Crystal chandeliers, pendants and semi-flush fittings for dining rooms, halls and stairwells.
Sizing, cleaning and how to make crystal work in a modern house, below the collection.
Crystal in a modern Irish house
Crystal has a reputation problem. People associate it with a formal dining room that gets used twice a year, and assume it belongs to their grandmother's house rather than their own.
That has not been true for a while. What changed is the context around it. Put a crystal fitting in a heavily patterned room and it reads as fussy. Put the same fitting in a plain room with painted walls and simple furniture and it reads as the one deliberate flourish in an otherwise restrained space. The fitting has not changed. The room has.
The practical case is separate and simpler. Cut crystal breaks light up and throws it around. A plain shade gives you a pool of light on a table. Crystal gives you light on the ceiling, on the walls and in the glassware, which is why a dining room lit by crystal feels different after dark in a way that is hard to reproduce any other way.
Where crystal works
| Room | What to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dining room | Chandelier or multi-light pendant | Size to the table, not the room. Hang 75–85cm above the tabletop. |
| Stairwell or double-height hall | Long chandelier or staggered cluster | The best room in most houses for crystal, because you see it from two levels. |
| Hall with a standard ceiling | Crystal semi-flush | Gives you the effect without the drop. Works where a chandelier can't. |
| Bedroom | Small crystal semi-flush or pendant | Keep it modest. Restraint is what stops it tipping into theatre. |
| Living room | Semi-flush, paired with lamps | Layer it. Crystal alone lights a room flatly. |
| Ceilings under 2.4m | Semi-flush only | A hanging chandelier will dominate and people will walk into it. |
For sizing to a room rather than a table, add the length and width in metres and multiply by eight for a diameter in centimetres. A 4m by 5m dining room comes out around 72cm. With crystal specifically, err slightly under rather than over. An oversized crystal fitting is the fastest way to make a room look like a hotel lobby.
Cleaning and upkeep
Less work than people fear. A dry microfibre cloth over the drops once or twice a year keeps them sharp. Dust dulls crystal quickly, and because it happens gradually most people do not notice until they clean it and see the difference.
Skip the sprays. They leave a film that builds up, kills the sparkle and is genuinely difficult to remove once it has set. If a fitting needs more than a dry cloth, take the drops off, wash them in warm water, dry them properly and rehang. Photograph it first so you know what goes back where.
Dimming
Crystal rewards dimming more than almost any other type of fitting. At full output it is bright and sparkling. Turned down, the refraction softens and the room changes character completely.
If you plan to dim, check the dimmer is rated for LED. Older dimmers built for halogen are the usual cause of flicker, and a flickering crystal fitting is very hard to ignore.
Fitting it
Hardwired fittings should go up via an electrician registered with Safe Electric. Two points worth raising before the day: crystal fittings are heavier than they look, so the ceiling fixing needs to be sound, and assembly takes patience. Most fittings arrive with the drops packed separately. Allow time, and it is far easier with two people.
Come and see it lit
Crystal is the hardest thing in the shop to photograph. What it does to a wall at night is the entire point, and a product shot on a white background tells you almost nothing about it. Our showroom in Donabate, Co. Dublin has a range of crystal fittings hung and lit.
Crystal lighting: your questions answered
Is crystal lighting out of date?
Not on its own. It looks dated in a heavily patterned room and looks deliberate in a plain one. The room around it does most of the work.
What size crystal chandelier do I need for a dining room?
Size it to the table rather than the room, at roughly three-quarters of the table's width, and hang the bottom 75 to 85cm above the tabletop. If you are sizing to the room instead, add the length and width in metres and multiply by eight for a diameter in centimetres, then err slightly under.
How do I clean a crystal chandelier?
A dry microfibre cloth over the drops once or twice a year is usually enough. Avoid sprays, which leave a film that dulls the sparkle and is hard to remove. For a deeper clean, take the drops off, wash in warm water, dry fully and rehang. Photograph it first.
Can I use crystal with a low ceiling?
Yes, with a crystal semi-flush fitting. Below about 2.4m a hanging chandelier will dominate the room and people will walk into it.
Can crystal lights be dimmed?
They can, and it suits them. Check the bulb is dimmable and that the dimmer switch is rated for LED. Older halogen dimmers are the usual cause of flicker.
Are crystal fittings heavy?
Heavier than they look, which is why the ceiling fixing needs to be sound. Your electrician will check it. Assembly also takes patience, since the drops usually arrive packed separately.
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Crystal chandeliers, pendants and semi-flush fittings for dining rooms, halls and stairwells.
Sizing, cleaning and how to make crystal work in a modern house, below the collection.
Crystal in a modern Irish house
Crystal has a reputation problem. People associate it with a formal dining room that gets used twice a year, and assume it belongs to their grandmother's house rather than their own.
That has not been true for a while. What changed is the context around it. Put a crystal fitting in a heavily patterned room and it reads as fussy. Put the same fitting in a plain room with painted walls and simple furniture and it reads as the one deliberate flourish in an otherwise restrained space. The fitting has not changed. The room has.
The practical case is separate and simpler. Cut crystal breaks light up and throws it around. A plain shade gives you a pool of light on a table. Crystal gives you light on the ceiling, on the walls and in the glassware, which is why a dining room lit by crystal feels different after dark in a way that is hard to reproduce any other way.
Where crystal works
| Room | What to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dining room | Chandelier or multi-light pendant | Size to the table, not the room. Hang 75–85cm above the tabletop. |
| Stairwell or double-height hall | Long chandelier or staggered cluster | The best room in most houses for crystal, because you see it from two levels. |
| Hall with a standard ceiling | Crystal semi-flush | Gives you the effect without the drop. Works where a chandelier can't. |
| Bedroom | Small crystal semi-flush or pendant | Keep it modest. Restraint is what stops it tipping into theatre. |
| Living room | Semi-flush, paired with lamps | Layer it. Crystal alone lights a room flatly. |
| Ceilings under 2.4m | Semi-flush only | A hanging chandelier will dominate and people will walk into it. |
For sizing to a room rather than a table, add the length and width in metres and multiply by eight for a diameter in centimetres. A 4m by 5m dining room comes out around 72cm. With crystal specifically, err slightly under rather than over. An oversized crystal fitting is the fastest way to make a room look like a hotel lobby.
Cleaning and upkeep
Less work than people fear. A dry microfibre cloth over the drops once or twice a year keeps them sharp. Dust dulls crystal quickly, and because it happens gradually most people do not notice until they clean it and see the difference.
Skip the sprays. They leave a film that builds up, kills the sparkle and is genuinely difficult to remove once it has set. If a fitting needs more than a dry cloth, take the drops off, wash them in warm water, dry them properly and rehang. Photograph it first so you know what goes back where.
Dimming
Crystal rewards dimming more than almost any other type of fitting. At full output it is bright and sparkling. Turned down, the refraction softens and the room changes character completely.
If you plan to dim, check the dimmer is rated for LED. Older dimmers built for halogen are the usual cause of flicker, and a flickering crystal fitting is very hard to ignore.
Fitting it
Hardwired fittings should go up via an electrician registered with Safe Electric. Two points worth raising before the day: crystal fittings are heavier than they look, so the ceiling fixing needs to be sound, and assembly takes patience. Most fittings arrive with the drops packed separately. Allow time, and it is far easier with two people.
Come and see it lit
Crystal is the hardest thing in the shop to photograph. What it does to a wall at night is the entire point, and a product shot on a white background tells you almost nothing about it. Our showroom in Donabate, Co. Dublin has a range of crystal fittings hung and lit.
Crystal lighting: your questions answered
Is crystal lighting out of date?
Not on its own. It looks dated in a heavily patterned room and looks deliberate in a plain one. The room around it does most of the work.
What size crystal chandelier do I need for a dining room?
Size it to the table rather than the room, at roughly three-quarters of the table's width, and hang the bottom 75 to 85cm above the tabletop. If you are sizing to the room instead, add the length and width in metres and multiply by eight for a diameter in centimetres, then err slightly under.
How do I clean a crystal chandelier?
A dry microfibre cloth over the drops once or twice a year is usually enough. Avoid sprays, which leave a film that dulls the sparkle and is hard to remove. For a deeper clean, take the drops off, wash in warm water, dry fully and rehang. Photograph it first.
Can I use crystal with a low ceiling?
Yes, with a crystal semi-flush fitting. Below about 2.4m a hanging chandelier will dominate the room and people will walk into it.
Can crystal lights be dimmed?
They can, and it suits them. Check the bulb is dimmable and that the dimmer switch is rated for LED. Older halogen dimmers are the usual cause of flicker.
Are crystal fittings heavy?
Heavier than they look, which is why the ceiling fixing needs to be sound. Your electrician will check it. Assembly also takes patience, since the drops usually arrive packed separately.