How to Choose a Chandelier
A chandelier defines how a room looks in the evening, so choose it by several criteria: size, ceiling height, brightness, colour temperature, controls and fixing. Here is the order in which to check them, and the numbers to compare models.
1. Size for the room
A simple rule: add the length and width of the room in metres and multiply by 8 — that gives a suitable chandelier diameter in centimetres. For a 4 × 3.5 m room that is (4 + 3.5) × 8 = 60 cm. The most common width of our LED chandeliers is 47–64 cm, which suits most bedrooms and living rooms. For a long room or a room with two zones, two smaller lights work better than one large one.
2. Ceiling height
Leave at least about 2.1 m clear below the chandelier wherever people walk. With a 2.5 m ceiling that means a chandelier no taller than 40 cm, though 10–25 cm is more comfortable. More than half of our LED chandeliers are up to 10 cm tall. For low ceilings there is a separate guide: ceiling lights for low ceilings. A pendant light over a table can hang lower — about 60–80 cm above the tabletop, because nobody walks there.
3. Brightness in lumens
Brightness is measured in lumens (lm), not watts. As a guide, multiply the room area in m² by the lighting level you need in lux: 100–150 for a bedroom, 150–200 for a living room, 200–300 for a kitchen. A 15 m² bedroom needs 1500–2250 lm. Figures for every room: how many lumens you need per m².
4. Colour temperature
Warm light (3000 K) suits the evening and relaxing, neutral light (4000–4500 K) suits the kitchen, and cool light (6500 K) suits work. On most of our LED chandeliers the tone can be changed from 3000 to 6500 K, so you do not have to choose once and for all. More: colour temperature.
5. Controls: wall switch or remote
Almost all our LED ceiling chandeliers come with a remote control: it switches the light on, changes the tone and, on many models, the brightness too. In the catalogue use the “Remote” filter. What to know before you buy: chandelier with remote control.
6. Built-in LED or bulbs
An LED chandelier has a built-in light source: there are no bulbs to buy or replace, and the chandelier is usually slimmer. With a bulb chandelier (E27, E14, GX53, GU10) you choose the bulbs yourself, including their brightness and tone. Bulbs are not included with our bulb chandeliers — you can buy them in the Bulbs and other products section. Bulb chandeliers have 2–10 sockets and are usually taller, most often around 23 cm.
7. Fixing and the room
Before buying, check the weight of the chandelier and the type of ceiling: a heavy chandelier is fixed to a concrete or timber beam, not to plasterboard alone. Almost all our chandeliers have protection rating IP20 — they are meant for dry rooms. A bathroom needs a moisture-resistant light, at least IP44.
A chandelier for every room
Ready-made selections: living room chandeliers, bedroom chandeliers, kitchen ceiling lights, dining room chandeliers, hallway ceiling lights and kids room chandeliers. If your room gets hot in summer, take a look at ceiling fans with lights and our guide on how to choose a ceiling fan.
Frequently asked questions
What size chandelier do I need for a 20 m² room?
For a 5 × 4 m room: (5 + 4) × 8 = 72 cm. For a square 4.5 × 4.5 m room — about 70 cm.
Can I put two chandeliers in one room?
Yes. In a long or L-shaped room, two identical lights give more even lighting than one large one.
Are bulbs included with a bulb chandelier?
No, with our bulb chandeliers you buy the bulbs separately. LED chandeliers already have the light source built in.