| |
The chandelier used to mark your arrival. Clad in crystal, it met you in the foyer of a well-appointed home, then dazzled you from a power position over the dining room table.
Rarely did you find a chandelier in a starter home. To see them illuminating any room other than one used for entry or dining, more unusual still.
My, how times have changed.
Today chandeliers rate as a brilliant idea just about anywhere - from modest homes to magnificent mansions, contemporary digs to traditional houses. They dangle decorously in almost every room of the house.
Credit our bigger-is-better building boom. Taller ceilings and increased volume in today's homes means chandeliers are less likely to crowd a room.
Nine-and-10-foot ceilings almost demand something hanging to fill the space.
Colorful chandeliers create drama in the kitchen. Teeny ones provide elegance to powder rooms.
|
Even walk-in closets go upscale when lit with a small chandelier.
Beyond laundry rooms and garages, any room is an open target for hanging a chandelier. More commonly, kitchens and bathrooms have become the popular locations for chandeliers.
Chandeliers add twinkle to a boudier. People are treating their bedroom suites as more luxurious personal spaces with elaborate bathroom areas, so it is not unreasonable to consider chandeliers there, either.
"Chandelettes," or mini chandeliers, add a new sense of intimacy to small rooms and to corner spaces and alcoves of larger ones. Minis are even being used as wall sconces in some instances -- and they look fantastic.
These compact chandeliers are nine-12 inches in diameter to slip easily into tight spaces. For added impact, consider grouping them.
You can hang two small ones over a kitchen counter and the result is gorgeous. These smaller chandeliers also work in more modest homes or where there are
8 ft. ceilings.
|
Chandeliers have also sized up to accommodate the soaring foyers and sweeping two-story spaces of larger homes. The demand for massive chandeliers to fill these areas has also increased. A 20 ft. ceiling today is no longer unusual.
MIXED MESSAGES: Mixing of materials and styles within one fixture is now a common design trend. It is not unusual, for example, to find a rustic cast-iron fixture with crystals hanging from it, or different metals and types of glass all incorporated into one fixture.
American styles are decidedly eclectic and homeowners today are very comfortable mixings styles. Chandeliers lend themselves neatly to that process. You can look for a chandelier that is inspired by the period reflected in the room you are putting it, but you don't have to. Many contemporary designs are a blend of traditional elements with modern materials -- glass and alabaster with polished chrome or satin nickel, which makes them work with a variety of styles.
COLOR ME BEAUTIFUL: While sparkling clear crystal refracts and reflects light, designers offer chandeliers in a rainbow of shades to complement decor. Colored crystal can combine with clear to create a prism of hue. Smokey quartz, rock crystal and amethyst offer an antique feel.
|
|