LIGHTING TIPS

Local lighting consultants, www.lowes.com and hgtv.com offer these suggestions on using chandeliers and pendant lights in your home:

Ceiling fixtures provide general illumination in a room.

Pendants can be used to add light to specific areas, such

as a table, kitchen sink or bar. In a dining room, the chandelier should be at least 30 inches above the dining room table. (It can go higher, especially if the ceiling is over eight feet in height.) The

diameter of the fixture should be 12 inches less than the

width of the table. In other rooms, the correct size of the chandelier can be determined by adding the length and width of the room. The sum of those two numbers is the diameter, in inches, of the fixture you need. (For example, in a space that's

15 feet by 20 feet, you'd look for a chandelier that has a

diameter of about 35 inches.) Consider proportion as well as standard formulas when you're deciding on the size of a fixture. For example, a chandelier selected based on dimensions of an averagesize

room may look too small if it's hanging over massive

furniture. Fixtures don't have to match throughout the house. Nor

do they have to match the exterior style of the house.