lighting Archives - Letters from EuroLux

Mid-Century Modern: Retro Comfort and Streamlined Style

by admin

The popularity of Mid-Century Modern furniture and home decor style seems to grow every day, partly because it is so easy to live with. Younger generations of home owners have adopted the look with great enthusiasm, especially if they have watched the TV series Mad Men which promoted the sophistication and optimism of the interior design style.

Other customers who remember the look the first time around from their parents’ or grandparents’ homes find comfort in Mid-Mod as it evokes a sense of nostalgia and stability. This new Theodore Alexander Keno Bros. occasional table with gorgeous rosewood veneers is a typical example.

Mid-Century Modern design dates to exactly the period implied in the name. It draws on the era from the end of World War II in 1945 through the early 1970s with an emphasis on the 1950s. Of course, this was a period of great change socially and in design and manufacturing. The streamlined profiles of furniture in this period reflects the reaction against the old society and the exciting possibilities of the new! The excitement of the space age and airplane travel were part of the buoyant and forward-thinking mood. This new light washed oak and leather Jonathan Charles Mid-Century Modern chest looks like it is about to rocket to the moon!

Mid-Century Modern furniture and home accessories were designed with pared-down shapes and organic and ergonomic forms. The streamlined straight, angled, and gently curved shapes avoided any ornate decoration. Surface embellishments or other ornamental flourishes are not a part of this look. The design interest purely came from strong silhouettes, interesting materials and often quite bold colors.

Geometrics were important and they gave a graphic punch whether used as a shape for furniture or as a decorative print on textiles. This stunning new Theodore Alexander Keno Bros. panel screen is a terrific example.

Amidst the uncluttered look, statement lighting had a chance to shine in more ways than one! A pendant lamp with a simple organic shape is often a focal point in this kind of decor style, giving the impression that it is a space satellite or cloud floating across the room.

The wavy floating shelf on this new stainless steel and walnut veneer Mid-Century Modern style floor lamp by Theodore Alexander and the Keno Brothers shows the kind of statement we mean!

Materials combine natural woods such as teak with the new materials that the latest technology provided, such as Lucite, plastic, and molded fiberglass and plywood, Ground-breaking furniture designers in the Mid-Century Modern style include Ray and Charles Eames. George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, and Isamu Noguchi.

The new pieces in Mid-Century Modern style in our online furniture store show the finest design of this type, superbly crafted by today’s furniture makers. You might especially like to check out the full Theodore Alexander Keno Brothers collection of Mid-Century Modern styles designed in partnership with the antiques celebrities, the Keno Brothers.

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Verdigris and Rusted Metal Decor

by admin

Aged metal including verdigris and rusted metal decor brings a very unique look to a home. Obviously if you leave a piece of metal or glass outside for long enough it will start looked naturally aged, rusted and weathered. But most of us don’t have the patience for that, and also we don’t want to leave a beautiful chandelier or mirror out in the elements! Fortunately, there are lots of options to buy new metal decor and lighting that is already aged for you!

This impressive new 8-arm chandelier made by China WInd is a great example of how convincing rusted metal can look. First, the turned wood center column of the chandelier is hand-painted with rustic gold tones and distressed to create the illusion of age. Then the iron arms holding the electric candles are given an oxidized finish which gives the chandelier a ton of character. The rusted look is very authentic, making this a perfect choice for shabby romantic decor, or a nautical style room.

This erusticated sconce by Chelsea House has a completely different look to the chandelier, but the erusticated metal finish on the acanthus leaf sconce again makes it look as if you found it in a vintage store. In fact, it’s newly crafted by Chelsea House but cleverly weathered. The places where it is worn are exactly the places that would grow worn and erusticated over time.

Verdigris is the term used to describe the bluish-green patina that naturally forms on copper or brass when it has been exposed to the air and moisture over many decades.

Verdigris is a lovely effect that works in all traditional decor styles and it has a charming and homely look to it.

This new Scarborough House frog statue shows just how attractive a verdigris finish can be. The brass statue boasts a verdigris finish on the frog, replicating the green skin of real frogs. The frog is rowing a shoe, of course! This statue is perfect for people who like a little whimsy. The brass shoe doesn’t have a verdigris finish and the contrast with Mr Frog is delightful.
This wonderful new Wildwood Lamps table lamp also has a lovely aged metal finish. This is created by aged gold leaf on the lamp base, which is designed as a stylized pineapple. The pineapple was a popular motif in antique French and European furniture, symbolizing wealth and abundance. The aged gold leaf makes the lamp look like an antique even though it is new, and visually it also softens the gold leaf. If the gold were left unaged, then it could look a bit too bright and blingy, couldn’t it? The aged gold leaf gives a very tasteful effect.

Finally, I just want to mention antiqued glass in mirrors. When a furniture maker ages the glass in a mirror, it creates a much softer effect, just like the aged gold leaf lamp above.

For example, this new China Wind Antiqued mirror sconce shows just what a little clever aging on the mirror can do! The antiqued mirror is a better match for the distressed gold and blue mirror frame and electric candle holders. It could ruin the overall distressed look if the mirror were too shiny!

But also the antiqued mirror creates a softness that will give a more gentle reflection of the sconce light. The mood is immediately nostalgic and romantic. It’s a perfect piece for a boudoir or a Victorian or Boho hallway.

If you enjoyed this post, then take a look at my other posts in this series on techniques used to create distressed furniture and how furniture makers create weathered furniture to give effects including driftwood, bleached, and weathered paint.

Dale Tiffany Lamps Fly to Mexico!

by admin

Jeri contacted me to see if I could ship a pair of beautiful crystal and chrome Dale Tiffany lamps to her home in Mexico. This is the Dale Tiffany lamp that Jeri chose for her living room. She explained that she and her husband had retired to Puerto Vallarta so I couldn’t help but ask some questions to find out more!

It turns out that that they fell in love with Puerto Vallarta after visiting on a vacation and then returning for dental work. She and her husband sold everything and flew down to Mexico with five suitcases and a Siamese cat. What a lucky cat!

Jeri jokingly said that all of their friends and family thought they were crazy doing something so unpredictable at the age of 72.

Jeri is now refurnishing her condo and spent a year searching in Mexico for just the right lamps, but couldn’t find the what she wanted. I was thrilled to help decorate her retirement condo in Mexico. You can see the pair of new Dale Tiffany lamps (item number DY-550) on the two end tables by the sofa. They look very elegant and the crystal and chrome design of the lamps reflect the light and bright feel in the room. They are a wonderful match for the tasteful neutral decor. The two Dale Tiffany lamps also create a frame around the focal point of that terrific piece of art over the sofa.

Of course, I asked to see the view out of the window that the lamps will now enjoy – and what a view it is! Jeri lives on the marina and enjoys a view of big beautiful yachts.

Thanks for sharing the photos of your home, Jeri. We don’t think you are crazy at all and we wish you many happy years in your Puerto Vallarta home, illuminated by your new Dale Tiffany lamps. Now I am dreaming of sailing away, or at least of visiting Jeri in Mexico!

Antique Furniture Discount & New Arrivals From France

by admin

We’re delighted to have finished unpacking all the amazing antique furniture that arrived on our latest container from France. Everything is listed on our antiques website now… see all the new arrivals of antique furniture from France!

To make your summer even better, you can enjoy a 15% discount on the new arrivals and everything else new, vintage and antique at EuroLuxHome.com through July 18.

Take 15% off your entire order and enjoy our always-free shipping too, when you enter the coupon code at checkout: SummerFun

That code is good for everything on our site, including furniture and lighting as well as home decor from wall art and throw pillows to candlesticks. The mahogany antique French Rococo Louis XV vanity and chest of drawers pictured above is from the new container. It dates to 1900 and boasts a luxurious white marble top. We have a pair of matching nightstands too!

We always have beautifully carved furniture in the gallery, but this shipment of antique furniture knocked our socks off! There are some exquisite pieces and every antique is of course hand-crafted and unique. Let’s take a look at some more of my favorites.

This spectacular 1870 antique French Gothic buffet will be the star of the room, intricately carved in walnut with a beautiful stained glass door. Fit for a cathedral or a castle, the magnificent Gothic buffet would make a great server when you entertain. It would make an impressive home bar too, displaying your favorite wines, spirits and liqueurs!

I love this 1880 antique French Hunting buffet, carved with dogs and birds. The oak buffet stands more than 9 feet tall, crowned by a curved top crest with two birds flanking a regal shield. The detail on their carved feathers is gorgeous, as is the exquisite carving on the doors of a heron with a fish in its beak and a game bird pecking at berries.

This set of 6 antique French Brittany chairs is a real conversation starter! Dating to 1880, the six chestnut chairs are carved with different images of traditionally dressed French country men and woman in the seat back.

I had to lighten these images a little so you can see the detailed carving on the seat backs. For that reason they don’t look nearly as rich as the actual aged chestnut wood. You can see detailed close-ups of all the carved characters on the antique Brittany chair listing on our website. Here is one of the guys sauntering through his rustic village just to give you an idea of the quality of the carving and the charm of the chairs! The ship wheel spindles on the crest rail honor Brittany’s maritime history.

Finally, this Dale Tiffany lamp is NOT an antique that just arrived on our latest container of antiques from France!

It is newly hand-crafted by Dale Tiffany artisans, inspired by an original antique Tiffany design, with each piece of glass individually crafted using the same copper-foiled technique pioneered by the glass maestro Louis Comfort Tiffany!

The Dale Tiffany carnation accent lamp will put a beautiful spot of summery color into your living room or bedroom all year round.

I’m just showing it to remind you that our discount code is valid on everything on our website.

For more inspiration, browse our complete inventory of fine antique, vintage, and high-quality new furniture and home decor accents. Then take 15% off everything in your shopping basket when you enter the coupon code: SummerFun

The offer is valid through July 18, 2016. Happy home decor and antiques shopping!

French Antiques Discount and Home Decor Deals

by admin

We just received a container from France with our latest picks of wonderful antique French furniture. This time we picked out some stunning Art Deco buffets and sideboards too and we ‘re offering a 15% discount on these and everything at EuroLuxHome.com.

Through April 25 get 15% off your entire order – whether antique, vintage, or new – plus our always-free shipping when you enter the coupon code at checkout: SpringFling

It’s the perfect way to celebrate spring by giving your home a fresh new look. Or treat your mom for Mother’s Day! If you have a wedding on the horizon and need a gift, you might find the perfect piece and save money too with the discount.

You might be surprised at the reasonable prices to snap up some unique antique French furniture, especially when our prices include free shipping.

This antique French Hunting server dating to 1880 would be a fantastic wedding gift. The pair of griffins carved at the top of this splendid oak sideboard will keep protective watch over the happy couple and make sure all their dinner parties are festive occasions!

This is just one of the selection of beautiful Art Deco buffets that arrived in our new container of antiques from France.

Dating to 1920, this curvy beauty is a superb example of Jazz Age opulence, carved in walnut wood with exotic fruits and foliage. The counter top is dramatic black and white marble to create a sexy surface for your martini glasses. The mirror back between the top hutch and the lower cabinet also adds glamor. The glass door cabinet at top lets you show off your Art Deco collectibles.

Shine up your cocktail shaker and prepare to party!

For something completely different and very special, this extraordinary antique French Gothic cabinet is sure to be the signature piece in any room. The 1850 antique French Gothic cabinet is intricately carved in oak. It looks like it should live in a medieval castle (maybe it did, some time over the last 170 years!) but at 53 inches high it’s also nicely sized for a modern home.

Among the super sets of vintage and antique dining chairs that just arrived, this set of 6 pretty French Rococo chairs is a feast for the eyes. The Louis XV Rococo dining chairs date to about 1930. The decorative silhouette of the walnut wood and cane chairs creates a light and elegant look – perfect for a dining room where you don’t want too much bulky furniture.

You can use your 15% discount on all of our new furniture, lighting and home decor accents too.

If you have been searching for a contemporary table lamp with classic appeal, this new Cyan Design Lindley Table Lamp could be your perfect spring fling!

Standing nearly 3 feet high, the iron and wood lamp makes a gorgeous visual impression, with all those elegant swirls and flourishes. The burlap shade has a nice textural effect too. The rectangular shape of the lamp – just under 8 inches deep – makes it a good choice for a slender table where you need a lamp that can be tucked back a little. It looks fabulous but it doesn’t have a big round base or shade that is going to intrude too much on your surface space!

The offer is valid through Monday April 25, 2016. Happy spring and happy antiques and home decor shopping!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 9 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Home Office Accessories and Decor Accents

by admin

To end my series of blog posts about stylish home offices, I want to look at a few of the home office accessories and decor accents that I love. I already wrote about Creating a Beautiful Home Office and then Picking the Perfect Desk to suit your style. Now it’s time to look at the finishing touches. I mean, those little details that help you keep organized but that are also lovely in design so they please you every time you use them or see them.
A functional home office isn’t any good unless it’s gorgeous too, right?

Everyone needs a letter tray or other system to organize the work-in-progress and the inbox and outbox. This wonderful antique-inspired letter tray by Jonathan Charles is crafted to replicate a Victorian style letter tray. The crossbanded crotch mahogany letter tray has 3 tiers to keep the paperwork organized, and patinated brass decorative plates on the front of each tray let you label them in fine old-fashioned style.

You’ll need somewhere to rest your pen. Rather than losing it in a drawer, why not make a design statement with a handsomely crafted pen holder? We recently started carrying pieces made by OK Casting – all made in the USA and cast in resin with incredible detail. This fox pen holder is one of their pieces and it is hand-painted for a unique effect. Other designs include pheasants – perfect for your country themed office!

The same American company makes fantastic bookends. We have many traditional bookends on our website, including wooden chess piece bookends by Jonathan Charles and a large selection of decorative cast resin bookends by OK Casting. These are amazingly realistic, featuring dogs, horses, wild animals, birds, golfers, polo players, fishermen, kids, even Chief Sitting Bull! A decorative bookend is a great way to reflect your personality in your office, as well as being practical.
You will probably want a desk lamp or table lamp in your home office. Everyone needs a task light to help them see what they are signing! An attractive lamp also adds a lot of character to an office, whether you are looking for a warm glow or a sophisticated beam of light across your desk.

This chic Dale Tiffany Abbeville Desk Lamp combines classic styling with modern sleekness. It is crafted using solid crystal decoration that sparkles deliciously against the polished chrome of the base. It looks much more expensive than you’d think, so it will impress your business clients as well as making every day a joy when you light up your office!

What desk accessories do you think are essential? What kind of decor accents do you enjoy in your home office? We’d love to hear about it – tell us in the comments box!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 9 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Our Silver Spoon Chandelier in Consumer Reports

by admin

We were delighted to see that Consumer Reports featured one of our chandeliers in their Kitchen Planning and Buying Guide this month.

Consumer Reports contacted us a while ago about our Silver Spoon Pendant Chandelier Light Fixture, hand-made by an artisan right here in the United States. The artisan is very clever in the way he crafts up to 80 vintage silver plate spoons into each stunning upcycled chandelier. Each piece is custom made to order and, of course, each piece is unique.

Consumer Reports showed a photo of the “spoondelier” in its March 2016 issue of Consumer Reports Kitchen Planning & Buying Guide. If you are a subscriber, you can see for yourself! It is part of an article on page 23 of the Buying Guide called “Get the Look” and it is an item titled Whimsical Light Fixtures. They commented on the personality of hand-crafted lights and also mentioned French collectibles, wood accents and reclaimed wood and distressed furniture in their very nice roundup.

We stock a range of different upcycled vintage spoon chandeliers — or spoondeliers as some people call them. They are all hand-crafted to order.

The spoondeliers are so beautiful that the Trashformers TV show featured them in one episode on FYI Networks as an example of innovative upcycled design!

Read more and see a video of the Trashformers Upcycled episode here.

We’re pleased that the chandeliers are getting so much media attention as we think they are wonderfully unique pieces and a very interesting take on hand-crafted and vintage lighting.

If you read our blog regularly (subscribe here!) then you’ve seen some of the chandeliers in our client spotlights. They are so pretty… let me give you a little tour!

This is the vintage teacup and spoon chandelier our customer Marie-Louise in Haute-Normandie, France bought from us. She had us ship it far across the Atlantic ocean so it could take a starring role in her charming vintage French kitchen. (Read the full Vintage Teacup Chandelier post with more photos.)

Below you can see how Barbara in Cambridge, MA, displayed her teacup and spoon chandelier in her kitchen. Barbara said: “I love the chandelier and get many, many compliments on it.” See the whole post and more kitchen photos here.

Our clever customer Kelley F. in Houston, TX, adapted her chandelier, crafted from a vintage tea service, by using coffee cups in place of the vintage teacups. Read the whole Tea Party Chandelier post with more photos.

Finally, we loved how the Tupelo Honey Cafe in Downtown Greenville, SC, featured the vintage tea service chandelier in their restaurant, just in time for their grand opening.

Doesn’t it look wonderful? Check out our guide to chandelier styles here, or browse all the upcycled teacup and spoon light fixtures on our website or contact us by email for more information. And then put the kettle on for tea!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 9 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Beautiful Guest Rooms with Traditional Style

by admin

Around the holidays there are so many visitors coming and going, I thought it was a good time to look at some beautiful guest rooms designed with traditional style. These inviting guest bedrooms all offer a warm welcome and the practical comforts to keep your favorite friends and family coming back for more!

Traditional Bedroom by Montpelier Interior Designers & Decorators Cabell Design Studio

Let’s start with the essentials. A gorgeous bed makes your guest feel special before they even open their suitcase. This room with French style decor and antique furniture is a perfect example. (You can find some fabulous new, vintage and antique beds on our website.) The pale pastel blues make this a very serene guest room.

Traditional Bedroom by Easton Interior Designers & Decorators Bountiful

A pair of traditional nightstands beside the bed provides pleasing visual balance as well as a useful place for your guests to keep their bits and pieces organized. If you’ve ever slept in a makeshift bedroom without a bedside table, you’ll know that it’s a bit like injuring your thumb. You don’t realize how much you use it till you can’t! A well-dressed bedside table will have a lamp, some tissues easily to hand and an alarm clock. (A cell phone clock is just not the same when you have to hunt around for it in the middle of the night!) A pitcher of water, a notepad and pan, and a few magazines or books are always appreciated too.

Mediterranean Bedroom by Scottsdale Interior Designers & Decorators Sesshu Design Associates, Ltd

Of course you want some easy-to-reach lighting by the bed. This Mediterranean guest bedroom with an antique-inspired bed features charming wall lamps. This is a great idea as it keeps the bedside table top clear. However, the wall sconce approach is best if you will only ever have the bed in one place. Otherwise you’ll be rewiring every time you move the furniture around!

Many people opt for a table lamp for more flexibility. Our collection includes this stunning new Dale Tiffany bedside lamp with a hand-crafted glass shade.

The dragonfly design is designed to replicate the dragonfly designs on original Louis Comfort Tiffany antique lamps. A built-in nightlight glows through the glass base to silhouette the pretty dragonflies, making it a lovely finishing touch to comfort a child who is staying over for the night. Or, let’s admit it, the nightlight will be great for adults too. We all know what it’s like to wake up and fumble around in a dark room when we’re staying in a strange place!

Traditional Bedroom by Mclean Interior Designers & Decorators StoryBook Rooms, LLC

The next ‘essential’ for a guest bedroom is something to put your suitcase on. It gets very old very quickly when you are digging around in a suitcase on the floor to find something. You can buy a suitcase rack of the type found in hotels and whip that out every time friends arrive, folding it up neatly in a closet the rest of the time. The wooden luggage rack under the window in this very traditional French Country bedroom manages to blend in well enough. In any case, our eyes are on the gorgeous toile bed linens, the window treatments and that delicious painted armoire! (If you are looking for a wardrobe, we have some equally lovely new and antique armoires on our website.)

Or use a nice wooden bench like this new Amish bench for travel bags. As long as the bench is big enough to support a suitcase, you then have the option to use the bench as a useful piece of furniture when nobody is visiting. The main thing is to choose an easy-to-clean surface. Wood or metal are good, but you don’t want an upholstered bench to double up as a suitcase rack for the same reason you don’t want people putting their suitcases on the bed. Dirt alert!

These are the basic pieces of furniture for a beautiful traditional style guest bedroom. In my next post I look at stylish guest room seating ideas to ensure your visitors are always comfortable!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 9 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Labor Day Sale 15% Off Antiques and New Home Decor

by admin

Get 15% off all new, vintage, and antique furniture and home accents in our End of Summer and Labor Day sale!

We’re celebrating Labor Day weekend with a discount to help you save money and help us clear space for all the new stock that’s arriving for fall! From now through September 9 you can get an amazing deal on fine European antique furniture, as well as on new home decor.

Order a beautiful crafted piece for your home at EuroLuxHome.com and you’ll get 15% off everything (as well as our always-free shipping) when you enter the coupon code at checkout: CELEBRATE

Need some shopping suggestions? Why not use your 15% off code to snap up one of our exceptional antiques at an even lower price?

This fabulous antique French Brittany armoire dating to 1880 is one way to save in style. Lavishly carved in chestnut wood and with a classic oval mirror in the door, the Brittany style armoire features carvings of French country folk including a man and woman relaxing beneath a pair of trees. The matching 1930 French Brittany full-size bed is carved with more joyful scenes of country dancers and horn and bagpipe players.

If you prefer traditional American Victorian furniture, this impressive antique Eastlake bed might be more your style.

This classic American treasure dates to about 1890, crafted in mahogany with elegant floral carvings and a carved crest and floral medallion on the 7-foot-high headboard. It’s a handsome focal point for your master bedroom or guest bedroom.

The rich patina on the antique mahogany wood will look grand in your Victorian home decor.

Your formal dining room will receive many admiring comments from guests enjoying this handsome set of 6 antique French Hunting chairs.

The antique French Renaissance dining chairs were crafted around 1880 in the Hunting style, and the aged oak wood looks very rich against the neutral tone of the cane/rattan seating.

Carved barley twists always look great in a dining room, while a pair of leaf carvings on the crest rails along with other carved foliage, floral blocks and grape details add to the rustic appeal.

To light your way into fall, why not enjoy the warm glow of this enchanting new Dale Tiffany lamp? The Dale Tiffany Reves table lamp with stylized dragonflies flying around the shade is hand-crafted with traditional Tiffany glass techniques – the colorful art glass is accented with sparkling glass jewels.
Maybe you will plan ahead for holiday entertaining by ordering these elegant new Jonathan Charles nesting tables. The two round nesting tables are available in distressed gold, bronze, or silver finishes over a wrought iron frame. The gilded finish is paired with hand-painted gold borders and set off by églomisé or gilded glass top in a stunning pattern. The tables fit together snugly until you need extra drinks tables for guests, then this pair pulls apart for maximum pzazz!

However you choose to use your 15% discount, we hope you enjoy browsing our our complete EuroLuxHome.com inventory. Then take 15% off everything in your shopping basket when you enter the coupon code: CELEBRATE

The offer is valid through Wednesday September 9, 2015. Happy Labor day weekend and happy antiques and home decor shopping!

Sea Shell Decor and Furniture

by admin

I loved writing my recent blog posts about beach style decor. As we’re now in the last days of summer I want to finish off the beach theme with a post about shell decor. Shells in furniture and lighting are such a unique natural material and they create a distinctive look that is full of light. I hope that all you beachcombers enjoy scouring the ideas in this blog post, even if you live many miles inland!

Beach Style Bedroom by Ojai Interior Designers & Decorators Kelley & Company Home

Shell collections always look gorgeous displayed in glass jars, as you can see in this Los Angeles beach style bedroom. Shell adds a nautical atmosphere which is a great match for a seaside condo or coastal cottage. Shell also tends to reflect light and one big shell as a centerpiece on a dining table looks pretty by candlelight.

Anyone can enjoy shell decor and furnishings even if you live far from the ocean. For example, this tropical shell sconce light in our online store adds a touch of color and whimsy to a living room, bedroom or hallway. The shell sconce would look pretty in a bathroom too… for all you mermaids!

Imagine teaming a pair of orange shell sconces with this fantastic Currey & Company natural shell sideboard. The intricate detail of the shell-encrusted cabinet is amazing. It’s perfect for your Mediterranean grotto bathroom!

Moving on to the dining room, can you picture this oyster shell chandelier hanging over your dining table? The Aiden Gray chandelier featuring genuine oyster shells is crafted with rustic rope details. Whether you like eating oysters or not, you can enjoy their famous aphrodisiac benefits. The eight electric candles create a truly romantic and unusual glow in your home!

Although this exquisite Dale Tiffany lamp is not actually made of shell, I have to mention it because it is hand-made in glass and styled with the sleek lines of a nautilus shell. The new Dale Tiffany Nautilus table lamp is crafted using traditional Tiffany glass techniques and each piece of hand-rolled art glass is hand cut, pieced and soldered by a glass artist. The sleek lines and opulent color ensure that the Tiffany table lamp will be a focal point for your room.

Finally, If you’re really going shell crazy, add a throw pillow! This French textile and USA finished shell throw pillow is boldly and beautifully designed with orange coral and large white shells.

The detail is lovely and at a plumply generous 19 inches wide, the square throw pillow makes a gorgeous impact as a finishing touch to your decor.

I hope that I’ve provided a little inspiration to help you come out of your shell… (Groan!) Summer doesn’t have to go away just because the nights are getting shorter. I love the cheerful look of shell decor, as well as the natural beauty. Do you collect sea shells? Tell us about it in the comments!