Choosing the Best Chandeliers for Your Home

Whether you are shopping for an elegant crystal chandelier for your formal dining area or are interested in purchasing a multi-light, mini-chandelier for your study, there are a variety of lighting options available to suit any budget or decorating need. Some of the best chandeliers for your home can be found by shopping online lighting merchants or if interested in viewing chandeliers in person, can be found at local home improvement stores.

Chandelier lighting comes in a variety of decorating styles with antique, rustic and Tiffany-inspired pieces being some of the most popular styles available. Since many chandeliers will be used as coordinating items with already existing furniture and table accessories, the best chandeliers available will have finishes that can coordinate with, and not contrast against, the flatware, tableware service and metal-finished furniture hardware. Recognizing this need, chandelier manufacturers have created chandeliers in an assortment of finishes including bronze, brass, steel chrome, iron pewter and other types of metals all available in antique, brass or matte finish styles.

Not limited for dining rooms, chandelier lighting can also be used to provide luminescence for entrywayhallway areas, pool table areas, outdoor areas and more. While some people may be concerned a chandelier may use more energy that a typical incandescent light bulb, todays chandeliers have been developed in energy-efficient styles. Costs can vary, depending on the chandeliers size, composition materials and number of lights however, consumers should expect to pay from just under a hundred dollars for a mini-chandelier to well over thousands of dollars for an antique chandelier or one manufactured using high-end crystals.

If deciding to purchase an expensive or high-end chandelier, make sure to update your records with your homeowners insurance company, take pictures of the item and save all receipts in case a claim will ever need to be filed.

Guide to Buying Modern Chandelier

When in the market for a modern chandelier, you need to carefully review and take into account a variety of important factors. Doing so will guarantee that you get to obtain the most suitable lighting fixture for your specific requirements.

Crystals

Crystals are the most important parts of a modern white chandelier. Since this is the case, it is crucial that you properly inspect the quality of the crystals on the fixture. The best grades are those that radiate white and yet reflect other hues as well.

Frame

When checking out chandeliers, choose those that have appealing frame assemblies. This is even more important if the chandelier you are intending to buy does not feature crystals. The frame should stand out on its own and should be sufficient enough to be the main attraction of the lighting fixture.

Ideal Location

A chandelier is typically intended as the centerpiece of a room. This is why it is crucial to first identify which room in the house you would like to set it up in and identify its midpoint.

Dining Room

The distance between the chandelier’s bottom crystal and the table top has to ideally be at least 30 inches. Such a distance ensures no heads get bumped onto the chandelier. Also, adequate lighting is guaranteed if the fixture is set at such a height.

Hallway

Set a safe distance of at least 7 feet from the base of the lighting fixture to the floor of the hallway.

Foyer

Foyers are rather tricky places to put chandeliers in. But keep in mind that the chandelier should be put squarely in the middle of the foyer, and not in the middle of the grand door or window.

Care

Crystals are best cleaned with dedicated cleaners. However, these cleaning agents are highly corrosive. So always take all the crystals out from the frame, and clean the latter with warm water and salt solution.

The Legacy of Red Chandeliers

Like the black chandelier lights, red chandeliers have graced homes for centuries. The medieval era and the Victorian age, especially, garnered the popularity of red colored chandeliers. Most palaces and mansions were illuminated by chandeliers that spoke of grandeur, luxury and royalty. Churches and courts were also lighted by these mesmerizing lighting fixtures to give a touch of class and magnificence. From simple to fancy designs, these classic pieces have illuminated houses, churches and establishments up to this day and age.

However, chandeliers are no longer just for the wealthy, upper class but fit for all encompassing class, race, and style. Modernity has developed the chandeliers to have more creative, unique and intricate designs that imbibe different styles for various preferences. No longer are red chandeliers for grand palaces or cathedrals, but they now fashion in modern day houses in the suburbs. Depending on the selected design, red colored chandeliers can exude elegance, simplicity or extravagance.

Before, red chandelier lights were specially made of crystals, but nowadays, they come in plastic or synthetic materials. Nevertheless, they still create the same dramatic effect and boldness of the red chandeliers made in the earlier periods in history. They are no longer simply used to light the home, but they are also used to add charm and attractiveness to varying settings.

The red chandelier lights bring back the air of the majestic, proud and elaborate designs of the Victorian era. They have an exotic and sensual appeal to the senses that create a lasting feeling of comfort and luxury to those enclosed within its space. Every room illuminated in its light carries a bit of drama that is part of the legacy of the red chandeliers, having graced homes, palaces and cathedrals since the medieval times.
Overall, the lasting effect and the continued legacy of the red chandeliers have made it timeless classic.

Chandelier Lighting – Four Simple Tips

Chandeliers offer homeowners options in decor, size and style in addition to lighting.  Indeed, the selection of chandelier light fixtures available today for foyers, living rooms,  dining room and family rooms, among other  living spaces are plentiful.  One aspect of chandeliers relates to the lighting component.   This  brief article will discuss four aspects of chandelier lighting consumers may wish to consider prior to purchasing a chandelier light.

(1)  Number of lights on the chandelier:  Chandelier lighting offers many designs with different numbers of lights on the lighting fixture.  For example, some chandelier light fixtures  may have three lights while others may have ten lights.  The number of lights on the chandelier will affect the light emitted by the lighting fixture.

(2)  Number of tiers on the chandelier:  Some chandeliers are designed to have one tier of lights, while others are designed to have more than one tier of lights.  Again, this factor will impact the light emitted by the chandelier as well as the amount of energy consumed by the chandelier lights. 

(3)  Efficiency rating:  Some chandeliers are rated as energy efficient.  What this means is that the chandelier uses less energy to provide lighting.  Energy efficient light fixtures can help consumers use less energy and consequently save on energy bills.

(4) Dimmer switches:  Consumers may also wish to consider installing a compatible dimmer switch to help control the intensity of light emitted by the chandelier.  Dimmer switches allow consumers to use different degrees of lighting.  For example, the homeowner may wish to use dim light to create a relaxing atmosphere, or use bright light for general lighting of the living space.  Dimmer switches allow better control of the intensity of light emitted by the chandelier at any one time. 

Consumer may wish to consider these four tips prior to purchasing chandelier lighting.  More information about chandelier lighting may be found at http://clearhomelighting.com.

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Contemporary Chandelier Lighting

Chandeliers are a nice way to add spice to a room.  They’ve been around for a long time, since the middle ages at least.  What started out as a simple wooden cross with candles has become one of the fanciest ways to add visual impact to a room.  When metal working became cheap enough for the well of merchant middle class to afford, people simply used metal armed chandeliers with candles instead of wood.  With the advent of crystal chandeliers they became decorative as well as functional.  Now that we don’t have to use candles, contemporary chandelier lighting can take on many forms.  We can have pendant chandeliers with wood or cloth shades.  They can be made of metal, glass, wood, or plastics.  There are even blown glass chandeliers lit from the inside.  Who would’ve thought that a simple wood and candle lighting fixture would survive to decorate and light our homes today?