How to Choose Sizes for Hanging Paper Lanterns
Paper lanterns are available in many colors, paper prints and sizes. According to the Rice Paper Lantern website, paper lanterns use can be traced to 2nd-century China. Paper lanterns are so entrenched in Asian culture that a whole holiday is dedicated to them: the Lantern Festival. Determine which size paper lantern to choose for purchase and decorating by calculating the drop of the lantern from the hanging surface. Spacing between paper lanterns should be considered as well as the width or diameter of the paper lantern being hung. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Stand on a step stool or ladder, if applicable, and measure from the ceiling or other hanging surface to where you wish the top of the paper lantern to be situated. If you're measuring from a surface, such as a patio umbrella, the ladder won't be necessary. Write this measurement on paper. This is the drop length.
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2
Measure from the end of the drop length to where you'd like the lantern to end. This is the length of the lantern. Write the measurement on paper. For example, people can comfortably walk beneath a lantern hung from the ceiling at a distance of 7 feet from the floor.
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Choose lanterns that measure no longer than the length determined in Step 2. The length of the hanger needed in Step 1 can be lengthened if you choose a lantern shorter than the measurement from Step 2.
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Measure the width and length of the room's ceiling or hanging surface.
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Decide how close together you wish to space the lanterns. For example, in a room you might decide to space lanterns 2 feet apart, but for a patio umbrella, measure the distance between the spokes. The lanterns need to be narrower than the spoke distance to fit comfortably.
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Convert the feet width of the room into inches. Divide the inches of the room measurement by the desired spacing measurement. This will give you the maximum number of lanterns you can hang, but doesn't consider the width/diameter of the lantern. According to Luna Bazaar, lanterns measurements are based on a flattened diameter. Measure across the center of the lantern.
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Determine how wide you want the lanterns to be. For example, you might need a lantern measuring 10 inches wide.
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Add the spacing measurement plus the lantern width, plus another spacing measurement, plus another lantern and so on until your measurement equals or is near to the measurement of the width of the room in inches. For example, a 10-foot wide (or 120-inches) wide room with 10-inch wide lanterns spaced 2 feet apart will allow you to hang three lanterns across the ceiling. For a 10-by-10-foot long room, you can hang three rows of three lanterns.
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Choose a lantern with a maximum length from Step 2 and the width you have calculated is required to fulfill your spacing needs. The larger the room, the bigger paper lanterns you can use.
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