There are certain Schonbek crystal chandelier designs that work beautifully for city or country living, but have a special relationship to Nature.

Genesis is one. Here is a crystal chandelier that doesn’t fit into any style category or period. So don’t hesitate to do as you like with it! Andrew Schonbek put a Genesis chandelier in his Gazebo. New Moon in Vermont put a huge Genesis in their eclectic café.

Genesis started with the image of a tree, specifically the Tree of Life. The foliate scrollwork certainly brings the country to mind. And yet the symbolism of the Tree of Life is deep, and the mix of rock crystal and colored crystal is quite sophisticated. So you really have no rules to guide you. Just look at your space, its ambiance and your own world view to see if your country home should have a Genesis.

Another idea for a country home is The Rose. Again we’re dealing with organic imagery. The Rose is more like a wild rose than a cultivated rose. The romantic effusion of crystal shapes and colors is perfect for an informal décor, especially if you’ve created an aura of nostalgia. And like the rose in Nature, The Rose chandelier comes in many varieties, 32 to be exact. So whatever your color scheme, The Rose can be compatible.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
If you have a yacht, I suggest you consider lighting it with Schonbek crystal chandeliers and wall sconces. Second best is no good when you’re the captain of a magnificent yacht.

We show several photos taken inside a yacht on this website. The fabulous dining room has as its focal point a Trilliane close-to-ceiling crystal chandelier. Trilliane appears again in the master head, with matching crystal wall sconces. And Rivendell crystal wall sconces light the master stateroom. Awake or asleep, you’re awash in luxury on this boat.

People with yachts have a wonderful decorating opportunity. They have the challenge of creating beautiful spaces with built-in furniture and breakage-resistant accessories. When choosing crystal chandeliers, they must go for rigid frames that hold all the crystal still and are tightly secured to walls and ceilings. Happily, Schonbek offers a good number of appropriate styles.

I would recommend looking at close-to-ceiling chandeliers in these collections: Tiara, Trilliane and Rivendell.

Schonbek introduced the revolutionary idea that a crystal chandelier could be sculptural, rather than a display of dangling pendants. They weren’t thinking of yachts, but yacht owners benefit nonetheless.

It occurred to me that, oddly enough, compact homes and condos are much like yachts in that space is tight. The close-to-ceiling crystal chandelier could be an interesting solution here too. You don’t need a lot of elbowroom to have fun with opulence.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Da Vinci™ story grows more and more complex. This crystal chandelier reflects the complexity of its namesake.

Da Vinci™ started out as a moon-like, clear crystal sphere. The incredible luminosity of the Swarovski® crystal was remarkable. Even more amazing was the fact that you could take this crystal chandelier apart and pop it into your dishwasher for cleaning. There were several sizes, ranging from 10 inches to 24 inches in diameter.

Next came Da Vinci™ LED. It was enormous, three feet or five feet in diameter, and then even larger sizes became available. This crystal chandelier has two modes, halogen and LED. In halogen mode you have a perfectly round crystal sphere that emanates white light. In LED mode Da Vinci™ puts on a spectacular light show.

The original Da Vinci LED was so huge, it wouldn’t go in the dishwasher. But then Schonbek made a 24-inch version that would. So you had a clear crystal chandelier, an LED light show and a dishwasher-safe crystal chandelier all in one.

Da Vinci™ LED was a thrilling spectacle, so thrilling that people who lived in homes and condos too small for it wished it would come in compact sizes.

And so Schonbek reinvented Da Vinci™ once more in a smaller LED package. You can now have your Da Vinci™ LED in a 10, 12 or 15-inch diameter. However, it won’t be quite the same as a three-foot Da Vinci™ LED. The smaller Da Vinci™ LED chandeliers are LED only, no halogen mode. You can get white light by running all the LEDs at once, but it’s not the brilliant white that you get with halogen. So you’re mainly buying this Da Vinci™ for the light show.

Compact Da Vinci™ LED chandeliers are so new that they’re not on this website yet. But you can look at the big LED and imagine it smaller. It’s a lot of fun. And because of the smaller size, there’s the option of grouping two or three Da Vinci™ LED chandeliers together to form a constellation. And you can program how the colors change in each chandelier in relation to each other. Endless possibilities for creativity!

Da Vinci™ is part of the Geometrix® collection of high tech lighting, and there is a special list of Geometrix® dealers that’s different in many cases from regular Schonbek dealers. Da Vinci™ LED dealers are yet another group. If you want the light show, in whatever size, these are the dealers to visit. For a clear crystal Da Vinci™, you can visit any Geometrix® dealer.

So think about how you want your Da Vinci™ and pick your showroom accordingly. If you need help figuring it out, you can always call Schonbek for guidance at 800-836-1892.