Chandeliers Hung Level Under Timber Beams in a Ridgefield, WA Great Room

This Ridgefield home has a vaulted great room with dark timber beams across the ceiling, and two big multi-arm chandeliers that had to look right under them. We hung both, centered and level, plus a brass pendant in another room, in about three and a half hours.

Why beams make chandeliers harder

On a flat ceiling, a chandelier hangs where the box is. Under exposed beams, your eye lines the fixture up with the beams, not the room. If it’s a few inches off center between two beams, everybody notices.

So most of the work is layout and height:

• Centering between the beams, not just in the room
• Setting the height so it hangs below the beams without getting in anyone’s way
• Matching the heights when you can see both chandeliers at once
• Leveling the arms after assembly so every shade sits straight

Holding the weight

Big multi-arm chandeliers are too heavy for a standard ceiling box. Before anything goes up, we make sure the box and its support are rated for the weight. On a sloped ceiling, the canopy also has to let the chain hang straight down instead of following the slope.

Our lighting installation page goes into box ratings, canopies and dimmers.

The rest of the list

This was one visit in a bigger finish schedule for the house. We hung the brass pendant the same day, and sconces, a bar pendant and outside lights are on the list for the next trip. Our lighting work in Ridgefield section has more jobs from the area.

Got a light that has to hang just right under beams or a vaulted ceiling? Call 360-828-7143 or tell us about the fixture and the ceiling.