, ensure that your chandeliers or pendants hang with their bottom 6 inches or higher than the door.
Ensure that there are 8 feet of space between the bottom of your ceiling lights and the top of the tub in your bathroom.
If you have a smaller bathroom, hang a smaller chandelier and ensure it is 3 feet away from being directly over the tub with the 7-foot clearance in place.
What types of ceiling lights should I consider for my home?
Now that we know how to get the light fixture measurement right, let's talk about the best ceiling lights for your home.
1. Ceiling Pendants
Ceiling pendants are popular amongst home designs because they can fit into all sorts of decor.
They often come with rods, cables, or chains suspending them, and you can adjust the suspenders during installation for the best height.
Ceiling pendants have several variations, including ceiling pendant clusters, ceiling pendant bars, and rise and fall ceiling pendants.
Ceiling pendant clusters look just like single ceiling pendants but have increased lighting outputs. The clusters are perfect for dining tables and can be hung over staircases to light up the stairs.
Ceiling Pendant Bars create the look of a row of ceiling pendants within a single rose. They are great for dining tables and kitchen islands and can be adjusted to fit different clearance heights.
Rise and Fall Ceiling Pendants are more flexible than the average ceiling light and are just as comfortable on your work desk as your dining table.
The pendants have a counterweight that allows you lower or raises the shade to suit your lighting needs at the time.
2. Flush Ceiling Lights
Flush ceiling lights are perfect for homes with lower ceilings because they have the lowest projection distance from the ceiling. They are produced in many sizes and styles to suit your decor theme and budget.
3. Semi-Flush Ceiling Lights
These ceiling lights are great for standard ceilings because they drop a little lower than the flush ceiling lights. They are also great for hanging over tables in houses with low ceilings.
4. Chandeliers
Chandeliers are the most statement-making ceiling lights in the group. They have beautiful and elaborate designs that can improve the ambiance and design of any room.
Chandeliers are multi-arm ceiling lights that come in different styles, including traditional and modern styles. They can be as elaborate as you want them to be and also as simple as well.
This chandelier comprises several tiers of beautiful clear glass rods and black aluminum, making them an awe-inspiring addition to your home's lighting.
The chandelier spirals downwards in a beautiful pattern alongside dimmable bulbs to suit your lighting taste.
RECOMMENDED: 3 UNIQUE CHANDELIERS FOR YOUR HOME
Conclusion
You cannot go wrong with your ceiling lights and chandelier if you follow these simple guides. We also hope that the product recommendations will help you in your search for the best chandeliers and ceiling lights.
Light up your home, Light up your life!
