Thursday, December 11, 2008
Rock crystal is a fabulous material for lamps. For one thing, it’s heavy, which adds to the stability of a lamp. For another thing, a lamp is usually at eye level when you’re sitting down, so this gives you the opportunity to study the rock crystal elements up close.

Rock crystal always repays contemplation.

If you enjoy thinking about the mysterious of Nature and the infinite variety in the cosmos, you owe it to yourself to acquire some rock crystal.

This amazing quartz comes to us from the very beginnings of our planet. All sorts of cataclysmic events taking place over eons went into its creation. The Ancients valued rock crystal as a marvel of Nature – and an aid to their philosophical musings.

Some people get excited about the idea that every snowflake is different. Likewise, every piece of authentic rock crystal is unique in the universe, with its own completely individual internal markings. And your rock crystal won’t melt away.

The act of sitting down and switching on a lamp becomes almost sublime when you have a rock crystal lamp.

I encourage you to browse Schonbek lamps with rock crystal on this website.

There’s another example of a rock crystal lamp under Whimsical Lamps, a variant of Celeste. This lamp is rich in beautiful complexities. There’s an inner shade as well as an outer shade – quite unusual.

There are various grades of rock crystal, and if you feel as I do, you want the best grade you can get. Schonbek uses only gem-quality rock crystal quartz in all its designs, both lamps and chandeliers.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I once interviewed a homeowner who had Schonbek crystal chandeliers in every room.

Her décor was totally traditional, but she told me that nothing in her home was, in fact, an antique. She hadn’t had good luck with antiques. “The chairs are rickety,” she said, “and old things break too easily.” So, for her major midlife redecoration project, she ordered everything new, and mostly custom.

If you’re going for the heirloom look without the drawbacks of genuine old age, a classic Schonbek crystal chandelier really helps. Though made in the U.S.A. in this century, it has a heritage going back to 1870 in Bohemia, and its design is infused with allusions to past centuries.

This particular homeowner chose Versailles as her signature Schonbek crystal chandelier. It appeared in various sizes in all the major rooms in the house. She chose a finish color to complement her decor.

A Versailles crystal chandelier by Schonbek not only has its own pedigree. Its very presence makes everything in a room seem steeped in tradition, just by association. Let a week or two go by for your new furnishings and chandeliers to settle in, and you’ll feel as if the chandeliers at least have been in the family for generations.

I’m being a bit playful with these remarks, but it is true that a Schonbek crystal chandelier has a way of elevating and authenticating its surroundings. Ask anyone who owns one.

Friday, December 5, 2008
It might seem odd to invest heavily in the décor of a room where you spend most of your time unconscious. Nonetheless, people do lavish lots of attention on the design of their bedrooms, and more and more of us are opting to sleep beneath crystal chandeliers.

Sleep time is definitely down time, but the moments before falling asleep are very important. Relaxing between sheets with a high thread count, and letting the shimmer of crystal calm your thoughts, are activities (or non-activities) that promote a good night’s sleep.

The moment of waking up is another high point. You have just absorbed the good news that you’re alive and well, with another potentially wonderful day before you. Your still sleepy mind is free of clutter and open to impressions. And so your beautiful bedroom will enter your consciousness with a rush of enjoyment not to be found at any other moment of the day. You’re looking up at your crystal chandelier with new eyes, and starting your day with an intense aesthetic treat.

There are a number of interesting bedrooms in the Beautiful Rooms section of this website.

I’m partial to The Convivial Bedroom, because of the way it combines a sitting room with a bed. Also, the La Scala crystal chandelier is one of my favorites. I could picture an Isabelle cast chandelier in the space, too, but this room was designed long before Isabelle was conceived by Schonbek.

Most of the bedrooms on this website are rather large. But don’t despair if you have a small bedroom. Check out the mini crystal chandeliers by Schonbek. In a small room, they look almost big, and they’re as beautifully designed as full-size Schonbek chandeliers.

Thursday, December 4, 2008
I noticed that a lot of retailers are running holiday ads featuring Jasmine, a contemporary crystal chandelier by Schonbek.

A Jasmine chandelier has universal appeal, at least among the cognoscenti who appreciate fine crystal.

Jasmine has a conventional chandelier shape and pays homage to classic ideal. A lover of traditional furnishings can readily find a place in her heart and home for Jasmine.

At the same time, Jasmine is spare and disciplined, avoiding all the fancy details and embellishments we associate with chandeliers. If a lover of minimalism ever dreams of a crystal chandelier, it would look like Jasmine.

So in Jasmine you have a crystal chandelier that blurs the boundaries between contemporary and traditional design, a chandelier that’s both edgy and elegant.

The body of this chandelier is a massive chunk of perfectly pure optic crystal, faceted like a huge diamond. At the same time, there’s nothing ostentatious about this presentation of crystal. Jasmine is utterly tasteful.

Jasmine offers several crystal color options. You can specify the crystal bobeches and finial, and also the crystal sphere at the crown, in Sapphire, Jet Black or clear crystal. I like this chandelier best with Jet Black accent crystal, but your decor will dictate your choice.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
There’s an important life lesson to be learned by studying a Versailles crystal chandelier.

This baroque style came into fashion in the reign of seventeenth-century French monarch Louis XIV. The ornate scrollwork and lavish display of crystal are a direct reflection of the Sun King’s exuberant taste in furnishings.

Louis was very much into decorating. Yet he was a busy man, governing the country with a distinctly hands-on style, conducting wars, orchestrating court festivities and encouraging a cultural and artistic renaissance in France.

The fact is, powerful rulers in every century have tended to put a lot of energy into the beauty of their residences, and palaces everywhere are full of crystal chandeliers. Since running a country and hanging onto your throne are famously stressful activities, it’s vitally important to have a home conductive to relaxation.

So I’m advocating Schonbek crystal chandeliers as an important component of your personal wellness program, particular if your job involves a lot of stress.

You’ll still need to exercise regularly, of course. Crystal chandeliers are no substitute for a fitness regime. But a beautiful home lighted by crystal chandeliers should definitely stimulate feelings of contentment and wellbeing.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
More and more people are including crystal candelabra in rooms with crystal chandeliers. I noticed this when I was leafing through a home décor magazine the other day.

To see the trend, you have to browse these magazines with an observant eye. Often a photo will only show a little slice of a crystal candelabrum and only the bottom layer of the chandelier. But even that amount of added sparkle from the crystal in the image transforms the space.

My favorite example of matching chandelier and candelabrum is Renaissance. I particularly admire the design – the way the slender baroque scrolls contrast with the oversized crystal pendants.

But there’s also the fact that Renaissance is so faithful to its period. Schonbek brought back this seventeenth century style with a plethora of design details authentic to early models. And the idea of mixing crystal chandeliers and candelabra is also historically resonant. Because the light in those times came from real wax candles, not super-bright electrified candles, there was a need for as many sources of illumination as possible, especially when you were putting on a banquet or a ball.

Next time you go to movie about aristocratic characters in an historic setting, or watch a period drama on TV, observe the lighting. I’m betting you’ll see both crystal candelabra and chandeliers illuminating the interiors.

I hope this inspires you to visit a Schonbek showroom.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
If you’re a romantic, a crystal chandelier with real wax candles is definitely worth considering.

I’ve seen plenty of chandeliers with real candles, but they’ve been skimpy affairs with no crystal, typically a ring of candles on a big rickety wheel. Pretty uninspired.

An authentic crystal chandelier richly laden with crystal is an impressive sight, and Schonbek is unusual in being able to offer you this.

We have a couple of images of candle-powered crystal chandeliers on this website. But you don’t have to be limited to these examples. Any Schonbek crystal chandelier with arms that hold electrified candles can probably be converted. As long as the candles would not be close to the ceiling.

If the idea of a crystal chandelier with real candles appeals to you, go to a big showroom that carries Schonbek chandeliers and look at the electrified styles. Then picture the ones you like best with real candles. Imagine a soft and subtle luminosity, the kind of light that fueled romance and intrigue in earlier centuries. It may be harder for a guest to see if her steak is rare or medium, but so what? Any guest worthy of a steak will appreciate the amazing atmosphere.

I wish we had an image of Isabelle (my new favorite chandelier) with wax candles. It would be stunning. But if you go for Isabelle, I’d suggest ordering a larger size than you absolutely need so you can see all the intricate details in the castings in a gentle light. Actually, this might be a good plan for any of the new cast crystal chandeliers by Schonbek. Supersizing in this case is a good thing.

If you decide against the inconvenience of candles that burn down and sometimes lean a little in their candle cups, you can get something of the effect of candlelight by dimming down your crystal chandelier quite a bit.

Monday, November 24, 2008
Frescoed walls have made a comeback in recent years. And it’s a look that’s always splendid in a room with a crystal chandelier.

It doesn’t matter whether the fresco style you choose is primitive, as done by the itinerant painters who wandered from town to town in colonial times, or French rococo in the manner of Fragonard, or like something from the ruins of Pompey. A crystal chandelier shares beautifully in the joie de vivre expressed by a fresco.

And of course the multi-faceted crystal ornaments will come alive reflecting and refracting all the colors on the walls.

Schonbek’s new cast chandeliers are especially suitable for a room with frescoes. Woodland scenes and gardens in particular will find an echo in the leaf and flower motifs and tiny trellis-like patterns incised into every surface of these chandeliers.

The new cast chandeliers offer the interesting option of colored crystal. You can order them in STRASS® Golden Shadow, Silver Shade or Golden Teak, with finishes complementary to the crystal colors. In this way you can pick up any golden or silvery tones that might be in the frescoes.

But clear crystal is always a good choice too, since the prismatic effects produced by crystal are rich in color.

There’s an image of a dining room with a trompe l’oeil panel on this website. Here the crystal chandelier is Olde World. The crystal is clear – flawlessly clear STRASS® Swarovski.

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Have you noticed? Richly designed rooms are often awash in throw pillows. I’m assuming this means that the inhabitants love to recline when there’s no company to sit up for.

Stretching out on beautiful sofas is a tradition that goes back centuries, and it’s especially enjoyable when you have beautiful objects to look up at. Such as Schonbek crystal chandeliers.

Schonbek crystal chandeliers look gorgeous from every angle, including from below. This is a deliberate design characteristic. It really helps that Schonbek trims crystal chandeliers with a lavish hand.

In the case of a classic glass-arm chandelier like Olde World, there’s such an abundance of crystal ornaments that looking up into the chandelier is a truly mesmerizing experience. Especially since the crystal trim is STRASS® Swarovski. No other crystal surpasses the brilliance of this extraordinary crystal.

Empire style chandeliers by Schonbek have a dense fabric of crystal octagons and look magnificent from below. Perhaps that’s why this style gained so much favor with royalty in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Palatial ceilings were vastly high, so the view of your chandeliers from below was very important.

These days manufacturers of Empire chandeliers tend to stint on the amount of crystal they use, so that the interior lamping shows through. This is a terrible design flaw that you’ll never have to suffer if you choose a Schonbek.

Camelot and Roman Empire are examples of classic Empire styling at its best.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Certain traditional décor elements cry out for a crystal chandelier.

If, for example, you have a large antique mirror over the fireplace with a rococo gold-leaf frame, you’ll want it to reflect a magnificent crystal chandelier. One chandelier becomes two. Really, any mirror of any style gains in beauty by association with a crystal chandelier.

If you have walls clad in gold damask, a crystal chandelier in golden tonalities will intensify the drama of this sumptuous material. A Sophia cast chandelier by Schonbek with STRASS® Golden Shadow crystal and a Florentine Bronze finish would be just the thing.

Elaborate crown moldings call attention to high ceilings. As you raise your eyes to the lofty heights above, you’ll be gravely disappointed if there’s no crystal chandelier.

In an age of less and less reading, leather bound classics have assumed a decorative role in living rooms and studies. There’s something incontrovertibly aristocratic about the vintage library look, but it needs a crystal chandelier for the full effect.

Upholstery and window treatments rich in fringes, tassels and braided silken ropes certainly deserve a complementary crystal chandelier. Isabelle, a cast chandelier with rope-like crystal arms and scrolls, will pick up the theme.

Antique oil paintings of unknown personages and landscapes gain a delightful air of mystery when lit by a crystal chandelier.

A beautiful room is a kind of fantasy, and flights of the imagination are always enhanced by the presence of crystal.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
We’ve just added an enlargement feature to the images of crystal chandeliers on this website. If you’re a frequent visitor to this website (which I hope you are), you’ll probably have to refresh pages or, better yet, empty your cache to see the enlargements.

This is a wonderful feature, because traditional crystal chandeliers have depths that you’ll miss in a smaller image.

See La Scala, for example. This crystal chandelier is heavily laden with crystal pendants, and they hang at a variety of suspension points along arms and scrolls. You can get some sense of this, looking at a larger image.

At the same time, keep in mind that even the largest enlargement can’t do justice to a classic Schonbek chandelier. A La Scala crystal chandelier is three-dimensional beyond any other light source. The carefully orchestrated layering of crystal is cruelly flattened by the camera’s eye. The liveliness of the light is only barely suggested by the occasional prismatic burst captured in a photo.

In truth, the only hope of seeing a Schonbek crystal chandelier as it really is, with all its hidden depths of beauty and brilliance, is to visit a showroom with Schonbek chandeliers on display.

You can call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 for the name and address of a Schonbek dealer near you. And feel free to ask any other questions you may have. Schonbek has an exceptionally friendly and intelligent group of people in their customer service department.

Friday, November 14, 2008
A bedroom that flows into a sitting room is a particular delight. Especially if it’s lighted by a crystal chandelier.

Click to see an example of a bedroom of this sort (with a La Scala chandelier).

This arrangement acknowledges the natural transition from reading a novel or writing in your diary, to feeling drowsy, to retiring for the night. You can glide comfortably from armchair to coverlets with a minimum of fuss.

A good night’s sleep can be very dependent on your mood during the critical hour before bedtime. A crystal chandelier will relax you by means of the gentlest light known to humanity. The prismatic light produced by faceted crystal is the antithesis of glare. It is light made magical by innumerable manifestations of refraction and reflection.

La Scala is a wonderful choice of chandelier for a bedroom, because of its rich and varied crystal trim. It’s mesmerizing to watch the spontaneous bursts of spectral light dance off the crystal. Engaged in this contemplation, you can feel your breathing slow down.

You might say that La Scala is a rather grand design for a bedroom. The ornate baroque frame heavily laden with crystal is regal, no doubt about it. But why shouldn’t we sleep as splendidly as possible? After banishing all the stresses of the day, we are back in our own castle, ruler of all we survey.

You can harmonize a La Scala crystal chandelier with the tones in your décor by means of your choice of finish. You have a lot of options, and La Scala looks equally magnificent in Etruscan Gold, Antique Silver, Heirloom Bronze or Jet Black. You’ll find the full list of finishes for La Scala (and other Schonbek chandeliers) on this website.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Andrew Schonbek once made a case for chandeliers looking old. He said something like, “Nobody wants shiny new things.” He was talking about traditional style chandeliers and the antiqued finishes that Schonbek was just then introducing.

It is interesting how a crystal chandelier like Milano will settle into your home like a family heirloom.

With these antiqued finishes, if a little dust accumulates on the arms and scrolls of your chandelier, it’s not a bad thing. It reinforces the feeling that the chandelier has been in the family for centuries.

But even if your house is meticulously clean, a Schonbek crystal chandelier like La Scala, Renaissance or Sophia will exude a wonderful aura of lost arts and bygone fashions. There’s something reassuring about being connected with the past.

I notice, for example, that the historical novel has gone mainstream. Once a somewhat scorned genre patronized by sentimental dreamers only, historical novels now sit on the table at the bookstores along with serious contemporary literature. I often visit a bookstore at lunchtime.

I also noticed, on my lunchtime stroll today, that vests and jackets are sporting patches of lace and old-fashioned floral linings. If you feel irresistibly attracted to such romantic fabrics and trimmings, your next move should definitely be a visit to a lighting showroom full of Schonbek crystal chandeliers.

Will nostalgia ever go out of style? I doubt it. Think of how Renaissance artists and intellectuals loved Greek and Roman art. Digging up antiquities was a huge deal. Napoleon was another great fan of Greek and Roman design motifs.

The past is rich in wisdom and beauty, and humankind will always long to uncover its secrets. Living with a chandelier like Isabelle invites the past to enrich the present.

Monday, November 10, 2008
There are people who never commit a fashion faux pas. They always dress right for the occasion. Their sleeves, skirts and pants are always an appropriate length. If they have any cravings for loud colors or excessive jewelry, they suppress them successfully.

What would be the proper choice of crystal chandelier for practitioners of perfection?

Jasmine.

Jasmine is utterly chic, but not self-consciously so. The central stem of the chandelier is a massive diamond of handcut optic crystal. This is a luxurious presentation of crystal, and yet, because the chandelier bears only one crystal pendant, at the finial point, the overall feeling is understated.

Jasmine is an interesting composition of angles and curves. Sinuous arms contrast with sharply faceted crystal.

Note that Jasmine can be all clear crystal or have a bit of Jet Black crystal or colored crystal mixed in. Even if you go for a touch of colored crystal, Jasmine keeps its cool.

A Jasmine crystal chandelier is so refined that you can indulge in matching Jasmine crystal lamps without fear of overdoing things. The spectacular chunk of perfect crystal at the heart of the chandelier reappears in the lamp. There are also matching Jasmine wall sconces of extreme elegance.

Whatever the ultimate destination of Jasmine in your home, it can be the perfect size, because Schonbek makes this chandelier in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Contemporary settings and eclectic rooms in perfect taste will be the ideal environment for Jasmine.

Friday, November 7, 2008
In the early days of advertising, people used to write headlines like: Ten good reasons to buy a crystal chandelier. We’d never do that today. Too old fashioned. But just as an academic exercise, I’d like to finish this old fashioned ad and list those ten good reasons:

1. You collect antique art objects, so you need lighting worthy of a collector.

2. You’ve given into to the temptation of vintage wallpaper, and as we all know, wallpaper demands crystal.

3. You’ve gone wild mixing and matching periods and patterns. Crystal will refract and reflect all the colors in the room and make a virtue of excess.

4. The conversation at your dinner parties is getting duller and duller. A crystal chandelier over the dining room table would totally transform the ambience, and encourage people to reinvent themselves.

5. A family member has finally learned to play a Chopin etude. A crystal chandelier over the piano would acknowledge this achievement. La Scala trimmed with rock crystal would be a delightful choice.

6. You have insomnia. Put a crystal chandelier in your bedroom, and let the shimmer of crystal lull you to sleep.

7. You don’t know what to invest in anymore. Invest in a crystal chandelier and it will probably increase the perceived value of your home.

8. You have a gorgeous garden, and a house full of flowers. You deserve a crystal chandelier with floral or foliate qualities. Like Rivendell or Genesis.

9. You live to entertain and be entertained. Consider a Da Vinci™ LED, a perfectly round crystal chandelier by Schonbek that puts on a light show.

10. You want to feel like the romantic heroine of a richly costumed, Hollywood-style historic film. I could recommend dozens of appropriate Schonbek chandeliers, but how about Isabelle?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Which Schonbek crystal chandelier looks absolutely gorgeous in either a mini or a monumental size?

Quite a few. But I’m thinking of Genesis in particular.

A mini Genesis chandelier is a marvel – whimsical, lively and colorful. The feeling is lighthearted, yet there’s some very substantial crystal here. The rock crystal bobeches and rock crystal finial ball are solid gem-quality quartz.

A massive Genesis chandelier is pictured on this website in an Internet café.

We all know there’s nothing trendier than an Internet café. Here all the laptop types congregate, encompassing everyone from executives to people doing their own thing. The magnificence of the oversized Genesis is in keeping with this fashionable crowd, because it’s completely unexpected and can’t be neatly placed in any category.

Genesis has tremendous individuality, in any and every size. Even a person with a prejudice against crystal chandeliers is likely to be powerless before the indefinable personality of this design. And anyone who loves crystal chandeliers can’t help but be delighted at this totally new interpretation of a classic idea.

The contrast between the plethora of colored crystal drops and the imposing rock crystal elements creates a very interesting energy. Supporting all this diverse crystal is a leafy framework that ties it all together by sheer exuberance.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day. I just cast my vote, and I’m feeling lots of sympathy for the next president, whoever he is. He’ll be working some long hours.

But at least he’ll have lots of crystal chandeliers in his office and at home.

The fact that the White House is full of crystal (some of it antique Schonbek crystal) is proof of the power of a crystal chandelier to uplift the spirits.

Who has more need than our president of cheering and soothing influences?

And since this is a democracy, it follows that everyone in America could benefit from a crystal chandelier at home, especially those with high-pressure jobs.

The heavier your responsibilities, the more magnificent your chandelier, or chandeliers, should be.

Olde World is a good example of a richly dressed crystal chandelier with great power to transform a room – and fortify your spirits. This chandelier presents a dazzling display of fine crystal in every part: elaborate column pieces, arms, scrolls, bobeches and ornaments.

I would definitely call Olde World presidential quality. I’d also put La Scala in this category. Its ornate cast arms and scrolls present a truly glorious display of handcut crystal.

Thursday, October 30, 2008
We know it’s bad to think in black and white. But envisioning a room in black and white is altogether another matter.

See the lovely black and white sitting room in the Decorating Game.

A black and white room feels delightfully clean, spacious and evocative. It becomes symbolic of the essence of things. It invites imaginative interpretations. This particular room looks like the habitat of a starlet – or a countess living incognito.

The room is quite contemporary. (The countess has left all her antiques in her Palladian villa.) Yet somehow the stark black and white palette permits the introduction of traditional elements. Only two of the crystal chandeliers shown are strictly contemporary. The others are either classic or historic with a flavor of eclecticism.

Of course everything Schonbek designs is eclectic, but not always visibly. You might not know, for example, that an Olde World chandelier is influenced by both eighteenth- and nineteenth century design, as well as benefiting from twenty-first century technology. All you see is a classic all-crystal chandelier that looks like it came from a royal palace.

Click for an image of Olde World from another Game.

The intelligent eclecticism that infuses Schonbek crystal chandeliers explains their rare vitality.

My favorite crystal chandelier for the black and white room probably changes every day, because they all look so good. But at this moment I’m going with Hamilton.

The combination of Jet Black crystal, clear crystal and rock crystal makes for a very sophisticated chandelier design. This simple room gains new depth and interest from the complexity of the crystal composition.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
One of my favorite room shots with Geometrix® shows multiple Da Vinci™ crystal chandeliers over a long dining table.

This room design is pleasing from every point of view.

Having a series of three chandeliers instead of one central chandelier shows great consideration for guests. It’s like giving everyone his or her own salt & pepper shaker. Everybody without exception is well placed in relation to the brilliant show of crystal. There are no bad seats.

The perfectly spherical shape and hypnotic luminosity of these chandeliers is soothing to the digestion. Think how you feel when you gaze at the full moon – a combination of tranquil, dreamy and poetic. This is an ideal state of mind for appreciating good food – or forgiving a less-than-perfect meal.

In this room the artwork encompasses rounded shapes, in contrast with the angular furnishings. So there’s a sophisticated interplay of forms going on.

The muted color palette is enlivened with playful appearances of lime green. Such a delicate handling of color could easily be upset by the wrong lighting. But a Da Vinci™ crystal chandelier is always right. It is quiet and fiery, neutral and multi-colored, all at once.

The only question is, in an elegantly geometric room like this, should your dinner plates be round or square? Either way, I don’t think you could go wrong.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
In my family we’re already planning Thanksgiving dinner. If we didn’t already have a Schonbek crystal chandelier over the dining table, we’d be shopping frantically for one.

Because there’s absolutely nothing as festive as a crystal chandelier. And after the holidays, a crystal chandelier has an amazing ability to adapt to almost any situation.

At a company dinner, it promotes a party mood. When you’re dining alone with your mate, the chandelier becomes an accompaniment to romance. If there’s a toddler visiting, it’s an excellent distraction for the wee one, who is bound to have an innate love of sparkling things.

When people are all dressed up, the crystal chandelier, a marvel of elegance, totally justifies the formality of the occasion. When people are dressed down, the crystal chandelier feels fun and happy.

There are many lighting showrooms that will sell you a Schonbek crystal chandelier right off their ceiling, and you can have it in good time for Thanksgiving. This is an interesting way to buy a decorative item, because it cuts down on the agony of prolonged decision-making.

Or if you don’t see precisely what you want in the showroom, you can ask to peruse all the Schonbek catalogs. A plethora of styles, crystal choices and finish options await the person who loves to deliberate and enjoys the process of customization. You may not get your Schonbek in time for Thanksgiving, but it can probably be had in time for the ensuing holidays. If you hurry.

Either way, call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 for a dealer near you.

Friday, October 24, 2008
Surely the time will come when we see crystal chandeliers in spaceships.

It makes a lot of sense, really. The glitter of crystal ties in thematically with the twinkle of heavenly bodies out the viewing port.

The entertaining quality of prismatic light could help ease the monotony of space travel. Not only that, but the décor of a spaceship is severely functional – yet aesthetics do matter. Humans always feel happier under the influence of beautiful things.

Since quarters are tight in spaceships, perhaps the first crystal in space should be as compact as possible. Click to see Vertex® spotlights on a mirrored canopy.

I’ll admit that crystal chandeliers hanging from cables or chains might not work well in an atmosphere of weightlessness. So if you wanted a Da Vinci™ crystal chandelier, for example, you might have to ask Schonbek to customize the chandelier to hang on a rigid stem. But if you’re going to be cruising deep space for months, it’d be worth paying a little extra for customized mounting. In any case, although Da Vinci™ is probably the sturdiest crystal chandelier ever constructed on Earth, some modifications might be needed to withstand g-force.

Visually Da Vinci™ is an ideal choice for outer space environments, being round and ineffably luminous like the moon.

But while waiting for spaceship designers to discover crystal, you can concentrate on a space age aura for your home.

Any Geometrix® design will expand your visual horizons in unexpected directions.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
If you’re thinking of redecorating, no need to throw everything out and start over (although certainly that is one time-honored approach). Rather, you can take a painting or table or rug that’s important to you, and let it inspire your new décor.

Most people accumulate tons of stuff as they go through life. Even a mere five or ten years of life can fill a lot of surfaces and closets. It can be quite cathartic to free yourself of the accumulations. But some things get to be symbolic of your taste and personality, and simply can’t be sacrificed.

The best way to start fresh, and still hang on to a few beloved objects, is to follow the path of eclecticism. Go ahead and mix that eighteenth-century folk art portrait with a contemporary glass-top table and a nineteenth-century Kurdish carpet. If the tonalities work together, the stylistic contrasts can find harmony, assuming you’re combining these things with an artist’s eye.

A crystal chandelier is your best ally when you juxtapose styles and periods, especially if the chandelier itself arises out of an eclectic design idea.

I’m picturing a lively, variously inspired room lighted by an eclectic Renaissance crystal chandelier. The chandelier I’m thinking of is trimmed with rock crystal gemstones intermingled with Jet Black and clear crystal.

The clear faceted crystal ornaments are highly prismatic and will catch and play with all the colors in the environment, justifying everything. Rock crystal is a natural quartz as old as the Earth, and will beautifully support any antiques in the room. The black crystal ornaments are edgy and tie in with objects of contemporary design.

This chandelier has an open-cage-type frame that dates back to the seventeenth century. Yet, despite all the baroque scrollwork, there’s a lightness to the frame that feels contemporary. Sometimes an antique style breaks through the age barrier, and becomes just what we need in the twenty-first century.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
There’s a trend in architecture that embraces wide open spaces. What were once separate rooms all spill into each other so that people need not experience claustrophobic feelings of any sort while indoors.

But often, having created a wide open space,  people feel tempted to arrange it into functional areas. How to do this, without losing the hard-won aura of spaciousness?

Enter the room divider, our code name for certain wall-shaped Refrax™ crystal chandeliers. We have a room divider on this website. And you can click for another image of a room divider in a crystal color called Jaguar. This second image is a recent photograph not on the website.

I think of these amazing chandeliers as walls of crystal. Not wall-to-wall walls, but rather psychological walls, or artistic allusions to a wall. You can be inside them without feeling fenced in. Yet you can walk around them and be in a different place, if you’ve arranged for different modules all within a greater space.

On the other hand, you may not wish to divvy up your spacious interior, but you have a vast openness overhead that feels a bit empty. Refrax® strips can be used to chop up this space.

I’m reminded of the strange strips of acoustical baffles you sometimes see up above in concert halls. Somehow or other they absorb echoes and reverberations, allowing the true beauty of the sound to prevail. An arrangement of Refrax® strips can have a similar mission – dispelling a bare sense of nothingness, and bringing out the profound beauty of openness.

These massive strips are totally composed of crystal octagons, densely arranged, and therefore dazzling from every angle.

Thursday, October 16, 2008
If you were searching for a symbol for creativity, what would it be? I’d suggest the classic crystal chandelier.

Let’s look for a moment at the best creative engine we know: the human brain. Your brain is creating a million new connections every second. The action is constantly shifting in terms of the strength and pattern of these connections. The key element here is change – imaginative, playful, exploratory change.

Now let’s look at a room in your home. Most likely it’s a fairly static environment. The chairs stay where you put them. The rugs just lay there. The window treatments are quite still and lifeless, unless a breeze should ruffle a curtain. All the movement and creativity happened during the design process, and now the fun is over, and the possibility of boredom suddenly arises.

Some people solve the stagnant feeling of a “finished” room by moving the furniture around periodically. A traditional Japanese person changes the artwork every season in the tokonoma. Museums borrow artwork from each other and have special exhibits. But in your own case, you can simply hang a crystal chandelier in a room – to introduce continual atmospheric movement on a subtle and not so subtle level.

Preferably the crystal chandelier is by Schonbek, masters of the art of light. The more sophisticated the design of your chandelier, the more stimulating its effect on its environment.

Light rays bounce off the silky surfaces of crystal jewels and are caught by the sharp facets. They slow down, get bent – and shoot off spectacular spectral colors. We can sit back and enjoy the fireworks, and with a crystal chandelier the action never stops. The atmosphere in the room is perpetually alive.

You know the expression, “going out to get a breath of fresh air.” When you possess a crystal chandelier, you come home to enjoy bursts of fresh light.

If this sounds almost too stimulating, just be sure you have a dimmer installed with your crystal chandelier. The play of light on a dimmed-down crystal chandelier can be wonderfully soothing.

.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
I love to look at the samples of Schonbek’s finishes for cast chandeliers. The photos are close-ups of the bobeches, or the dish-like elements beneath the candles. I could write a whole essay on bobeches, which is a vocabulary item you should know to be a true crystal chandelier buff.

Bobeches are so different from one chandelier design to the next, it’s amazing the same term can apply.

A bobeche can be a cut crystal dish, a faceted crystal disk, a leafy sculpture – or a marvel of filigree casting, as shown on the page of Schonbek cast finishes.

Some of these finishes are markedly two-tone, others subtly variegated. In every case they bring out the elaborately executed, lace-like openwork of the castings. If you experience a quickening of the pulse, as I do, when contemplating these exuberantly cast bobeches, then your response to an entire cast chandelier is going to be strong indeed. Because the bobeches are just a small part of a very elaborate, intensely rococo composition.

See Sophia, Isabelle and Milano on this website. Better yet, see them in person at a Schonbek dealer.

Not just anybody could make the castings that Andrew Schonbek envisioned. Ultimately Schonbek went to Italy to find master casters of the caliber needed. The various motifs incised into the castings are, of course, Schonbek designs. A case of brilliant teamwork.

You won’t see anything like these cast chandeliers on the market today. Schonbek is the first outfit in three centuries to bring total dedication and high artistry to the task of designing fully cast crystal chandeliers.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
A foyer chandelier is usually thought of as being large and elongated, on the assumption that you probably have a spacious two-story entryway. Otherwise you wouldn’t need a crystal chandelier in this location.

I don’t agree that a foyer with a mere eight or nine-foot ceiling is undeserving of crystal. Entrances should always be thought of as the place where first impressions are formed and where you set the theme for everything that follows. A less-than-lofty foyer can still be magnificent with a wider-than-long crystal chandelier that attaches to the ceiling.

I’m especially impressed by the Renaissance eight-light close-to-ceiling chandelier. Although only 18 inches long, it is richly laden with crystal and totally impressive. 

If your foyer is really tiny, a beautiful choice is a three-light Olde World crystal pendant. Only 10 inches in diameter and 15 inches long, this pendant is dazzling for its size. The jewels are STRASS® Swarovski®, and no one knows better than Swarovski how to make spectacularly prismatic crystal.

Another really interesting choice for the small but proud foyer is a Plaza crystal chandelier .

This chandelier is designed in tiers, and the one-tier version is the obvious choice if you have excessively tall friends or relatives and need plenty of clearance at the ceiling. This chandelier has a body length of just six and a half inches. The size is all in the diameter, which is over fourteen inches.

The one-tier Plaza is shaped a little like a flying saucer, but an exceedingly elegant one. I’d call this a transitional design because it can work with a traditional or contemporary décor.

Friday, October 10, 2008
There’s a certain value in being always ready for company, always open to a party. This is a quality you see in a home lighted by crystal chandeliers.

Not that you want to encourage friends to drop in without calling first. But if you have crystal chandeliers, you can be more spontaneous in social situations. Maybe you’ve just gone to the theater with another couple. You can feel good about inviting them home to critique the play. You have in place a dazzling atmosphere that will stimulate conversation and elevate everyone’s spirits.

Think about what life would be like with an Isabelle crystal chandelier in your home. You’d want to share the beauty of this chandelier with others. You might start socializing more with friends and neighbors. Isabelle might actually save you from becoming a workaholic who can’t find time for fun.

I’m still thinking of the chandelier brain cell (mentioned in yesterday’s blog). Our brains need the extra firepower of chandelier neurons to enjoy life in our uniquely human fashion. Perhaps, likewise, our homes might need crystal chandeliers to reflect our creativity and love of drama.

I mention Isabelle, because it’s my favorite of the new cast chandeliers by Schonbek. The rope-like hand-formed crystal arms and scrolls are an historic style that Schonbek has revived with particular success in Isabelle. And the rococo patterns incised in the castings are so intricate and engaging, they totally satisfy the human craving for embellishment.

Thursday, October 9, 2008
Perhaps you know all about the chandelier neuron. I just heard about it yesterday. This is a type of cell in the brain that helps us think, talk, reason, feel – and in general, be human. These cells reside in the cerebral cortex of your brain.

Chandelier cells are powerful, firing off signals to the all-important pyramidal cells that let different areas of the brain communicate.

The question arises, why call them chandelier cells? Because they resemble an old-fashioned chandelier with candlesticks. But I can’t help thinking that the term is apt for other reasons, too. A crystal chandelier is uniquely brilliant, firing off spectral refractions in all directions, bringing a room to life. Human beings created the crystal chandelier to be a source of light, color and beauty – things we need to support our humanity.

It’s quite a delightful coincidence that chandelier cells and crystal chandeliers share a mission to make our world a brighter place.

Crystal chandeliers brought us into a whole new era of civilization. Certainly they promoted five-course dinners and evening entertainments – events that require lots of light and a party atmosphere.

To draw from another piece of brain research, a recent experiment showed that people get relief from pain by looking at beautiful paintings – as opposed to ugly paintings or blank walls.

I would put a Schonbek crystal chandelier in the same category as a beautiful painting. Which means that living with a Schonbek just might lessen the pain of a headache, backache or bad mood. People who surround themselves with beautiful things are not just showing off; they’re investing in personal wellbeing.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sometimes I see images of crystal chandeliers that I wish I could share with people. They appear in product sheets for the trade and are not yet in catalogs. Examples are two new images of Renaissance. Click on the crystal types to see the images:

Renaissance with Golden Shadow crystal
Renaissance with Silver Shade crystal

The Renaissance and Versailles style of chandelier is perhaps my favorite, because of the classic beauty of the open cage framework. The frame is a complex arrangement of baroque scrollwork, which achieves a surprising refinement because the scrolling elements are flat and light.

The light and airy quality of Renaissance is beautifully accentuated by the ethereal quality of these pale, mirror-like  STRASS® Swarovski® crystal ornaments.

Friday, October 3, 2008
The atmosphere in autumn is extraordinary, with a luminous clarity you see at no other time. The color of the sky and the movement of clouds penetrate the spirit in a subtle way that can’t be described in words.

This atmospheric aliveness reminds me somehow of the new STRASS® Swarovski® crystal colors.

When you contemplate crystal in Golden Shadow or Silver Shade, you have a rarefied experience of color. You feel (even more than you see) the fascination of gold, the sensation of silver.

I hope you’ll have the chance to view these crystal colors in person. They have a subtle iridescence that keeps you mesmerized. Microscopic shifts of light and color are taking place all the time, subliminally beguiling your eye.
Swarovski has achieved these effects by proprietary methods no one can duplicate.

Dealers who carry Sophia and/or Isabelle, two spectacular new cast chandeliers by Schonbek, are most likely to display these new crystal colors. They are listed on this website.

How do you integrate such subtle coloring into an interior? Either you can embrace subtlety as an all-encompassing visual philosophy, every fabric and surface tonality soft and muted. Or you contrast these delicate colors with bolder colors. A room with a lot of rich gold tones and gilded effects, for example, would benefit from the refinement of a chandelier with Golden Shadow crystal.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Every Schonbek crystal chandelier comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. It’s tucked inside a documents folder inside the packaging of your chandelier.

But in addition to that, you can also send for a Pedigree.

What, you might ask, is the difference between the Certificate of Authenticity and the Pedigree?

The Certificate authenticates that you possess a genuine Schonbek design and that the lineage of your chandelier may be traced back to 1870 in Bohemia. The Pedigree gives particular details about the design inspiration of your chandelier.

If, for example, you buy a Milano crystal chandelier, its Pedigree will state that you possess a fully cast chandelier inspired by eighteenth-century styling, and that the castings are made in Italy to original Schonbek designs. Your grandchildren may find that very interesting, if they happen to inherit your Milano one day. Or if you sell your house, and the chandelier with it, the buyers will probably be impressed by this background information. They might even be willing to pay more for the house!

Aside from all that, it’s nice to have a record of the design antecedents of your Schonbek crystal chandelier.

You may have purchased your Schonbek simply because you loved the way it looked in the showroom, or in a catalog. An excellent reason! The Pedigree, in that case, is just a nice extra bit of information to have about the chandelier you love.

Schonbek recognizes that documents like these can easily go astray. So there’s a page on this website where you can request a Certificate of Authenticity and/or a Pedigree. You will have to email Schonbek a photo to get these documents. Some people think they own a Schonbek, only to find out they don’t. It pays to be very careful when you go looking for a crystal chandelier, and shop at authorized Schonbek dealers only. Call 800-836-1892 for a dealer near you.

Monday, September 29, 2008
What a fashion statement it must have made when chandeliers with open-cage construction came into style in the seventeenth century!

Click on this enlargement of Renaissance to see the frame configuration better. It’s never easy to see in a photo because the crystal ornaments obscure the framework, especially when there’s a lavish use of crystal (a characteristic of Schonbek designs).

Up till the seventeenth century crystal chandeliers generally had a supporting center column with arms and scrolls curling off it. This was a very solid approach to a complex light source. The court of King Louis XIV wholeheartedly embraced splendor, yet there was a grace and laciness about the furnishing that appealed to them. And so the idea of a crystal chandelier without a central stem somehow arose.

To support a chandelier in this fashion, you need lots of interconnected scrollwork. The look becomes delightfully ornate, and yet you have this interesting empty space at the center. Designers of the period naturally took advantage of this interesting space to display dramatic crystal ornaments.

I do hope you’ll visit a lighting showroom with a display of Schonbek designs, so you can see an open cage design in person. Both Renaissance and Versailles by Schonbek are authentic to the period and replete with genuine baroque design details. If you examine these chandeliers in person, you’ll be able to appreciate the massive handcut crystal spike within the frame cage.

The difference between Renaissance and Versailles is the crystal ornamentation. Versailles displays a variety of French pendeloques. Renaissance is trimmed with oversized faceted crystal drops. Both are very traditional.

Schonbek continues to play with the airy look of open cage styling in new products. Sophia is an example.