A Quick Guide to Choosing your Glass Chandelier

It’s easy to look at traditional crystal chandeliers and see your pockets empty before you have even made your selection! With chandeliers making a welcome comeback to many decors, you might be surprised to learn that there are more affordable options to achieve that classic chandelier look. Glass chandeliers resemble everything we love about a traditional chandelier, and are more often than not, a more affordable option!

Adding a chandelier to your decor can be a risky choice, but with these few tips, your glass chandelier can shine for all the right reasons.

what purpose will your glass chandelier play in your lighting scheme?

Before selecting any light fitting, it is always important to ask yourself what purpose the lighting needs to serve. A chandelier is a perfect source of ambient lighting, but not necessarily suitable for task lighting. A chandelier is best added to a layered lighting scheme, providing an ambient light, and a decorative element, amongst other forms of task lighting.

consider the scale of your glass chandelier

This is a really important step for any lighting choice, but particularly for chandeliers.  Being, primarily, a decorative source of light, choosing a chandelier that is too big, or too small, will have a huge impact on the overall feel of the room size, and how the rest of your decor comes together within the room. Making a design statement with a chandelier is not always about bigger is better. It is about finding the right scale to compliment the room.

determine appropriate drop heights when hanging your glass chandelier

Determining the height of your chandelier, and the drop at which it will hang, will depend, in some part, on the location of where you choose to hang it. Is it serving a purely decorative function in a void or light well, where drop is purely subjective? Is it over your dining room table, or in your living room, where practical drops need to be considered to avoid obstruction? Do you want it hung high to highlight features of your ceiling?

There are some general rules surrounding drop when it comes to any hanging light fitting.

Ceiling Height	Drop Allowance	Clearance Zone
2.4m	Maximum drop 30cm	210cm from floor level
2.7m	Maximum drop 60cm	210cm from floor level
3m	Maximum drop of 90cm	210cm from floor level
3.3m	Maximum drop of 120cm	210cm from floor level

One of the most common placements for chandeliers is over your dining table, as it creates a cosy ambient light, as well as a wow factor centrepiece for your guests. When installing a chandelier over a table you need to leave enough clearance to create the right balance of chandelier against table size, making sure to also consider the scale of the room, and any other decorative pieces in the room. After all, you want to make your chandelier the hero piece for all the right reasons! One simple rule of thumb is, don’t buy a chandelier bigger than the width of your table. This will help avoid “too much” chandelier from both a practical and design perspective.

If height, size or scale is an issue in your home, you could still achieve that chandelier feel with a flush, or semi flush, mounted style.

consider the weight of your glass chandelier

While glass chandeliers will tend to have less weight than their crystal counterparts, they still carry a fair amount of weight due to the volume of glass, and the density of glass “crystals” they carry. It is always a good idea to consult with the appropriate trades person to make sure your ceiling is capable of supporting the weight of your chandelier.

select a glass chandelier design that will compliment your existing decor

When choosing the style of your glass chandelier, it is really easy to get it wrong! You could make a bold statement and set a traditional style against your contemporary backdrop, which may work well in some environments. We have seen chandeliers make a comeback in cafes, for instance, where they are set as a juxtaposed statement against more industrial or modern decor. But would this work in your home? Consider the statement you want to make with your chandelier. It’s OK to go bold, but make sure this is a statement you are comfortable living with.

Chandeliers can also be the piece in your decor that brings styles together. With more contemporary takes on the traditional glass chandelier emerging, select the right chandelier, and it will be the piece that pulls together your modern and traditional styles.

caring for your glass chandelier

Once you have installed your chandelier it is important that you follow the care instructions provided for your specific fixture. After all, your glass chandelier is the centrepiece of your decor, so making sure it is always sparkling is important. See our tips for caring for your chandelier here.

A chandelier is not only a light source, but a decorative layer to your overall décor. Follow these few simple tips, and find the glass chandelier to become the hero piece of your home. And, it doesn’t have to be traditional, there are modern contemporary designs that to match every style, taste and budget.

If you would like to see more of the range of chandeliers available at Rovert Lighting & Electrical, you can visit our lighting showroom or check out our online store.