Schonbek is a manufacturer, not a retailer. Schonbek has carefully selected retailers around the world to display and sell Schonbek products. That leaves the Schonbeks free to concentrate on designing crystal chandeliers and lamps, creating entirely new ways of working with light and crystal, and giving both retailers and the end consumer wonderful service.

When you buy a Schonbek crystal chandelier, you’re getting something far more than a decorative light. Schonbek wants you to know about the rich heritage of your chandelier, dating back to 1870 in Bohemia. Schonbek wants to share with you the creative inspiration of the many and varied designs in the Schonbek portfolio. This website is like a huge encyclopedia of knowledge about Schonbek crystal chandeliers, lamps, wall sconces and high-tech lighting. It comprises thousands of pages.

Schonbek assumes that this is a very important purchase for you, and that you’ll want to do some research in preparation. In my experience, the process leading up to the choice of a crystal chandelier is deliciously engaging and enjoyable. You’re delving into who you are, and how you want to live. You’re seeing a lot of beautiful things, and learning something about crystal chandelier styles and crystal types.

The fact is, the Schonbeks are not big fans of buying crystal chandeliers online, on any website. It’s so important to have expert guidance when you buy a crystal chandelier. Sizing is a critical issue. And you want to be able to see and handle finish samples and crystal samples.

There’s a world of difference between a crystal chandelier seen in person and an image of a crystal chandelier. The experience of seeing a large display of Schonbek crystal chandeliers in an authorized showroom is tremendously valuable. And really quite thrilling. You may very likely end up ordering a variation on what you see in the showroom, a different size chandelier or a different crystal color or type, but you’ll have a personal interaction with Schonbek crystal chandeliers that will be worth a thousand images.

I’ve had the experience of seeing a photo of a crystal chandelier that didn’t especially excite me, and then when I saw the chandelier in reality, I fell in love. A Schonbek crystal chandelier is composed of space, as well as frame elements and crystal. It creates its own effable, ever changing atmosphere of spectral light. Like music, it possesses an inherent, deeply satisfying harmony. No camera can capture this.

So I urge you to visit an authorized Schonbek showroom soon! Call 800-836-1892 for one in your area.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

What’s the future of the crystal chandelier? Brilliant, according to the young woman (13 years old) I just interviewed.

Chelsey is the daughter of our controller. Since she happened to be in the office today, I thought I’d explore her opinions about crystal chandeliers. She plays soccer and hockey and is an A student, so she’s the future of America.

Chelsey thinks crystal chandeliers are fun. She’s seen them in my house, and no doubt in shops and museums. “I like the way they make a room feel better,” said Chelsey. “They’re definitely good for lighting, but besides that, they’re artsy. The ultimate decoration.”

I had Chelsey examine the Schonbek poster, with its mini catalog of 52 crystal chandeliers on one side (Schonbek will send you one if you request literature). I wanted her to pick out her favorite crystal chandeliers.

Amazingly, she put her finger on one of Schonbek’s greatest strengths. “In cartoons,” said Chelsey, “a chandelier is just a bright object with a bunch of crystal. But that’s not what it is with Schonbek. They make all these varieties within this one type of thing. If Schonbek keeps making all these varieties, the crystal chandelier is only going to get better.”

I’ve often written about Schonbek’s unique creativity, and the surprising breadth of the Schonbek portfolio. But Chelsey put it so succinctly.

Getting back to her favorite crystal chandeliers, Chelsey went right for Genesis. “It’s different. It stands out,” she said. “Other chandeliers have a structure, and that’s just the way it is. This one looks like it’s growing.” She lives in the country and loves Nature.

The tiny Adagio with its leafy ornamentation and colored crystal was another hit with Chelsey. The Nature theme again. Schonbek has a special talent for designing crystal chandeliers with organic forms. Other chandelier makers lack the vision, and the engineering skill, to take inspiration from the natural world.

I was beginning to fear that traditional crystal chandeliers had no future with Chelsey, but I was wrong. She likes La Scala, a crystal chandelier that’s as traditional as it gets. What does she like about it? The varied shapes of the crystal pendants – clear drops, faceted drops, diamonds and so forth. Variety of any sort has a consistent appeal for Chelsey. This may come from her close observation of the outdoors – flora and fauna – and the infinite variety of Nature. There’s a tendency in manufacturing to simplify products. But Nature is a great embellisher, as is Schonbek.

The Schonbek poster and mini catalog has gone through many printings and many updates. When Chelsey was five years old, she told me, whenever we’d clean out our files, her mother (our controller) used to bring home obsolete posters from the office. Chelsey and her friend Scott, also five years old, used to cut them out. “We made flash cards out of the crystal chandeliers,” she said. “We’d look at them for hours.”

No need for me to interview any five-year-olds. Now I know that the fascination is strong, even at that early age.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Schonbek has an unusual category of crystal chandelier designs that they call “Artforms.”

These are crystal chandeliers for people who don’t really want a crystal chandelier – non-traditional types who like the idea of dramatic lighting, but they’re simply not crystal people. Artforms is a term used in the Schonbek catalog, but nowhere else. It’s meant to convey to the showroom owner the unconventional nature of these crystal chandeliers, to help them match up the designs with the customers likely to appreciate them.

Rivendell is an Artform. This crystal chandelier is inspired by natural shapes like vines, buds and flowers. The framework is incredibly intricate, and inset like jewelry with tiny crystal beads. I’ve sometimes used the metaphor of morning dew glittering on flowers, when describing Rivendell. There’s a lot of energy in the flow of the frame and the fire of the crystal.

Energy permeates all Artforms, in fact. Look at Trilliane with its leafy crystal shapes thrusting skyward. Look at Scheherazade with its swirling framework.

Most manufacturers are ever in search of ways to simplify products. Schonbek is the opposite. Artforms play with complexity. These crystal chandeliers are extremely challenging to make. Much as Schonbek chandeliers are targeted by knock-off artists, the copy cats can’t do much with Artforms. They’re simply too difficult to make.

In past centuries, when craftsmanship was at its apex, embellishment was considered a beautiful thing, and artisans were not looking for shortcuts. Now in the new millennium Schonbek gives us Artforms, a collection of crystal chandeliers created from the same mindset. But the ornamental quality of these designs takes on an entirely new flavor, a feeling for the organic that’s very much in tune with our century.