The Oversized Light Fixture Rule for Elevating Any Space

A new light fixture is a great way to make a change in your space. Not just any light fixture, though. Use the oversized light fixture rule to truly elevate your room in a matter of minutes.

I’ve known about the oversized light fixture rule for elevating spaces for years, but I recently had an experience that really helped drive the point home for me even further. I’ve seen countless examples in the homes we capture where a too-small light fixture really made a beautiful space feel underwhelming, and also many examples of times when an extra large light made a simple space feel absolutely incredible. I’ve experienced this several times in my own home too. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes with lights that were just a bit too small, and I’ve also had some great wins when I went for the bigger light and ended up with beautiful results. If you’ve never considered the oversized light fixture rule, chances are you’ve been making the same mistake that most people make by choosing light fixtures that are one or two sizes too small for your space. Read on, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Be Unreasonable

When it comes time to choose light fixtures for our home, whether they’re flush mounts, chandeliers, pendant lights, or sconces, we usually get so wrapped up in making the “right” choice and the “normal” choice, that we end up making things look boring and underwhelming instead. We often want to be practical, saying that we want to consider things like resale value by choosing something simple that will appeal to everyone, but what we often end up doing is making our homes look cheap and sometimes even a little outdated. Choosing new light fixtures is not the time to be reasonable. When it comes to choosing the size of your light, at least, it’s time to do what might seem thoroughly unreasonable in the moment. You’ll thank yourself later, though, and your moment of throwing caution to the wind will pay off in more ways than one.

Low effort, high impact room ideas: Most Life-Like Faux Olive Trees for Home Decor

How to Measure for an Oversized Light Fixture

The goal with an oversized light fixture is to create an eye-catching moment by playing with proportions a little bit, so the measuring process for your large light fixture won’t involve any rules or ratios to follow. You’re going to go as big as common sense and practicality will let you, and then maybe even a little bigger than that.

When measuring for your light, you really just want to make sure that you’re going as big as you can go without interfering with the everyday functioning of the space. This means that rather than follow any specific guidelines, you’ll need to think about how the space is used, and what types of things might interfere with the light.

If the fixture will have traffic flowing beneath it, you want to make sure that taller friends and family members won’t run into any overhead lights. Aim to have the bottom of your light at least 6’5″ off the ground for enough clearance for most people.

You’ll also want to check the swing of doors and cabinets that are nearby and make sure that adding a larger, wider fixture won’t interfere with opening and closing them.

For decorative light fixtures that will be hanging over a table or island, you can have them hang down quite low without any kind of interference, but aim to have them at least 24-30 inches above the surface of the table or island to allow for adequate space for any decorative or functional accessories that will be placed below. If the light fixture is used for more functional task lighting than for decorative lighting, aim for 30-36″ above the tabletop.

More in-depth information for light fixture installation: How High Should a Ceiling Light Fixture Hang Over a Table?

Where an Oversized Light Will Really Make a Difference

There are certain areas in your home where a dainty pair of sconces or pendants are just fine, but there are other where a larger-than-life fixture will really have an impact and bring so much style and personality to your space.

Make an Entrance

Entryways have always been the place where you want to make a lasting impression, and light fixtures in the form of lanterns, wall-mounted scones, and charming pendants are a great place to start. When choosing outdoor lights for next to your front door, the bigger the better. You can get away with a lot of extra width, height, and depth when it comes to entryway sconces without them interfering with anything at all. When it comes to interior foyers, mudrooms, and boot rooms, don’t forget to choose a large light to set the tone for the rest of your home. We opted out out using decorative light fixtures in our mudroom when we built it a few years ago, and I now wish we would have added some more layered lighting to this space.

Emphasize Natural Focal Points

Dining room tables, kitchen islands, and even kitchen tables are places we naturally look to as focal points, so it makes sense to emphasize these views with oversized lanterns, pendants, and chandeliers. When it comes to kitchens, especially, people often underestimate what an impact pendant lights over an island will have on their space. Just because cabinetry is the biggest investment, doesn’t mean it will necessarily have the biggest impact on the style of your space. A kitchen with very simple cabinets can suddenly become a space that wows when you add beautiful decorative lighting and decorate the space with a few cozy accessories.

Style in Unexpected Spaces

An oversized light fixture has an even greater impact when it’s installed somewhere unexpected like a bedroom, tiny hallway, or a bathroom. These are usually the areas of our homes where we go with basic, utilitarian lighting choices, so adding a large, elegant fixture can create such a special, delightful moment.

We recently installed this beautiful, oversized flush mount light from Lucia Living in our little back hall mudroom area for an Instagram collaboration, and it’s such a huge improvement over the tiny, basic ceiling light we had in there previously that I had to share it here as well. I have to admit that I thought I had lost my mind for a moment when I opened the box and saw how large this light fixture was, but as you can see, once it was installed, it looked absolutely perfect in the space. What was once a bit of an eye sore in this hallway is now a prominent feature.

If you’d like to shop Lucia Living for a really special new light fixture for your home, they’ve kindly sent over a discount code for me to share with you! Use the code Courtenay20 for 20% off your entire order!

Join my email list to receive more exclusive content as well as seasonal inspiration for your home, garden, and kitchen straight to your inbox!