Foyer Chandeliers

Foyer chandeliers have to work from two positions at once: standing at the front door, and looking down from a landing or the stairs. Tiered and cascading forms dominate this page for that reason, since they fill vertical space a single flat fixture leaves empty.

How to choose foyer chandeliers

Measure the ceiling before anything else. A two story entry can carry a cascade six feet tall. A standard eight foot hallway cannot, and a wide flush or semi flush fixture will serve it better. The stated drop range on the product page is the first number to check.

Then think about those two viewpoints. From the door you see the underside, so an open bottom or a visible array of lamps is what registers. From the landing you see the body side on and close up, which is where the finish and the small detailing get inspected.

Scale follows the entry itself. Add the length and the width of the entry in feet and use that total in inches as a starting diameter. In a narrow entry, height does more work than width, so a tall slim cascade beats a wide ring every time.

Ceiling height and clearance for foyer chandeliers

Clearance is not negotiable in an entry, since it is a space people cross with coats and bags in hand.

• Minimum clearance: 7 feet from the floor to the lowest point of the fixture.
• Two story entry: center it in the window as seen from outside, which usually lands the bottom near the second floor line.
• Over a stair: measure from the tread directly below the fixture, not from the hall floor.
• Above an entry table: 30 to 36 inches, as over any other table.

Access decides the rest. A fixture 18 feet up needs a lift or a winch before anyone can change a lamp, so an integrated LED, a long stated lamp life or a mechanism that lowers the body is worth looking for on the product page before you commit.

Questions about entryway chandeliers

How low should it hang in a two story entry?

Low enough to be seen from outside and high enough to walk under. Seven feet of floor clearance is the working minimum, and in most two story entries the bottom of the fixture ends up somewhere between the top of the front door and the landing rail above.

What if the ceiling is only eight feet?

Use a semi flush or a compact body with a short drop. A full length chandelier hangs into the walking space, and pushing it tight against the ceiling removes the vertical fall that gave the fixture its shape in the first place.

Should it match the dining room fixture?

Only in finish and lamp color, not in model. Two identical fixtures within sight of one another look repetitive. Share a metal tone and a bulb temperature between them, let the shapes differ, and the two rooms still read as one house.

Continue with Dining Room Chandeliers, Bedroom Chandeliers, Hallway Chandeliers and Bamboo Chandeliers. This page is part of Chandeliers.