A chandelier is sized by arithmetic before it is chosen by taste. Add the room's length and width in feet, read the sum as inches of diameter, and most of this range leaves the shortlist before style enters the argument. What is left is a choice between rings, candles, crystal and stone.

The shapes a modern chandelier takes

Rings come first. Janet hangs two to five of them on adjustable straps in metallic gold or black ash, and Kendall redraws the classical candle chandelier in twelve or twenty-four contemporary candles. Indra suspends 8 to 49 crystal droplets, Kasper descends in lit tiers from 5 to 32 lights for a double-height stairwell, and Obsidian sets crystal against black at the darker end of the catalog. Seraphine and the other alabaster designs put stone in front of the light, softening it before it reaches the room.

Sizing by room and by table

Two numbers do most of the work. For the room, add length and width in feet and read the sum as inches of diameter: 12 by 14 feet takes about 26 inches, 14 by 18 about 32. For a table or island, span half to two thirds of its length and hang the lowest point 30 to 36 inches above the surface. Keep 7 feet of clearance where people walk beneath, and in a two-story foyer stop the piece level with the second-floor line.

Dining rooms, entries and the rooms between

The dining room is still the natural home, because the table fixes both height and scale. Entries and stairwells reward the vertical designs, seen from the door and again from the landing. Bedrooms take a smaller piece hung centrally, and over a kitchen island a compact form reads calmer than a row of pendant lights. The crystal chandelier collection holds the full-sparkle statements, dining room light fixtures gathers every option for the table, and foyer lighting covers the entry.

Bring two measurements to the shortlist, the room and the table. They rule out more MOD LIGHTING chandeliers than style ever does.