Friday, February 2, 2007
I’m not sure why, but I continue to be fascinated by the Schonbek Vision Statement. What stood out for me at last perusal was this: “We will not try to be all things to all people.”

Schonbek chandeliers are not for people who think knock-offs are fun, and not for people who think plastic crystal is acceptable. If a Schonbek crystal chandelier is your destiny, you are particular about things like design integrity and crystal quality.

Schonbek crystal chandeliers are not for bargain hunters, although there are many lovely designs in the Schonbek portfolio that would be considered affordable. Nobody buys a Schonbek chandelier because it costs less than the chandelier in the shop down the street. Schonbek never compromises the quality of its work or its materials. Not even when making a crystal chandelier to be sold at a modest price point.

Schonbek chandeliers will appeal to people with a sense of history. Who wants a crystal chandelier made by a company that popped up overnight to take advantage of a trend? Well, some people are okay with that. But Schonbek owners like the fact that their crystal chandeliers have a pedigree, and a history going back a couple of centuries.

In my opinion, it takes at least a century to learn how to make a crystal chandelier properly.

Schonbek crystal chandeliers have two attributes rarely found together. They’re made in the USA, and they’re rich in European heritage. You might like to read the history page of this website. Schonbek crystal chandeliers are made in a factory in Plattsburgh, New York. Family members have their offices there and are intimately involved not only in design but in every aspect of manufacturing. The factory is abuzz with creative energy, and delightfully clean and well organized.

The Schonbeks have a great heritage to uphold. Every time they design a crystal chandelier, it almost feels like their ancestors are beside them in spirit, delighted to see their life’s work going on in such good faith. I may be getting carried away, but I’m trying to convey the unique character of this company. It’s a very different situation from an offshore factory with underpaid workers doggedly turning out knock-offs.

Schonbek is a prestige brand, but it’s not just for snobs. (Although snobs will certainly gravitate to the Schonbek name!) Schonbek has designed some truly wild and unusual crystal chandeliers that appeal to those with unconventional tastes. Geometrix®, Schonbek’s revolutionary high tech lighting collection, takes a totally futuristic stance towards lighting. But again, there’s no plastic in the picture. A high tech Geometrix® chandelier might assume fantastic shapes, but the quality of the crystal is impeccable.

I find it interesting that, although Schonbek does not aim to be all things to all people, Schonbek does in fact satisfy many different types of people with its different collections. There are monumental chandeliers for grandees, tiny crystal chandeliers for people who live in small spaces, rock crystal chandeliers for the connoisseur who understands their rare qualities, Geometrix® designs for iconoclasts. Not all things to all people, but many things for many people. I’m happy to be one of them.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

“She who hesitates is lost” applies to remodeling, as well as many other aspects of life.

You could very well go through life without a sunken tub, a marble mantle, a crystal chandelier – or whatever else figures most strongly in your decorating desires – if you don’t get focused on actual tasks. Like calling contractors or carpenters and/or employing a designer, studying swatches, and most important of all, taking a tour of a lighting showroom with a large display of Schonbek crystal chandeliers.

I’m about to redo my bedroom, and the only way I could get myself moving on the project was to call a painter. Happily I already have a Schonbek crystal chandelier in place, an Artifact, so it’s just a matter of raising the look of the room to that level. I also need to get serious about choosing two Schonbek crystal lamps that will complement the crystal chandelier.

Maybe I’ll try the free design consultation on this website.

My mother-in-law never redecorates. Instead she reads home décor magazines and just dreams about redecorating. I’m all in favor of day dreaming, the more the better, but there comes a time for action. If you find yourself incapable of getting started, I would suggest focusing entirely on the crystal chandelier, picking a style and colors based purely on what excites you, and then designing the room around the chandelier.

This makes sense because, when the room takes its final form, the most striking feature in the room will almost certainly be the crystal chandelier.

I’ve often been present at photo shoots where we go into a lovely interior and install, or boom in, a Schonbek crystal chandelier. Invariably, no matter how well designed the space to begin with, the chandelier has a transformative effect. To put it another way, I’ve never seen a room that didn’t benefit amazingly from the addition of a Schonbek crystal chandelier.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Florentine is a crystal chandelier that must be seen in person to be appreciated. No photo can convey its remarkable daintiness.

The largest Florentine is 23 inches in diameter and 28 inches long, which you might not think that tiny. But it’s the extreme miniaturization of this crystal chandelier in every part that’s remarkable. The arms are so slender, it’s hard to believe they’re electrified. Schonbek miniaturized the wiring so that the chandelier could be made exquisitely tiny. As always, a Schonbek crystal chandelier is a perfect marriage of art and engineering.

The strands of finely faceted crystal jewelry beads have a wonderful gossamer quality. There are teensy crystal droplets, too, and the smallest handcut crystal pendeloques I’ve ever seen.

The candles, lightly touched with drops of faux wax, sit on dainty Italianate floral sculptures.

Crystal chandeliers normally call up images of splendor. They suggest the need for large and elaborately furnished rooms. Yet here is a crystal chandelier made for cozy, intimate rooms. Florentine comes in a variety of color palettes, all of them quiet and subdued. This is a chandelier for people who speak softly and have poetic notions of beauty.  

Florentine has always made me think of a medieval miniaturist. Artists who work in miniature are admirable. They must be extremely modest, feeling no need to make a grand impression. Yet the works of these often anonymous artists are revered and held to be almost priceless.

And Florentine has this quality of being something rare and precious, yet at the same time unpretentious. You can call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 to locate a showroom near you. And keep in mind that you have many crystal color choices.