Your Height and Size Guide For In Home Lighting

This week we’ve posted snippets from Sarah Stebbin’s article in a back issue of Real Simple Magazine. She has definitely earned her merits at that job! In this post we are featuring more useful tidbits from her on “how high/low/big/small” lights should be. Here’s what we learned!

  • Bedside lamps:  Sarah recommends shooting for the bottom of the shade to be just a touch under your line of sight. Usually this is about 16-18 inches from the tops of the mattress. She mentions that “A table lamp that’s 26-28 inches tall usually works well.”
  • Kitchen pendants: You’re definitely going to want to make sure that the tallest person in your family isn’t running into them. Generally, Stebbins advises, between 36-48 inches from the top of the surface and 12-15 inches in from the end.
  • Dining Room Chandeliers: If you’re shooting for a traditional large chandelier  (or even a small one) aim for it to be ½ to ¾ the width of the table. Hang it as was mentioned in the pendants points—36-48 inches above the table.
  • Bathroom sconces: You’re going to want to mount a matching wall sconce on each side of the mirror. Stebbins recommends that 36-40 inches apart is ideal depending on the size of your vanity. You’ll want to make sure the bottom of the shades are a little below eye level, or as Stebbins suggests, 60-65 inches from the floor.
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Content Provided By: Julia Ritzenthaler

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