Light the room.
Choose your chandelier.

A chandelier is the one light in a room that people look at, so it has to suit the room before it suits your taste. The size of the fitting, the height it hangs at, the bulbs it takes and the weight the ceiling has to carry decide whether it works. This guide walks through those decisions in the order a lighting shop would ask them, so you can read a product page and know what the numbers mean.

Start with the room

Write down where the fitting will hang and what sits underneath it. A dining table, a kitchen island, an open entry, a stairwell, a bedroom or a hallway each point at a different size and style, and inside each category only a handful of measurements really separate one product from the next.

Size and hanging height

Over a table. A common guide is a fitting about half to two thirds the width of the table, with its lowest point roughly 75 to 90 cm above the table top. A linear fitting over a long table or island should be shorter than the surface below it.

In an open space. Where people walk underneath, the bottom of the fitting needs to clear heads, so around 2.1 m from the floor is a common minimum. In a double-height entry or stairwell a longer drop and a larger fitting fill the space; a long cable or chain is listed on the product page where the maker supplies one.

Low ceilings. On a standard 2.4 m ceiling there is little room for a drop in a walkway, which is what flush and semi-flush chandeliers are for. Check the fitting's height with the chain at its shortest against your ceiling.

Styles

Crystal. K9 crystal drops and prisms throw light around the room and suit dining rooms, entries and formal living rooms. Count the lights and check the diameter; crystal fittings are heavier than they look, so the weight matters.

Modern LED. Rings, spirals and linear bars with the light built in. Look at the wattage, lumens, colour temperature and whether it dims by remote. These suit kitchens, open-plan living and staircases.

Black and industrial. Matte black metal, cages and exposed bulbs. Easy to match with black tapware and window frames; the bulb you choose sets the look as much as the frame does.

Gold and brass. Warm metal finishes, often paired with black or crystal. Check whether the finish is painted, plated or solid brass on the product page.

Sputnik. Mid-century arms radiating from a centre, from 4 to 12 bulbs. Count the arms and check the spread, which is the diameter across the tips.

Farmhouse and rustic. Wood-look, rattan, lantern and wagon-wheel shapes for kitchens and country homes. Chain-hung fittings usually adjust over a wide range of heights.

Flush mount and mini. Compact fittings for hallways, bedrooms, walk-in robes and nurseries, including small crystal pieces. The diameter and drop are the figures to read.

Kitchen island and linear. Long fittings or a row of pendants on one canopy. Read the overall length, the drop and the canopy size, and keep the fitting shorter than the island.

Bulbs, wattage and dimming

Most bulb chandeliers take E27 (large screw), E14 (small screw) or G9 bulbs, and the product page lists the base, the number of lights and the maximum wattage per bulb. LED bulbs use a fraction of that maximum, so a 6-light fitting with 6 W LED bulbs draws about 36 W. Built-in LED chandeliers list their total wattage and lumens instead, and dim only where the maker provides a remote, app or compatible driver. Bulbs are in the box on some fittings and not others; the product page says which.

Installation in Australia

Every chandelier here is a hardwired fitting rated for 220 to 240 volt mains. In Australia, connecting a light fitting to the ceiling wiring is licensed electrical work, so plan for a licensed electrician and give them the fitting's weight and canopy size from the product page. Heavy fittings need a fixing point in a joist or a rated bracket, not plasterboard alone. A dimmer must match the bulbs or LED driver.

Cleaning and care

Crystal drops are usually hung by hand after the frame is up and can be lifted off for cleaning with a soft cloth. Metal finishes want a dry or barely damp cloth and no abrasives. Switch the circuit off before you touch bulbs or crystals.

Your chandelier buying checklist

Name the room. Measure the ceiling height and the table or island below. Pick the category. Read the diameter or length, the drop range and the weight. Check the bulb base, number of lights and maximum wattage, or the LED wattage and dimming method. Check what is in the box. Then compare prices, in Australian dollars, with delivery included at $150 and over.

The short version

Buy for the room, read the maker's measurements rather than the adjectives, and make sure the drop and the bulbs suit the spot the chandelier will hang in. Every product page here lists those figures so you can decide before you order, and you have 14 days from delivery to change your mind.