Lantern Chandelier Dining Room

Lantern Chandelier Dining Room

The 10 Best Chandeliers of 2021

Light up your space with style

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While it's easy to settle for recessed lighting or lamps, nothing makes quite a statement like a chandelier. Quite frankly, they're the best way to illuminate your room and create a striking focal point. But chandeliers don't necessarily have to be the crystal monstrosities à la The Phantom of the Opera. There is a wide variety of styles and sizes to suit any home—and any room (you can even hang one in your bathroom!).

Whether you're interested in a charming farmhouse fixture to hang over your dining room table or something a little more practical, like a chandelier with a fan to keep things cool, we have suggestions for you.

Here, the best chandeliers at every price point.

Our Top Picks

This versatile chandelier is simple and elegant, and it's even compatible with a dimmer switch.

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Striking and thoroughly contemporary, this sputnik chandelier looks way more expensive than it actually is.

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This traditional crystal chandelier will add just the right amount of elegance and glamour to your home.

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The geometric shape, built-in LED sconces, and pivoting arms and shades really make this piece stand out.

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Made of metal in a cage-style that resembles a lantern, this chandelier will give your home some ambiance and farmhouse flair.

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This wagon wheel chandelier has a weathered finish that's perfect for rustic spaces.

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This crystal ceiling fan-light duo is practical, stylish, and totally unique.

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This one is stylish and affordable, and has a smaller footprint that's ideal for tight spaces.

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This 12-light Sputnik chandelier will give your home futuristic, mid-century modern vibes.

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Simple yet chic, this chandelier will pair well with a variety of aesthetics.

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Mixing several different aesthetics, this elegant chandelier is our top pick for its stylistic versatility. With a traditional candelabra-inspired silhouette, this light fixture feels slightly traditional, yet its thin metal arms make it decidedly modern and industrial.

The chandelier is made of steel with a dark bronze finish, so it'll easily complement just about any decor. The bulbs are exposed, so it provides a solid amount of light—just make sure you pick a flattering bulb style, like flame shapes or globes.

Stylish chandeliers don't have to break your budget. This stylish sputnik chandelier found on Amazon looks way more expensive than it is, thanks to the shiny brass finish, eight exposed bulbs, and eye-catching shape. It's also pretty versatile, and can be used on both flat or sloped ceilings and is fully dimmable with a dimmer switch. You get to choose your bulbs, but we recommend Edison bulbs to really complete the contemporary look.

If you do want to go for a traditional crystal chandelier, here's a pro tip: Keep it on the smaller side so as not to overwhelm a space but rather accent it. That's why Wayfair's Louann chandelier gets our vote. It's beautifully elegant, but it isn't overly gaudy, though it does provide just enough sparkle to liven up a room.

Plus, its small size makes it work all over the house, from a foyer to a dining room to a bedroom. (How perfect would it be in a princess-themed children's bedroom?) The light fixture comes with a dimmer switch, so you can adjust the amount of light it gives off, too.

Outfit your modern kitchen with AllModern's Bondy Chandelier if you're going for an approachable contemporary look with roots in classic lighting elements. While the geometric shape is certainly modern, the built-in LED sconces and pivoting arms and shades really make this piece stand out. Plus, the black color is super versatile, so you can use it in a modern farmhouse kitchen or a contemporary industrial one.

The modern farmhouse aesthetic combines rustic parts that you might find on a farm—say, an old lantern—with contemporary finishes, a light color palette, and lots of textures. That makes Laurel Foundry's Carmen Lantern the perfect farmhouse chandelier. The open-form light fixture has a classic silhouette and comes in four finishes: a sleek polished chrome, jet black, and antique silver, and rubbed bronze. Unlike more traditional chandeliers, this one feels warm and casual, making it ideal for a living room or laidback dining space.

When contemporary styles just won't do for you, you can always opt for a more rustic light fixture, like Birch Lane's Abrams Wagon Wheel Chandelier. Crafted from metal with a weathered finish and resembling a wagon wheel, it's guaranteed to add a rustic, homey touch to any aesthetic. As its name implies, the chandelier has six candle-like lights supported on a round wood frame that recalls a wagon wheel, making for the perfect rustic-style focal point in a living room or dining room.

If you live in a hotter climate, you might want to go super practical with your chandelier. Fan-chandelier combos are a great choice not only for the light they provide but also for their airflow, and while you can certainly use them indoors, they're also helpful in screened-in porches.

Our pick is Kelly Clarkson Home's Leonie 5-Blade LED Crystal Ceiling Fan, which combines practicality with a bold, sparkling look. The fan itself has three speeds and a reversible motor, allowing you to control your room's climate with ease.

Globe chandeliers are a beautiful—and versatile—addition to any space in the home. They typically have a more rounded shape compared to traditional chandeliers, as well as a smaller footprint, so they're especially ideal for tight spaces. This find from Home Depot is a stylish and affordable option that comes in three finishes and two sizes, and is complete with five bulbs of your choice. Even better? It comes with a three-year warranty.

The mid-century modern design movement of the 1950s through 1970s included some Space Age vibes inspired by the Space Race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. One of the furnishings to come out of this period were Sputnik-style chandeliers, which riff on the metallic, starburst-like form of the Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite, the world's first artificial satellite.

Sputnik light fixtures are still popular today, so if you're a space geek or simply a fan of futuristic mid-century design, consider buying David Rembert's 12-Light Sputnik Sphere Chandelier, which has a polished chrome body and arms supporting 12 spherical lights.

Drum shades are popular on lamps, but they also work well for chandeliers, too. Wayfair's Onley Drum Chandelier is a perfect example—the large drum shade comes in off-white, while the rod comes in a metal finish that's incredibly versatile. It's a perfect size, too—just 18 inches in diameter, making it big enough to provide a solid amount of light, but not too big that it overwhelms a room. Plus, the fabric shade does a great job of diffusing the light, creating a soft, warm ambiance in any room.

Final Verdict

Overall, we recommend the Graham Iron Chandelier (view at Pottery Barn), a simple, versatile option that'll look elegant in any space and never go out of style. For something more budget-friendly, we recommend the HOXIYA Sputnik Chandelier (view at Amazon), a modern, gold-finished option that looks way more expensive than it is.

Size

Size is probably the most important factor when it comes to picking a chandelier, so be sure you take all the measurements of the room before you start shopping to make sure you'll get the right size fixture for your space. And it's not just about the size of the chandelier itself—you have to consider the height at which it hangs, too. In a dining room, for example, you'll want to have your chandelier rest about 36 inches above your table or 72 inches off the floor.

Bulbs

Most chandeliers are sold without light bulbs, which means you'll likely have to buy them separately. Keep in mind that there are different types of lightbulbs out there, from LEDs to incandescent to smart bulbs, and those different types of bulbs come in a variety of shapes. Check to see what kind of bulbs are recommended for your chandelier, whether that's a candelabra-style CFL or a globular LED bulb—you don't want to be stuck with a chandelier that isn't compatible with your preferred bulb.

Installation

Chandeliers aren't the easiest fixtures to install on your own, between the technical know-how of hardwiring them into your ceiling and structural know-how of how much weight your specific ceiling can hold. If you plan on DIYing your chandelier installation, consider the ease of hanging it—larger, heavier fixtures are much more difficult to manage. Ultimately, we recommend hiring a pro to install your chandelier, so factor in that cost when setting your budget.

Stefanie Waldek writes about furniture, decor, and home improvement for The Spruce and MyDomaine. She thinks light fixtures are underrated works of art, and considered materials, size, and style when writing this article.

FAQ

• How do you install a chandelier?

  Installing a chandelier requires attaching electrical wires to ceiling wiring and then screwing in a decorative ceiling plate to conceal and protect wiring. Chandeliers are delicate and can be heavier than other light fixtures, so it's important to hang them securely, which may include installing a special electrical box that can support their weight. A licensed electrician is the safest bet to make sure that your chandelier is properly wired and supported.
  

• How high should a chandelier be above a table?

  The standard rule for hanging a chandelier above the dining room table is that the bottom of the fixture should hang between 30 and 36 inches above the top of the dining table. If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet, raise the chandelier height by 3 inches for every additional inch of ceiling height. Keep in mind that this is just a guideline, and that many designers consider it more modern to hang a chandelier lower to ground the dining area and create a pleasing ambient light for diners.

• How do you clean a crystal chandelier?

  The crystals on a chandelier will become cloudy with dirt and grime over time, depleting them of their blingy, light-reflecting properties. To clean a chandelier, carefully remove crystals and soak them in dish soap and water with a splash of vinegar before gently scrubbing them clean, or using a soft cloth, rub them gently with a solution of one part rubbing alcohol and four parts water. Wipe them dry, and replace them on the chandelier. Dusting your crystal chandelier with a feather duster in between cleanings should help make this a once-a-year job.

• How do you change a chandelier?

  Switching out a chandelier requires switching off the electricity, unscrewing the decorative ceiling plate that usually covers chandelier wiring, disconnecting the light fixture from ceiling wires, and reattaching the new light fixture. Keep in mind that heavy chandeliers can be difficult to move and swapping them out is generally a two-person job that requires a ladder and may require installing an electrical box that can support the extra weight. If in doubt, hire a professional, especially if you are working with a heavy vintage or antique light fixture.

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Lantern Chandelier Dining Room

Source: https://www.thespruce.com/best-chandeliers-4155073