A chandelier can make a great statement in any space, provided it is correctly proportioned to the furniture and the rest of the room.
What size chandelier should you use for a 60” round table? Generally, your chandelier should be between a half and two-thirds the dining table width. For a 60” round table, your chandelier should have a diameter between thirty inches and forty inches. This will ensure overall proportionality.
By selecting a chandelier that fits proportionately with your table, you will ensure an aesthetically pleasing result. You’ll also know that your chandelier will not interfere with your use of the table.
The ideal dimension of 30” to 40” for a 60” round table comes from a simple calculation:
The general rule of thumb for ideal chandelier size indicates that the fitting’s width should be between a half and two-thirds the width of the table. If your table is 60” in diameter, half of that would be a chandelier 30” in diameter, and two-thirds of 60” is 40”.
Therefore, any chandelier with dimensions between 30” and 40” will be ideal for a table of 60” diameter. Remember that you will seldom come across chandeliers with these exact dimensions.
However, the abovementioned dimensions simply serve as a guideline to ensure that you choose a chandelier that will work with your table.
A chandelier over a dining table must be large enough to ensure the entire table is washed in light. But you also need to ensure nobody seated at the table is covered in shadow.
From a practical point of view, your chandelier should not overhang the table width to the extent that guests can potentially hit their heads on the fixture. For this reason, your chandelier should be narrower than the table by a minimum of one foot on either side.
Ensure one foot of space between the edge of the table and the chandelier. Then, you will eliminate the potential for guests to hurt themselves on your chandelier when standing up.
Aesthetically speaking, a chandelier installed over a dining table must not be larger than the table itself. This will look extremely disproportionate and create a sense of imbalance in the room. On the other end of the interior design spectrum, a chandelier that is too small in proportion to the table will appear out of place.
What Is The Right Height Of A Chandelier For A 60’’ Round Table?
Now that we understand the width dimension guidelines for a chandelier, we should look at its height. Just as with the width, the height of a chandelier should also be proportionate to the table. The chandelier should not be so large that it touches – or interferes with – your centerpiece.
The following rule of thumb for chandeliers works extremely well for determining the optimal height of the fixture:
For every foot in room height, add 2.5” in fixture height. For a chandelier with a light, unobtrusive design, you can look at a 3:1 ratio.
For example, suppose your ceilings are around 8 feet high. In that case, your chandelier should be around 20” high if you opt for an aesthetically heavy chandelier. With a lighter chandelier, you can get away with a fixture of around 24”.
How High Should A Chandelier Hang Above A 60’’ Round Table?
Now that you have determined the correct width and height for your chandelier, you must ensure that you hang it at the correct height above the table. Generally speaking, your chandelier should sit around 30” to 36” above the tabletop if you have ceilings around 8 feet high.
If your ceilings are over eight feet high, you should mount your chandelier 3” higher for every extra foot of ceiling height over eight feet.
Generally speaking, your chandelier should not block the view over the rest of the room or across the table while you are seated there. It should also not touch the table’s centerpiece, nor should it be so high that it doesn’t illuminate the table effectively.
Sizing Your Chandelier According To Room Size
Suppose you have not yet decided on your dining table and are not a hundred percent certain what size your table will be. In that case, you can determine the ideal chandelier size according to the room’s dimensions.
This will not necessarily be as accurate as choosing your chandelier’s size according to the size of the table. But it will ensure that the fixture is proportionate to the room itself.
The simplest way to determine this dimension is by measuring the width and length of the room in feet. Add these two dimensions together, and then treat this figure as if it were in inches. This figure, in inches, is the best diameter for your chandelier to have.
For example, say your dining room is 12’ by 14’. Adding these two figures together will give you 26’. Now pretend this figure is in inches, and you will have your ideal chandelier size for the room of 26”.
Conclusion
When purchasing a chandelier, it must be proportional to the room and the rest of the furniture within the room. This is particularly true of a chandelier over a dining table.
The general rule is that the width of the chandelier should be at least a foot less than the width of the table. A chandelier should be around 2/3 or ½ the width of the table for functional and aesthetic reasons.
