Friday, November 17, 2006
Two Vertex® crystal wall sconces from the Schonbek Geometrix® collection will appear on an episode of HGTV’s I Want That! Baths this Saturday. Be sure to watch:

   Saturday, November 18
   1:30pm   Eastern and Pacific Time
   12:30pm  Central Time
   11:30am  Mountain Time

HGTV ordered these sconces in clear crystal. But keep in mind that Vertex® sconces, pendants, and crystal chandeliers come in 18 color options.

Vertex® crystal chandeliers don’t appear in this episode, but you should know about them. I personally think that matching Vertex® crystal chandeliers and wall sconces give you a great look.

With all Vertex® designs, there’s a wonderful counterpoint going on between the minimalism of the geometric shapes and the brilliance of the crystal.

There’s a Vertex® crystal chandelier on this website. And if you prefer clear crystal, here’s an image of a Vertex® chandelier in clear.

Vertex® is a part of the Geometrix™ collection. You can actually look up the Geometrix™ dealer nearest you on this website, which I urge you to do.

Geometrix® crystal chandeliers, pendants and sconces can only really be appreciated in person. The drama of the shapes and the wild prismatic action of the crystal can’t be conveyed by a still image.

The first time I saw Geometrix® designs was in the Schonbek factory. I felt as if I’d walked into a futuristic fairy tale. The air was full of these mysterious geometric objects, all of them twinkling like mad and seeming to defy gravity. Everyone who enjoys the special effects in movies should have the experience of getting into a visual field with Geometrix®.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Most tiny crystal chandeliers by Schonbek are dainty, the arms and scrolls exceedingly slender, the crystal ornaments small and suggestive of jewelry.

But there are a few tiny crystal chandeliers by Schonbek that manage to look larger than they are. Arms are fuller, and the crystal pendants are large, or even oversized.

Renaissance, with a diameter of a little over 14 inches, is one excellent example. The handcut crystal pendants are positively huge, as large as the ones Schonbek displays on much larger versions of this crystal chandelier. These are the types of crystal pendants that visitors tend to reach out and handle, they are so very beautifully faceted. I put this crystal chandelier in my guest room, and it has a powerful presence.

Tiny Tesoro offers another example of huge crystal pendants on a small frame. In this case, the crystal is rock crystal. This chandelier is a charmer. And because it’s small, it’s an affordable way to bring some rock crystal into your life. This ancient quartz is a marvel of Nature, delightful to contemplate on a daily basis.

Sterling is amazingly ornate and dazzling for its size (only 16 inches in diameter). It’s an all crystal chandelier, a style that was always expressed on a grand scale back in the eighteenth-century. But because Schonbek has rendered it tiny, you can enjoy all this splendor in a room of modest size.

Genesis as a tiny crystal chandelier is only 13 inches in diameter, yet it’s absolutely mesmerizing. I’m not sure why. Is it the ornate, tree-like frame? Or the myriad colors of the crystal drops? Or the massive rock crystal finial and bobeches? All these intriguing design elements, of course, work together to fascinate the observer.

Schonbek makes each of these crystal chandeliers in larger sizes, but the tiny versions are not mere reductions of a big idea. Rather, they are totally re-envisioned and re-designed to be perfect expressions of beauty in miniature.

Monday, November 13, 2006

There was a delightful story in USA Today about Schonbek black crystal chandeliers. I got the paper on Saturday,  though it was dated Friday.

There it was on the front page of the Life section: a magnificent black Hamilton crystal chandelier. I was struck by how luscious this chandelier looks even on newsprint.

If it looks this good on newsprint, image how dramatic this crystal chandelier would be in person, in your home.

What makes a black Hamilton chandelier so appealing, I think, is that the crystal pendants are so plentiful, as well as oversized. So you really get to revel in the mysterious sheen of the black crystal.

Black crystal chandeliers are the latest trend. So should you worry that something so trendy might fall out of fashion? Happily, this is one case where the trendy item is also an instant classic. Black is the most sophisticated fashion color there is. The little black dress never goes out of style. And crystal chandeliers are timeless, too. As long as there is luxury, there will be crystal chandeliers. So you have the classic quality of the color black combined with the classic quality of a crystal chandelier.

What I love about stories like this one is the enthusiasm of the journalist. You can almost hear the interview as you read the quotes. Journalists are fun because, by their very nature, they recognize what’s new and exciting.