Why buy new furniture if you can improve the old furniture? When you invest in good quality furniture, you don’t have to throw it away as soon as the fabric starts to fade. With reupholstering and refinishing, your old furniture can look as good as new. I revitalize my old furniture all the time. If you want to stop thinking of your expensive furniture as disposable and start thinking of it as something that you can periodically improve, you’re on the right track. I started this blog to provide you with tips and tricks for reupholstering, refinishing, and upgrading your old furniture.
Choosing the perfect lighting fixture for your dining room requires a bit of planning. It's a good idea to already know the basic dimensions of the table and the style of your furniture before you choose a fixture, just to ensure that everything works well together. Once you armed with the furniture information and the room dimensions, you can begin shopping. The following tips can help you make the right choice.
Tip #1: Know your size constraints
As a general rule, the light fixture should be no more than half the width of the table. You don't want it to extend past the edges of the table since this can be both visually overpowering and it can lead to bumped heads depending on how low the fixture hangs. This size constraint is mainly for chandeliers. If you are looking for ceiling fan and fixture combination, for example, the fan blades can extend beyond the edges of the table.
Tip #2: Consider your ceiling height
You can opt for longer and more impressive chandeliers or pendant lights if you have higher ceilings. You should plan to have the bottom of the fixture no less than 3 feet above the table surface. Any closer makes it difficult to serve food and set the table without bumping into the fixture. It can also make the space feel too small or crowded.
Tip #3: Choose between traditional and modern
Style is also important. Traditional chandelier fixtures comes in several styles. There are the simple wrought iron types that work well in rustic farm-style dining rooms. Ornate crystal chandeliers work best with antique furniture or an ultra-formal dining area. For a formal look that is more adaptable to other styles, polished nickel or gold-toned chandeliers are popular.
For modern styles, chandeliers with clean lines and geometric shapes are popular. These often have simple shades on the lamps. Pendant lights, either singly or in a cluster, are also a popular modern choice. Just keep in mind that whatever your choice, you want to make sure it can evolve with your changing home décor style.
Tip #4: Check out your shade options
Often you can switch out the shades or even the bulb styles in a chandelier, which can give the opportunity to change it's style to fit your whims. For example, opt for a fixture that allows the use of both candle flame style bulbs and more modern round bulbs. Or, choose a fixture that has several different shade styles that you can use on it, such as stained glass, paper shades, or even Asian-inspired rice paper boxes.
Contact a lighting retailer (like The Lamp Outlet) for more help.
Share13 October 2016
