The entry way is the first impression in your home. And for our home, it is also one of those super awkward spaces that can easily become the area left to it’s own devices.
We have a very narrow 2 story entry way that opens to the dining room, living room, and parlor/future drop off area. There is also a small balcony that makes for a grand feeling, even if this area is very difficult to photograph. Since the day we moved in, we have wanted to replace the very basic and all-wrong chandelier in here, but finding a lighting option that fit in the space was a challenge, and I am sharing what we learned about how to choose the best lighting for an awkward space like this.
Finding the Right Size Lighting for Any Room
First, lighting rules will depend on whether a lighting fixture is being placed over a table or not. For a table, the fixture’s diameter (length) should be ½ to ⅔ the width of the table. It also looks best if the overall shape of the fixture mirrors that of the table. For example, a long rectangular table goes best with a rectangular lighting fixture. The light should be about 30-35 inches between the table top and the bottom of the fixture. Secondly, the fixture should be proportionately scaled to the space. Start by measuring your room and converting the measurements from feet to inches and add them together. For example, our living room is 16.5×25 feet. So, the diamter of our light should be about 16.5+25=41.5 inches (our ceiling fan is 42″). Also, take into account the overall shape of the space. Two story foyer’s can be problematic, but since it is very tall and narrow, a light that is also tall and narrow is best.
Quick Tip: If you still aren’t sure, the best advice is to cut out a large piece of paper in the dimensions of the light you are considering and hang it. This will give you a great visual aid to see how the light will fit in the space.
Affordable Options for Entryway Lighting
After a lot of debate, we chose this Hudson Cage Lantern because it fits so well in the space and it is an affordable and stylish option. The best part about this particular lantern is that it doesn’t have any glass to clean! Cleaning our former light fixture was always a pain because we had to swing it over the balcony and a second person had to hold it. One wrong swing and wooosh! we could have broken the arched front window. With a simple duster on an extension pole, this light is much easier to maintain.
One of the big problems that we ran into was that a decent sized stylish foyer light can easily cost upwards of almost $800-$1,000 or even more. So I have rounded up a few of my favorite entryway lighting choices that are under $300. I also included a few higher budget options, because they are just that stunning. I couldn’t help it. While not everyone may have a 2 story entry way or foyer, I got you covered there too! I have also included some beautiful and unique semi-flush mount ideas.
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Being in the hunt for the perfect light took us 2 years, but I love our beautiful new light. If I could take home one of each of these, I certainly would though.
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Cijaye says
Hi Rachel,
This looks lovely. We’ll have a small 2 story foyer in our new home. For reference, would you mind sharing the distance from your front door to the overlook? Thanks in advance!
Rachel says
The distance from the door is about 9 feet, so ours is quite small as well.
Lauren says
Hi Rachel! We’ve replaced our lighting in the foyer of our home. Our entryway is so much like yours…. open two stories with dining on one side and formal living on the other. Thanks for the tips on getting a great fixture!!!
On another note, we also have dark wood floors. Where did you score that beautiful rug? I have navy, natural with a touch of red in my house and want a rug that size and color in my entry too. Thanks for the great article!
Rachel says
Hi Lauren! We must have sister houses! I have dark hickory floors as well. Sorry that it took me a minute to find the rug. I bought it on sale at Wayfair here. It does go on sale fairly regularly. If you liked that one, I have a few other similar ones. This one is I just bought for the basement and here is the blue rug from our living room. I have kind of a thing for blue, lol, but love them all!
Amanda says
Love the light you Chose! Would you mind sharing which size you purchased?
Rachel says
Glad you like it! For my narrow foyer, I chose the 15×32 size. That was the closest to the calculations for proportion in the post.
imgrum says
Thank you for sharing the tips!! The new light looks so great!! I love the lights you shared, so unique, but I think the one you chose is the best, I like it the most.
Rachel says
Thank you! It is a huge improvement over the old one we had.
Roxanne says
We have an awkward foyer area also that really needs a new light fixture. I don’t know why that area always gets overlooked in my house. Pinning for future reference!
Barbara says
It looks beautiful! Thank you for your tips, especially cutting out paper in the shape of the light.