I’m reminded of the mini crystal chandeliers in the Schonbek portfolio, and how Schonbek dresses a tiny crystal chandelier with the same fashion-consciousness and level of detail as a full-sized crystal chandelier, as far as physically possible.

Take, for example, The Rose. This mini crystal chandelier (13 inches in diameter, 15 inches long) is trimmed with exactly the same crystal ornaments as The Rose in its largest, multi-tiered form, 31 inches in diameter and 50 inches long.

The ornamentation includes elongated crystal raindrops, crystal leaves, crystal octagons and grapelets, jewelry-like strands of faceted crystal beads and a plump crystal pear at the finial point. The overall effect is luscious and romantic – in every size of The Rose.

The little rose sculptures that gave this crystal chandelier its name are very much in evidence in all sizes of The Rose.

The Rose is not one crystal chandelier but 32, if you consider the 32 varieties of coloring. All these variations are available to you with The Rose in its tiniest form.

Perhaps you have a small bedroom that you’ve furnished and decorated with tender loving care and that deserves a completely wonderful crystal chandelier. A mini Schonbek crystal chandelier makes it possible to light small spaces lavishly.

I’m not advocating that you put a mini crystal chandelier where a full-sized chandelier should go. The Rose in a spacious dining room should have appropriate dimensions. It’s just that even a mini Schonbek chandelier gives full measure of delight.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Complexity is an interesting outcome of civilization. The cave was a bore, and as soon as we humans were able, we started embellishing our interiors.

The ornamentation got more and more elaborate, taking such fancy directions in architecture and décor as the baroque and the rococo. Minimalism was an inevitable reaction in an age of jeans and computers, a return to primal shapes and open space.

I’m a great advocate for ornamental styles that permit the artistic impulse to run riot. A crystal chandelier like Milano is endlessly fascinating with its plethora of tiny decorative patterns on every surface of the cast frame.

At the same time, archetypal shapes are also deeply satisfying. An aesthetic return to the circle and the square can be very cleansing. This may explain the popularity of Geometrix®.

Geometrix® was a wild excursion into freedom from preconceptions on the part of Andrew Schonbek and his sister, Eileen Schonbek Beer. There was nothing else like it on the market. Launching it was an act of faith in the imagination of the decorating public. And this highly specialized society reacted with delight.

Geometrix® is unique in the way the creativity of the Schonbeks ignites the creativity of the designer or consumer. The message is, “Here is this amazing object, oddly shaped and exploding with prismatic light. Do with it what you will.”

Of course we’ve shown the consumer lots of photos of interiors with Geometrix® designs. And no doubt people often follow our suggestions. But the beauty of Geometrix® is its open-endedness. It begs to be displayed in unusual ways. So the designer who enjoys being outrageous, the homeowner who wants to make a very personal statement, can do so with Geometrix®.

In past centuries there were clear styles in furnishings that most people honored. In the twenty-first century we have infinite possibilities, from traditional to eclectic to totally off the wall. That the same world can contain both Geometrix® and Milano is rather wonderful.

Monday, April 28, 2008
Some birds sing more than one note at the same time, in an indescribably melodious self-duet. I learned this just recently listening to a tape of birdsongs.

The idea of a self-duet makes me think of the visual treat you get looking at certain Schonbek crystal chandeliers.

A good example is a Renaissance trimmed with rock crystal and clear and colored crystal.

While the clear and colored crystal ornaments are giving a scintillating performance of prismatic light, the rock crystal gemstones are projecting a sense of mystery. There’s complexity in the internal markings of the rock crystal, and a quite different complexity in the faceting of the classic crystal drops and octagons, and somehow all these intricate themes come together in perfect harmony.

When I hear songbirds trilling their astonishing melodies, I often think, how do they do it? This crystal chandelier raises something of the same sense of awe. How does Schonbek make it all come together so beautifully? Because you not only have the surprising mix of crystal. You have the dramatic crystal spikes, that always remind me of antique perfume bottles, the elaborate cut crystal dish just above the huge hollow crystal finial ball, the complex cut crystal tube leading the eye up to the crown, and the dainty crystal rosettes capping the curvaceous scrolls.

Birdcalls and songs don’t go on very long, unfortunately. But this crystal chandelier is yours to enjoy in every season and at any time of the day. To feel its resonance you only have to look at it.

Photography can’t capture the ineffable beauty of this crystal chandelier, anymore than a recording can capture the ethereal charm of birdsong in the wild. So I’d strongly advise you to see it in person at a Schonbek rock crystal chandelier dealer. See the listing on this website.