What's your furniture style? Does this chandelier go with the feel of your room or house? It's kind of dated, and yes paint would go a long way, but it still seems old.

Ultimately, it's up to you. If you want to try to paint it and find shades, that's a quick and virtually painless $25 and an hour of your time to determine whether that works or not for your room.

I actually love that chandelier as-is :)

I would keep the chandelier, they are always in style. I won't even touch the finish, what you can do is add small shades I would even match the fabric of the shade to the wall paint color.

I think chandeliers are pretty classic, but yours seems to be a bit high, but maybe that is because you are redoing the room? Could you post pics of your dining set s0 we can see your design goals? Thanks!

I would de-crystal it a little....

Bobeches are removable if you're handy and it sounds as if you are, as one of your choices was to surround it with a shade...

It's a classic piece! We suggest to keep it, or revamp the look.

Wow! It is quite beautiful, and it does need to be lower over the table for sure. About 30-33" from bottom of it to top of table top. I would do that first (unless you just have it wired up for remodeling?) then perhaps consider touching the gold with a bit of rub on champagne colored metallic to tone done the brass just a little bit. Clean the crystals and Voila! Done. Aged gold is raging back into the market, so this is going to be right in line with current trends. Some black shades would also update the look too. Simple silk ones would work.

I would spray the metal black and remove the drip cups. Rehang it 34” off the top of the table.

JudyG, I don't think they can paint the metal easily, because if you look closely the arms are enclosed in glass I believe. Or some material. Besides, black wouldn't look right on this fixture IMO.

I love that chandelier! I would probably try to sell it before changing it a lot...someone may like it as is.

In order for me to give my expert opinion I would need to see the furniture. You could start by removing the crystals and then see how it looks. I attached an article regarding the appropriate height a chandelier should be hung. If you do decide to purchase a new fixture the article also talks about the formula to use to select the appropriate size chandelier. All to often people don't take into account the proportion of the fixture to the room. Good luck and post a photo if you de-crystal your existing chandelier.

Sizing Your Chandelier For the Dining Room

To determine the proper size chandelier for a dining table, choose a chandelier with a diameter that is 50% of the table width or greater. This assumes the table is sized appropriate for room. It should be hung with the bottom of the fixture 30” above the tabletop for an 8’ ceiling. Go up 3” for each additional foot of ceiling. For ceilings nine feet or higher, consider a two-tier style chandelier to fill the space from the fixture's top to the ceiling.

PRO TIP:In most cases, the bottom of your chandelier should sit approximately 30"-32" above the table top.

To size a chandelier for your dining room, or to be the focal point of your space, measure the length and width of the room and add those figures together. The sum, converted to inches, will equal the diameter of the correct-sized chandelier.
EXAMPLE: 14'+20'=34' Change to inches. Which gives you a Chandelier 34 inches in dieameter.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Currently, I don't have any pics of the room not under construction. Everything is currently under wraps for protection and I am not crazy about the dining table anyway (although my spouse loves it). It is a bit thin and euro-looking. The house is more contemporary traditional. So, we will compromise as all good relationships do:). I will definitely lower the chandelier and make sure it is the correct proportion. It came with the house this way and I haven't touched it. Thank you for all the great ideas. I think I will give it a go and try to spruce this one up a bit with removing the cups and assoc crystals, removing the plastic brass covers, aging the brass a bit, and maybe adding some silk shades (or one larger shade). I will post after pics.

You can see the chandeliers on the site http://alumcommerce.com/