Friday, September 29, 2006

Da Vinci™, the world’s first dishwasher safe crystal chandelier, was named after the great artist and inventor for more than one reason.

You’re no doubt familiar with Leonardo’s drawing, Vitruvian Man. When Schonbek was ready to name their new Da Vinci™ chandelier, this drawing came to mind.

First there was the perfect circle, so suggestive of this perfectly round crystal chandelier. Then there was the square, nicely symbolic of a house. And there was the human figure, in such excellent balance with these ideal geometric forms.

Leonardo’s intriguing drawing was one stream of inspiration for the name of Schonbek’s new crystal chandelier. Another was the process of creation.

Schonbek had to emulate Leonardo’s powers of invention to create Da Vinci™ the chandelier, because making a flawless sphere out of crystal jewels had never been done. Special and quite radical construction methods had to be devised to make it happen. Andrew Schonbek, a perfectionist, would never have released a less than perfect Da Vinci™.  Schonbek has patented the construction methodology, so you will not get perfection if you buy a knock-off of Da Vinci™.

The fact that you can put this glittering crystal chandelier into your dishwasher is another original idea. Leonardo, if he’d known about dishwashers, would have enjoyed this beautiful incongruity.

Vitruvian Man sends a strong message of harmony. I’ve observed, when we’ve photographed Da Vinci™ in rooms, that this crystal chandelier also projects a feeling of  harmony into the environment. See my favorite room with Da Vinci™.

Da Vinci™ looks more like a celestial body than anything else. See the video. Having a celestial body in your living space is somehow very calming

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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The institution of monarchy was of great help to the development of the crystal chandelier.

Thanks to Empress Maria Theresa, we have Maria Theresa crystal chandeliers. These imposing chandeliers were created in honor of the Empress’ coronation in 1743 as the Queen of Bohemia.

Thanks to Louis XIV, we have Versailles style crystal chandeliers. Louis was referred to as “The Sun King” by his dazzled contemporaries. The brilliance of crystal served as a poetic allusion to the king’s personal brilliance.

British monarchs, too, have been partial to crystal chandeliers. Crystal made by Schonbek ancestors may be seen even today hanging in Buckingham Palace.

Aristocratic villas, castles and palaces are generally well furnished with crystal chandeliers. So is the White House, for that matter.

But as we all know, the institution of monarchy is not what it was. Kings and queens have become more symbolic than real, and the crystal chandeliers that celebrated their great powers have become museum pieces. Furthermore, crystal chandeliers have become a contemporary fashion item, and you and I have the right to own them whether or not we happen to be aristocrats.

This is all very democratic, but somehow I think a little blue blood still helps when it comes to designing crystal chandeliers.

A Schonbek ancestor was awarded a coat of arms by Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I. The only reference ever made to this is in the tiny emblem with a knight in the Schonbek logo. The Schonbeks make no claim to a title these days, living and working as they do in America. But the crystal chandelier remains the most aristocratic form of lighting, and Schonbek is the leading interpreter of the form, creating original designs with the élan of those to the manner born.

Monday, September 25, 2006

A couple of years ago, my house turned 100 years old. I look back on this as a missed opportunity for some sort of celebration.

Although I’m not much of a party person, I could have used this birthday as an excuse to give my house a present. Like a new Schonbek crystal chandelier, wall sconce or lamp.

People tend to be obsessed with their own birthdays, and forget that their houses are maturing, too. Houses can get a bit tired looking if their appearance is not occasionally refreshed.

Why shouldn’t houses, like people, be accorded significant birthdays, such as 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100? Any of these birthdays might qualify for a new crystal chandelier. And then you have a story to tell that might amuse friends and relatives.

Houses have a lot of personality, and the more gifts you lavish upon them, the more personable they become. I happened to be alone in my house this Saturday, just reading and being lazy. As I looked up from my book now and then at the crystal chandelier and Schonbek lamps in the living room, I felt positively nurtured by surroundings. Houses that are loved love back, there’s no question about it.

Recently I wrote an ad with the line, “If you love your home, why not offer it The Rose?” I must have been thinking along these lines. The Rose, a new colored crystal chandelier by Schonbek, is highly romantic, an ideal love gift for spouses or houses.