A Word About Chandeliers

Chandeliers are like the grandfather clocks of the lighting world.  Sure, stately pendants and really lavish ceiling fixtures may catch your eye for a minute or two—but chandeliers will positively captivate the imagination.  It was not until recently, however, that you would even hope to find one of these elegant light fixtures in a private home.  Prior to the 20^th century, even the oil-powered and candlelit versions of these magnificent fixtures were reserved for royalty, museums, and other commercial venues.  Thankfully, we today can enhance our homes with the majestic charm and elegance of a chandelier without having royal blood or a huge trust fund!!

A wrought iron chandelier is particularly popular today as they are at home in both the Traditional and Contemporary home.  The wrought iron provides a bold foundation and solid support for the shades.  Depending on the color and style of the shades, the wrought iron base will accentuate either a traditional or contemporary décor—in some cases, both!  If cared for properly, the wrought iron base will beautify and complement your décor for many, many years to come.

Contemporary chandeliers are definitely in a class to themselves and some designs manage to surprise us all from time to time.  However, this is a class of contemporary or modern chandeliers that stress abstract shapes and exotic materials to provoke interest and captivate attention.  Most modern or contemporary chandeliers actually break from the elegance and extravagance common to more traditional fixtures.  Instead, contemporary fixtures tend to stress smooth lines, simple and graceful design, geometric design, and the use of symmetry.  Everything from exotic and highly artistic to functional yet stylish can be found when shopping for these eclectic light fixtures.

Murray Feiss chandeliers are not all contemporary but they do feature a wide selection of modern fixtures fashioned from the best materials possible.  Although the business started as lampshade sewing business by Rose Feiss in the Bronx during World War II, it quickly expanded shortly after Murray returned home from fighting.  Today, pendants, floor lamps, wall sconces, and any of the quality crafted fixtures made by Murray Feiss are finished and then tested twice by an independent team of engineers to ensure quality. 

If you have a cabin or rustic décor, then you will want fixtures featuring subtle, warm colors and complemented with bronze, wrought iron and similar metals.  Rustic chandeliers tend to have simple designs that often feature scrollwork and shades made from frosted or colored glass that softly diffuses the light and creates a soothing ambiance. 

Chandeliers are available in every style and design imaginable.  While you can still find the lavish and ornate masterpieces, simple yet equally stunning modern styles have brought the chandelier into the 21^st century along with all of its sophistication and decorative appeal.  Just make sure that size of the fixture is proportional to the space in which you hope to adorn and then complement it with accentuating wall sconces, table lamps, and other fixtures to create a more unified and complete lighting scheme.