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sierraimwalle

Chandelier in powder room

13 years ago
Help! I am building a new house and have run into a major design dilemma.. I wanted to put a chandelier in our powder room that has 10 ft ceilings. Unfortunately, I just realized that our 8 ft. door is going to open into the powder room (like I was told it should) and would therefore hit a chandelier that hangs any lower than 8 ft. Should I change the hinge on the door so it opens out? Or should I keep the hinge the same and find a chandelier that hangs no more than 24" from the ceiling?

Comments (19)

  • 13 years ago
    is a pocket door an option?
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    A lot of people like a powder room door to open out so that the door will usually be kept closed. Below is a photo of a very small powder room which I designed. In this case the door opens out because there was not space for it to open inward.
    Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID · More Info
  • 13 years ago
    The doors are already ordered, so a pocket door is not an option. The photo did not show up, can you re-send? But, good point on having the door open out. I need to take a picture, but just before the entrance of the powder room there is a closet to the right and to the left.. both with doors. I just wonder how complicated it would make things if the door to the powder room opened out. Seems kinda like a cluster.. but maybe since the closet doors will be closed it doesn't matter that much?
  • 13 years ago
    If you already bought the chandelier you can shorten it
  • 13 years ago
    Oh, and would you change the hinge just to accommodate a chandelier? I just feel like with a 10 ft. ceiling we need the chandelier to drop down more than 2 ft for it to make an impact and also be seen
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    As Carolyn pointed out, if the door to the powder room opens out it will stay closed most of the time...the same is true of the closet doors, so a cluster is not really going to be an issue.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I'd ask the contractor if he can change the door to swing outward. The other doors you mentioned should not be a bother if they are closets.
  • 13 years ago
    I have a picture to give an example of what I'm talking about. The two doors on the right and left are closets and the door straight ahead is the powder room. I want to be able to see the lighting fixture/chandelier from the hallway and I don't think that is possible if I do a less than 24" chandelier due to the height of the door. I think my only solution to get the look I want is to open the door out and I just want to make sure that's not a mistake...
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Have had the same problem. Just hang it as low as possible it will look fine.
  • 13 years ago
    Interiors International.. when you say hang as low as possible, do you mean with the door opening in? Or change the door to open out and then hang the chandelier low? I have not purchased the chandelier so I have some flexibility in that.. Because the ceilings are 10 ft., and the door height is 8 ft., in order for the door to not hit the chandelier I have to purchase one that is less than 24 inches from top to bottom.. OR, I switch the hinge. Thanks for the clarification.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I have put them so close to the top of the door that there was only a 1/4" between it and the top of the actual door not the trim.
  • 13 years ago
    The chandelier will hang from the ceiling not on the wall. I'm talking about the door opening and the top of the door hitting the chandelier..
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    If the chandelier has to clear an 8' door, you will not be able to see it from the hallway as it will be above your view line. If the door opens out, and you hung the chandelier lower, you still would not see it from the hallway as the door would be closed so that it doesn't block the hall. That's presuming, of course, that the hall leads elsewhere. With your lovely sconces you may not need the chandelier for lighting. Can you just hang it in the hallway instead?
  • 13 years ago
    Carolyn thanks so much! Did the pic I attached come through? If so, the powder room is actually tucked away between two closets so if it were open it would t be blocking the hallway but rather just in front of one of the closets? Does that make sense? We are doing a Kovacs bar above the pedestal for lighting but truthfully the chandelier was for aesthetics. I dont want to give it up.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I wish you would do 2 sconces instead of a bar light, with a sconce on each side of the mirror. But I understand that you have probably already ordered the bar light. Usually bar lights are used in full bathrooms. I can understand your wanting a beautiful chandelier and you should have it, as long as you don't encounter undue expense in making it work. Most chandeliers look better hanging from a chain than pulled up tight against the ceiling, so be careful about what you select if it has to be less than 24" high.
  • 13 years ago
    Unfortunately, we didn't have the space based on our layout to have sconces and the electrical and drywall is already done. I actually ended up doing sconces in our master bathroom..
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I'm sure it will be beautiful when you're finished with it. Enjoy it!
  • 5 years ago

    How big is your powder room? The door will probably have enough clearance on the swing side to fit the chandelier, unless it’s a tiny room. But with 10’ ceilings and 8’ doors, you should have a nice big powder room! I have my chandelier 1” shorter than the height of the door.