Friday, May 9, 2008
Summer homes deserve crystal chandeliers, too. The décor of a camp in the mountains or a cottage by the lake can be utterly casual and still permit the fun of crystal.

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.

Thursday, May 1, 2008
In previous centuries, people used to dress their children like little adults. This made for fascinating family portraits.

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.

Thursday, April 24, 2008
I was browsing a Schonbek catalog of rock crystal chandeliers just now, and I came across a perfect mini chandelier. It’s a rendition of Versailles, and oddly enough, you won’t find it on this website under mini crystal chandeliers or rock crystal chandeliers.

This is because we don’t put every existing Schonbek crystal chandelier design online, but only show a representative selection. Schonbek is a manufacturer, not a retailer, so this website is for dreaming, planning and gathering ideas, rather than for shopping.

A crystal chandelier is not generally an impulse purchase. (Although if you have the impulse, and that’s how you want to proceed, go for it!) In most cases, you’ll want to experiment in your mind’s eye with different chandelier styles and crystal types, have deep discussions with your interior designer or best friend, think about what frame finish would go with your color scheme, work out the sizing of the chandelier with a lighting consultant at the retail store and so forth. Unless you hate shopping, this can be a very enjoyable process, and so your crystal chandelier is giving you pleasure even before you live with it.

Premium lighting showrooms have all the Schonbek catalogs and literature, as well as expansive displays of the actual chandeliers, so you have everything you need for your selection process. You can call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 for a reference to a quality showroom near you. And rock crystal dealers are listed right on this website.

Getting back to that mini rock crystal chandelier, I really can’t say why I find it so charming. Perhaps it’s the heavy load of rock crystal gemstones on the tiny frame. The chandelier is just a little over 14 inches in diameter. And the Heirloom Bronze finish is one of my favorite Schonbek finishes. Then there’s something about the daintiness of the clear crystal candle cups and rosettes that touches me.

Crystal chandeliers have a lot of emotional appeal that’s purely personal and somewhat ineffable! A glitzy chandelier afire with dazzling prismatic crystal can be highly stimulating and exhilarating to look at. A rock crystal chandelier has a quieter effect. You feel yourself in the presence of a mystery, and you are. After all, rock crystal dates back to the early days of the Earth. Happily most residences have more than one room, so you can design different rooms with different emotional tonalities. Why not have it all?

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I just heard today via the email grapevine that some people are renting or hoping to rent the big Da Vinci™  LED crystal chandelier for parties and events. A dealer or individual who owns one of these chandeliers is of course free to rent it out. There’s no official way for this to happen, but it’s happening.

To me this demonstrates not only the general popularity of the design, but also the degree to which this massive round crystal chandelier, and the light show it emits, can contribute to the festive mood of a gathering.

People want their parties to be unforgettable. A huge and dazzling Da Vinci™ LED chandelier turning colors is almost guaranteed to flabbergast everyone. My only contention is, why save all that fun for a so-called special occasion? Why not make every day a celebration?

A large Da Vinci™ LED also has a halogen mode, so when you’re not feeling especially jovial, you can switch to white light. Gazing at a huge, moon-like sphere of shimmering white light can be quite contemplative.

A Da Vinci™ LED is not for everyone. It’s high end. It’s big. It doesn’t really work with a strictly traditional décor (although it can work amazingly well in an eclectic setting). But if you can afford it, and your home can accommodate it, Da Vinci™ LED will transform your home life. It offers a whole new definition of home entertainment.

If a full-sized Da Vinci™ LED is too rich for your blood, there are Da Vinci™ LED chandeliers as small as 10, 12 and 15 inches in diameter. These compact LED chandeliers only come with the LED mode, however.

If you want the dazzling white full-moon look in a smaller size, you can order a Da Vinci™ chandelier with halogen lighting.

Monday, April 21, 2008
A perfect spring day makes me think of the leafy and flowery decorative elements of so many Schonbek crystal chandeliers.

Although Nature comes back to life but once a year in temperate climes, the flowers, leaves and buds appearing on a Schonbek crystal chandelier are in perpetual bloom. This is auspicious imagery, symbolizing growth, happiness and prosperity, if you choose to see it that way.

Genesis comes to mind, with its entire framework taking the form of a tree, specifically the Tree of Life. Its fruit is symbolized by the crystal droplets in many colors dripping from the stylized leaves. The use of rock crystal in this design is unexpected and compelling. A turbulent chapter in the life of the planet is written within this dense quartz, forever captured for your personal contemplation.

Rivendell is a wildly successful crystal chandelier design in the floral mode. Again the entire structure is devoted to the poetic conceit of leaves and flowers unfurling. The crystal is interwoven within organic shapes suggestive of vines, buds and petals. Those who love flowers need never be without them in spirit, if they live with a Rivendell crystal chandelier.

These designs are totally devoted to the idea of eternal springtime. But even quite traditional Schonbek crystal chandeliers benefit from natural imagery.

The richly cast arms and scrolls of La Scala, for example, have a quality of luscious fronds uncurling. And the castings of the new Milano crystal chandelier design present a riot of flowery ornamentation.

These details are best appreciated up close. Call 800-836-1892 for a showroom near you with an extensive Schonbek display.