There are not hard and fast rules about how to decorate a dining room with chandeliers but it is important to get one that you like because it is likely going to be a focal point of your room. One suggestion is that the circumference of the chandelier should be about a foot less than the width of the table at its widest point. This is so people do not bump their head on the light fixture when they get up from the table.
Another guideline is that the chandelier should not be closer than four feet from any wall or closer than 48 inches from any cabinet or other piece of furniture.It is important to get a chandelier that is big enough or it might get lost in the room.
When hanging the chandelier you should make sure that it is hung low enough to light up the eating area. However it should not be in the way of seeing people seeing each other while they are talking or eating at the table.
There are all kinds of different styles of chandeliers and the best one for you is going to have a lot to do with your décor. A simple crystal chandelier goes with just about anything. A lot of crystals make it more ornate which goes best with more formal dining room furniture. Simple candle styles go with about anything.
Rustic style dining rooms look good with a wagon wheel or wrought iron style of chandelier. Wooden or natural chandeliers, like those made from deer antlers, look great with older style furniture.
Stark wrought iron chandeliers in white or black look best with the plain lines of mission furniture. Wrought iron chandeliers also look fabulous with Goth décor and dining rooms done in a slightly distressed shabby chic fashion.
You can also get chandeliers that are in a starburst shape with offshoots that look like Christmas light bulbs. Sometimes these also look like orbs or circling planets. This type of chandelier best suits Fabulous Fifties type décor.
Faux metal shapes and artistic looking optic fibres are associated with chandeliers that suit a room from the sixties and seventies. Gold or copper metal chandelier arms are more late seventies in feel. Silver metal arms are more associated with the sixties, nineties and this decade.
Keep in mind too that if you are going to get a chandelier with crystals that you can get them in different colors. This can make a big difference in the look of the room.