For what space? Dining room? Entry? Two story entry? Powder room? My point being that it's something that is determined by many factors. If you go to a good lighting store, they should be able to advise you on what size fixtures you need. Or if you want to get more specific, we houzzers are full of opinions based on experience. Ask away!

This is a really great question. i am really interested in what other houzzers would say. i am bookmarking this. :)
As Carolyn said, it is determined by many factors. Height of the room is one big factor. For dining, usually you want the chanderlier to be about 30-35 inches above the dining table. For entry, usually higher ceilings requires larger chanderlier. remember it might look big at eye-level, but when you hang it 20 ft above ground, it's gonna look a lot smaller.

Thanks for responding guys. I have a two story height ceiling in the family room! I have seen some 28 inch diameter chandeliers that seem big but like you said Philip, I don't want it to look scrawny up there!

Take a look at these two photos. There is a wide range of what will work. The first picture shows a fixture that is perhaps 36" wide. The second one is slimmer and longer. Can you show us a picture of what you are considering? For more pictures, go to the photo section of houzz and enter "two story living room chandeliers" and you'll see plenty of ideas.

For a two story living area we find that is really is up to personal style. We do lean more towards choosing something more airy and open but on a larger scale. Reasoning behind it is so you have visual appeal of filling the space but still leaving the space fairly open. Hope this came of some help. For more questions or help with lighting we would be happy to help. Visit us online at creative-lighting.com

Dear Carolyn, you are right on with the second picture. Thanks so much for the time you spend uploading the pics and responding. I really appreciate it. Creative Lighting, do you have a chandelier like the one Carolyn suggests in the second photo? Glass Globes that can hang from a two story ceiling....

I'm glad to have been of help to you, Ana! I hope Creative Ltg can find that fixture or something similar for you.

Tech Lighting has a variety of canopy and pendant options and several other vendors that we carry have similar set ups. Here are some examples of Tech. Give us a call to set up at appointment to come check us out or just stop by. Thank you for considering us.

How big is too big?

We have a two story family room that measure approximately 16' X 20'. We plan to hang the chandelier slightly lower - so that the bottom of it hits where the second floor floor would traditionally land so that, on a 10' ladder, we can still change the bulbs. Plus, we're counting on significant light from the chandelier. We're looking at this Kalco Coronado fixture which we love

http://kalco.com/shop/coronado-24-light-3-tier-chandelier/

Is it too big?

You need to start your own design dilemma to get answers.

Thanks for asking! Actually, the fixture was there when we staged that house and I honestly don't know who the manufacturer is. There are some great online sites available where you can easily find fixtures just like this at super discounted prices. My personal favorite is LampsPlus.com. I have decorated zillions of model homes as an Interior Designer and have often found just what I needed on that site! Hope this helps!