How To Measure a Room for a Ceiling Light or Chandelier
If you’re searching for the best ceiling light for any room, but unsure about what size is appropriate, then you’ve come to the right place! A few quick measurements and some simple formulas and best practices will put you on track to making sure that your light is both functional and right-sized for your space.
Decide on the Type of Light Fixture
First of all, consider how the light will be used in the room. If you’re looking for a ceiling light that will provide ambient light to the room, then a large fixture might fit the bill, so long as it doesn’t overwhelm the space. If you are using a ceiling-mounted fixture to bring extra luminosity to a portion of the room, such as a reading nook or dining room table, then a smaller light is probably right for the job.
Next, think about the overall style and aesthetic. If your space is classically traditional, then a traditional style light will help complete the look without clashing. If it is clean and modern in design, then look for a more streamlined, industrial, or contemporary fixture.
Fulton Nine Light Chandelier
How to Choose the Right Ambient Lighting by Room
Chandeliers set the mood in a room like no other fixture, whether they be elegant and ornate or modern and contemporary A ring chandelier, which is more understated in design, still makes a bold statement.
Pendant Lights
Pendant lights are also excellent statement pieces, without taking up as much space as a chandelier. Used over a dining room table or kitchen island, pendants help to shine focused light on those areas. One or more pendant lights can also be hung from the ceiling at appropriate intervals throughout the room, providing warm and inviting light while also serving as an eye-catching design feature.
How to Measure for a Ceiling Light Width
Step one is to gather the tools you’ll need to make your measurements: a measuring tape, pencil, and paper. Measure the length of the room, and then the width.
A simple formula comes in handy here. As a best practice, you want the width of your fixture to be the same, in inches, as the length plus width of the room, in feet.
In other words: room length in feet + room width in feet = fixture width in inches.
Let’s say that your room is 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. The sum of those two numbers is 25 feet. Swap the number of feet for inches, and that gives you the ideal approximate width of your ceiling fixture (25 inches).
There are, of course, exceptions! For instance, if you are placing a light fixture over a dining room table, then you want to take the table’s size into account. In general, choose a light that is about 12 inches narrower than your table, to create a balanced effect.
How to Measure of Ceiling Light Height
Using your measuring tape, determine the height of your ceiling. Generally speaking, it is recommended that the light fixture itself be 3 inches tall for every foot of height. For instance, if your ceilings are 10 feet high, then your ceiling light should be 30 inches tall.
However, the most important measurement and guideline has to do with head clearance, which depends on the space and furniture in the room.
Hallways and Foyers
A minimum of seven feet under your ceiling fixture is recommended for high-traffic areas like hallways and foyers. As you are measuring and determining placement of your light, be sure to factor in any doors that may swing into the path of the fixture.
Two-Story Foyers
Go upstairs and look into the foyer from the second floor. You want your ceiling fixture to be at eye level from this perspective, or slightly lower.
Two-Story Foyers
As is the case in hallways, you want to make sure that you leave adequate clearance for any tall family members or friends walking into the room. The 7 foot rule applies here, as well: the bottom of the fixture should be at least 84 inches above the floor.
Over Tables and Islands
When placing a ceiling light above a table, it is recommended that you leave 30-34 inches of distance between the top of the table and the bottom of the ceiling fixture. For a kitchen island, the recommended distance is a bit higher: 36 inches.
Vaulted Ceilings
If your room has vaulted ceilings, then a bit of extra care is in order. You want to raise or lower the fixture as appropriate in order to leave at least 7 feet of clearance above the ground. When installing the light, step back and look at how it affects the room, as some homeowners prefer to leave 8 feet of clearance in order to give the room a sense of even more spaciousness.
Kitchen
Small Chandeliers
If a big, multi-tiered chandelier seems that it will not work in your space, you can opt for a short chandelier. Also beautiful statement pieces, these fixtures are designed to hang closer to the ceiling, in order not to crowd your space.
Flush and Semi-Flush Mount Lights
If you determine that your ceilings are too low for a chandelier or pendant lights, then a flush mount light is a great option. Mounted flush against the ceiling, it will not detract from the headspace in the room yet can still serve as a design component for your style, since flush mount lights come in a wide variety of finishes and colors and often include a stately glass globe. A semi-flush light is also worth considering: these drop a few inches below the ceiling and so will draw the eye upward even more than a flush mount light. And they come in a wide variety of styles, from ornamental and traditional to sleek and modern.
Recessed Lights
Highly popular in today’s architecture because they are almost entirely hidden by being inset into the ceiling, recessed or can lights can give your room plenty of illumination and work beautifully with almost any design style. You can install them in the ceiling itself or in soffits, which are the visible undersides of the house’s architecture that conceal ductwork or even beams.
You can also look for recessed lights that come on a rotating axis, so you can adjust the light to direct it at a particular architectural or design feature, or even install them on a sloped ceiling so they point straight downward.
Statement Ceiling Lights for Smaller Rooms
If the square footage of your room is on the smaller side, this doesn’t mean that you can’t use a statement fixture in the space. Simply select an option that has less visual weight to it, or even see-through component parts. A pendant light with a clear glass globe works perfectly with a modern aesthetic without overwhelming a small room. A small chandelier can even work in the same way, especially if the design includes a lot of negative space.
Light Positioning for Harmonious Design
Once you have chosen the perfect fixture and, if appropriate, adjusted its length to hang the right height from the ceiling, you want to place it in the right spot. This will often mean finding and marking the center of the ceiling, but if your room has architectural features like exposed beams, then be sure to take those into consideration – not only do you want the light to distribute evenly throughout the space, but you also want to make sure your ceiling doesn’t look cluttered.
Getting Started with Ceiling Lighting
At Visual Comfort, we have a wide range of ceiling lights that are perfect for any size room. And, of course, we also have track lighting, wall sconces, and lamps that will round out the space with the perfect task and accent lights. Visit visualcomfort.com to get started.
FAQs
How important is it to account for ceiling height?
In most rooms, you want to ensure that you leave at least 7 feet of clearance between the floor and the bottom of your fixture, so your tallest friends and family don’t bonk their heads on the fixture and so the room doesn’t look overwhelmed by the fixture. Above dining room tables, leave at least 30-34 inches, and above kitchen islands, around 36 inches.
Should I consider the size and scale of furniture when choosing a ceiling light?
When placing a chandelier or pendant lights above a dining room table, choose a fixture that is around 12 inches narrower than the width of your table, to achieve the right balance. If you have other large furniture to contend with, consider placing it in areas that are not directly underneath the ceiling fixture, to reduce visual clutter.
What are the easiest formulas for determining the right ceiling fixture width and height?
Add the length of the room to the width of the room, in feet. Then choose a ceiling fixture with a width that is the same number, in inches. For height, you typically want a ceiling fixture that is 3 inches long for every foot of height between your floor and your ceiling, making certain that you leave at least 7 feet of room underneath it for head clearance.