Hi Barb5.

The fact that your dining room is very traditional is a good indication that your chandelier should look good with candleshades on the bulbs. Yes, they may be fashionanble at the moment, but they're a very old solution (sort of) to a very old problem: glare. I say an 'old' solution because early tungesten bulbs were considered uncomfortably bright & glaring to people who had grown up with candles or kerosene, or even gas, or who had electricity at home but who had become accustomed to the gentle amber glow that came from carbon-filament bulbs, and shades were the easiest way to diminish said harsh glare. And I said shades were were 'sort of' a solution because they don't stop the glare right where it's most problematic--directly below the fixture, where people sit.

Even a dimmer won't help much when you're talking about a direct source straight in the eye, since even a 4-watt nightlight seems like glare to some people, especially in an otherwise darkened room. In fact, the dimmer the surrounding room, the more glaring the actual bulb will seem to be, no matter how low the wattage. Forty watts isn't much--especially if the bulbs are cranked down on a dimmer--but any unshaded light source can cause glare. That's why a lot of traditional dining rooms rely not only on chandeliers above the table, but on wall brackets around the room, which brackets can be fitted with one-sided shades that mask the direct light but brighten the ambiant light in the room with general illumination bounced off the walls. If you don't feel like tearing up the plaster to install new wall brackets, you might try adding torcheres--above eye level so you don't see the source--in the corners of your room, and putting them on dimmers as well, to create a soft overall glow to the room, which will in turn minimaze the glare effect from the chandleier. In general, lots of low soft lights is always better than one hard bright light source--even if it's a nice fixture. If you don't like the ideas of torcheres, you could add tall buffet lamps on a sideboard to do the same thing, the way I did in my dining room. To keep the light where I wanted it--on the ceiling for reflectance, not in people's eyes--I used opaque shades on the lamps. Basically, though, anything that spreads the light out from its current single source will help.

Another thing is the bulbs themselves. I like clear bulbs in lamps near walls because I like the hard-edged pools of light they create on the walls, but where they're seen directly, frosted bulbs are better. And the larger the bulb size--and I'm not talking about wattage, but physical size--the more spread out & less point-like the source will seem to be, and therefore, the less annoying to your family & guests. In my own dining room chandelier, I use t-8 aquarium bulbs because I like the contrast of the industrial-looking linear filaments against the traditional furniture, but for most people, I recommend not a flame-shaped bulb but a regular frosted A-lamp, which were frequently used--un-shaded--in the 192Os, even in traditional chandeliers.

At any rate, the quality of light (and the various ways of modulating it for specific purposes) is a fascinating subject. I hope maybe this will help you out a little .

Regards,
Magnaverde.

Hi Barb5,

I have a six-light chandelier with 40w frosted bulbs & beige shades that is on a dimmer switch. I agree with magnaverde that the frosted bulbs give less glare, & I like the light better for a dining room.

Be sure to get the rounded-tip bulbs rather than the flame-shaped ones - they hold the shade better. Are you thinking of getting shades to match the color of your dining room walls? You could look at the shades at Ballard Designs for ideas of what's available - & they are on sale during April!

I hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ballard Designs chandelier shade sale

Magnaverde,

Yes, your post helps me out quite a lot. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a complete response. The chandelier is the only light source in the room at night. We have been thinking about adding a side board and adding peripheral lighting is another good reason to do it. I'll also look at torcheres. You've given me some great things to think about. Thank you.

Hi Kathleenca,

Thanks for the link and the tip on the sale! They have a lovely green silk shade that would work (although part of me wants to get the leopard print ones, tee hee. Sometimes things are a little too traditional around this house!)

I use the Sylvania Halogena chandi bulbs. I believe they are the 40W. They are bright, but give off a pretty color light that I don't find harsh. The lights make a beautiful design on the ceiling too. Since they are so bright I am going to buy some shades so there is a cozier feeling. This is a bedroom chandi, not a dining room though.

Brutuses, I second your recommendation for Sylvania Halogena bulbs. I get the 70 watt strength, which on the package says is good for 100 watts in a regular bulb. I find the light from these bulbs very clear, and I love the way it brings out the greenish undertone in my wall paint. These bulbs solved my problem of the ceiling fan in my living room not providing enough light. The ceiling fan is quite sufficient now!

We had a brass chandelier as the only source of light in our DR, and I used shades to soften the light...here's a photo...the angle of the shot makes the fixture look a little wonky, but in reality it sat very nicely into the airspace. The table has leaves, and grows to a much more usable size for more that two for dinner and four for lunch...

I used a single small tall lamp on the sideboard, and then hung four mirrored candle sconces, one on either side of the window and the wide doorway. You can barely see the edges of them in this photo. The reflected candlelight made the room very romantic and cozy.

I did purchase the shades and was going to post a link for you as they were on sale for $6 at Bellacor, but unfortunately they have sold out. I'm having DH take a photo today and I'll post it this afternoon or tonight for you to see.

Here is the photo. Seems DH has one shade on cockeyed. LOL

Bronwynsmom and Brutuses,

Your shades are lovely. Thank you for posting your pictures. I have really enjoyed seeing pictures of both of your homes, both the ones you have posted here, and in other threads.