Creating Drama with a ChandelierThursday, 1 October 2020 | Graham Does Your Living Room Need a Touch of Drama?And we don't mean what is on TV.... if you have a good sized reception or living room, you may want to add an interesting talking point - a quirky chandelier perhaps? You may think they’re too big or too bulky for your home, but think again, designs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, as well as giving generous light, will likely be something none of your friends will have. A Modern Twist on a Historic Design Historically, the chandelier itself dates back to medieval times, although trust us when we say that ours are much newer than that! Obviously there was no electricity back then, which allowed the first candle-based chandelier to be moved from room to room as the need for light arose. The first designs were, as you would imagine, fairly simplistic. They consisted of candles on a basic wooden frame with little or no decoration. From the 15th century onwards, chandelier designs began to become more sophisticated. They soon began to mirror the designs of the crowns and jewellery of royalty. Not surprisingly, you wouldn’t find many chandeliers in the homes of those at the bottom of the social scale. They would only be found in the homes of noble men, the clergy and wealthy traders. As time progressed, improvements in glass-making and the tools with which to create increasingly more elaborate designs meant that chandeliers became almost exclusively made of glass. Glass helped to refract the light, making them beautiful to look at, even in during the day.
Once gas became widespread in the mid-19th century, they became known as ‘gasoliers’. Not surprisingly that name never caught on. With the advent of electricity in the early 1900s, chandeliers really found their niche. For a while the newly named ‘electroliers’ were all the rage, but gradually as electric lighting became more commonplace, chandeliers fell out of favour with everyone but those with a palace or stately home to light. Today's Pendant Chandeliers Fast forward to today and the styles and designs have grown enormously. You can find them as minimalistic or as decorative as your taste dictates. Those with a quirky edge lend themselves to large loft spaces, barn or warehouse conversions or just those that like the unusual. It’s also worth noting that all these chandeliers are handmade in brass and are available in a variety of finishes both antique and polished with exquisite attention-to-detail. You can really the craftsmanship that has gone into each and every one of the designs. After all, the dark night are coming, but the warmth of a beautiful well-lit home is there all year round. Whether you live in a thoroughly modern home or a rustic cottage, you’re sure to find something to suit and here are a few ideas to get you thinking. Once you’ve found a design you love, be sure to check out our range of matching wall lights.
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