An Affordable Sputnik Chandelier for the Dining Room

So, let’s talk about our ceiling light. It’s a sputnik style light, with a more affordable price tag.

If you’ve ever shopped for “Sputnik” chandeliers before, you know that they aren’t cheap. They typically start in the $300 range and run well over $1000 depending on the size. However, there are some more affordable options available — including the one that we chose for our Dining Room.

I did some research prior to purchasing this light.

First, I checked several guides about the appropriate size for a chandelier based on the dimensions of the room and table — which suggested a chandelier around 30″-36″ in diameter. That isn’t a small light… which means a higher price tag.

Second, we considered our style. We mulled over several options in this post and our favorite was the 10-Light Downtown Chandelier; but it was marked at over $500. It had an industrial feel and exposed bulbs, so I started to search for chandeliers with that same style.

This one from Amazon has that industrial vibe; and the bronze color is better for our space. If we’d chosen a nickle or chrome finish there wouldn’t have been as much contrast against the white fireplace.

This light looks great and gives the room plenty of light. We bought 25-watt bulbs which keeps it from feeling too bright. I chose to skip the “vintage bulbs” because I didn’t want a yellow cast in the room and because they were around $6-8 each. This chandelier has 18 lights…. so we would have been talking at least another $100 for light bulbs. Instead, the clear bulbs are less than $1 each.

There was a happy accident with this light. The hole in the ceiling was slightly too big, so we bought a ceiling medallion. It was a practical purchase; but I love the look. We bought this one at Lowes; but I can’t find it online… it was around $15 or less.

Now, this light wasn’t all roses. The assembly and installation instructions were incredibly basic… to be generous.

This led to us non-electricians having to {1} ask lots of questions at the hardware store, {2} research online, {3} try several products and {4} repeat — before getting it put together. Mike finally figured it all out and, my goodness, it was exciting to see those bulbs light up!

So — be aware — if you aren’t interested in decoding poorly written instructions and don’t have much electrical expertise this may not be the light for you. Of course, you could always hire someone to install it, as well.

In case this light has peaked your interest, but isn’t the right one for you; here are a few other affordable options.

#1: Small 12-Light Chrome Pendant $193

#2: 18-Light Brushed Nickel Chandelier $193

#3: Fine Mod Spark Chandelier $217

#4: 24-Arm Sputnik Starburst Chandelier $249

#5: Small 12-Light Sputnik Pendant $175

Are you in the market for a chandelier? If so, what style{s} are you considering?