mood lighting Archives - Letters from EuroLux

Sailing Ship Crystal Chandelier

Among the antique and vintage chandeliers that we sell, we also sell many gorgeous new chandeliers and our best-selling new chandelier of all time is this stunning sailing ship crystal chandelier. Our customer Konnee in Malabar, FL, recently bought one of the chandeliers and sent photos of it in her home, so we can see exactly why this beauty is so popular! This is the large crystal ship chandelier, measuring more than 30 inches long. The high-quality chandelier is terrifically detailed and lavishly adorned with glass crystals, along with six lights, some glass elements and antiqued bronze metal. Every time we get new stock in of the chandelier it sells out quickly because so many people love it for its exceptional sparkle and unique character. If you click through on the crystal ship chandelier on sale on our website and it shows as out of stock, email or call us anyway, and we’ll make sure that you are first in line when we receive new stock in a few weeks!

Here is the chandelier in Konnee’s Florida home. She decided to hang it in her dining room, but this fixture could fit in a living room or bedroom as well. “I love it,” Konnee wrote to us. “I knew I would and it looks great.” We agree! It especially looks terrific against Konnee’s wood ceiling, which evokes the wood timbers of a ship on the high seas!
Here is another angle on the ship chandelier in Konnee’s dining room. Look at how brilliantly it shines with all the crystal! It looks amazing, and we’re glad that she sent the photos. You can really see just how spectacular the sailing ship light looks in real life-the style of the glass creates a feeling that this ship is approaching the harbor. It is the perfect finishing touch for a summer coastal cottage or a cabin on the lake, and a great choice for any nautical themed decor. It will brighten up any room, whether you want to say “ahoy matey” in a beach themed bathroom, create a talking point and focal point in a living room, or welcome guests with a jaunty piece of decor in your foyer.

A Beautiful Chandelier

Quality ceiling fixtures provide the lighting that is capable of making antique furniture shine. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that lighting often makes or breaks a piece of furniture. The ways that light reflects the color of the wood, or how crystal drops can bring a sparkle to a room, is an essential aspect to consider for your room. At EuroLuxHome.com, we’ve got a variety of options and would love to help you find your perfect chandelier. Whether it’s a bronze, glass, or Murano chandelier, chances are we’ve got something for you. For your other lighting needs, we can provide sconces, a candelabra, a lamp, and much more, all featuring the type of quality craftsmanship that interior designers drool over. For more on chandeliers, check out our guide here for everything you need to know about these majestic light fixtures.

Seeing the crystal sailing ship chandelier complement Konnee’s interior decor has made my day, and put a smile on my face, which is what beautiful and unique light fixture should always do. It’s also put me in the mood for spending a nice relaxing time by the ocean. Greg… when can we leave for summer vacation?

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 EuroLux Home

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 EuroLux Home

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!

Traditional Irish Home Decor

by EuroLux Home

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up on March 17. Rather than tell you how to make green beer 🙂 I thought I’d share home decor inspiration from some beautiful traditional Irish houses.

This is Montalto House, a mansion in the lovely green countryside of County Down, Northern Ireland. The house was built in 1760 and it sits in 600 acres of parkland. (I wouldn’t want to have to mow THAT lawn!)

In 2010, architects finished a major restoration on the house interiors.

Traditional Living Room by Other Metro Architects & Building Designers John J. O’Connell Architects Ltd.

This is the library – doesn’t it make you want to curl up with a good read? The burnt umber wall color creates warmth and sets the tone for the room. A roaring fire and lighting from the table lamp and wall sconces add more atmosphere. I also spy a brass or copper chandelier overhead. This room proves that good lighting from several sources makes a big difference to the feel of the space.

Traditional Kitchen by Other Metro Architects & Building Designers John J. O’Connell Architects Ltd.

Here is the kitchen. It looks just as you’d think an Irish country house kitchen should look! I love the old metal chandelier and the deep farmhouse sink, also known as a Belfast sink. Montalto House is now a venue for private events like weddings and it is full of Irish and European antiques and art.

Traditional Living Room by Dublin Interior Designers & Decorators Grainne Crowley

A little more modest and more realistic for most of us, this is a very nicely designed Arts and Crafts movement house just outside Dublin. Once again we have a blazing fire! I guess it is chilly sometimes in the Emerald Isle. Heavy wood furniture, barley twist legs on the coffee table and William Morris fabric all add to the sense of traditional comfort in this period home.

Traditional Bedroom by Dublin Interior Designers & Decorators Grainne Crowley

Upstairs in the bedroom of the Arts and Crafts house, the rusty red textured wallpaper has only been applied below the picture rail. It was the same with the olive green walls in the living room photo. Keeping the bold color below the picture rail means that it isn’t too overwhelming. It also visually lowers the high ceilings to make the rooms a bit more cozy.

Traditional Living Room by Dublin Interior Designers & Decorators Collette Ward Interiors

Here is another traditional home in Dublin – it welcomes us in at once! The dark brown wood style wallpaper gives an Old World feel and shows that dark walls don’t make the room itself dark if the actual lighting is good! This living room seems to enjoy tons of natural light, as well as a handsome chandelier to add a glow in the evening.

Looking at the wood furniture in the Dublin living room, I think that this Woodbridge Furniture Company drinks table that we sell would fit in very nicely! The new Howth drinks table is inspired by original 18th century Irish antique furniture designs.

The patterned table top is crafted with a swirl mahogany veneer and English brown oak burl. With the fluted pedestal column too, the table looks incredibly authentic.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If we can’t make it to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, at least we can all dream by looking at these amazing traditional Irish houses. Have you been to Ireland? What did you like about the decorative styles there?

Romantic Bedroom Decor

by EuroLux Home

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’m inspired to think about romantic bedroom decor. Of course, romance is in the eye of the beholder. If you’ve just fallen in love then anywhere is romantic… The same goes if you are as happily married as Greg and I are. We celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary this year and we are just as in love as ever. I am still thinking up a romantic surprise for him for Valentine’s Day. (Shh! Don’t tell him!) However, it’s sometimes a challenge to find a quiet space to snuggle up with your sweetheart when you’ve got 8 cats and dogs eager to come snuggle up with you, like Greg and I do. And you know… I wouldn’t change a thing!

I enjoyed looking at the romantic bedroom decor in these photos, and I hope you get some ideas too.

This beautiful white bedroom is softly seductive and proves that you don’t have to paint a room pink to create a romantic atmosphere! The gauzy draped chairs and pure light set the tone, and a fabulous vintage chandelier adds a sultry and inviting touch. The feather boa in the cat basket on the floor gives me a chuckle. Our adorably mischievous cat Lenny would have a fine time playing with that!

traditional romantic bedroom decor — By Johns Creek Interior Designers & Decorators Janie K. Hirsch, ASID

In general, romantic bedroom decor tends to rely on pale or pastel tones – sweet lavender, delicate blue, warm peach, and yes, the very feminine pink! Layering different shades of the same color will give more depth and sophistication to the boudoir. Flowing window treatments and gently distressed furniture add to the sense of comfort.

Romantic bedroom decor with toile de jouy — By New York Interior Designers & Decorators Anthony Baratta LLC

A canopy or four-poster bed always sparks up the romance factor. (We have some gorgeous traditional beds in the gallery, including some by Ambella Home and Jonathan Charles.) Toile de Jouy is a classic choice if you want pattern in your wallpaper or bed linens but prefer to avoid florals. It immediately adds a French accent to your romantic bedroom decor. You don’t have to go as all-out toile as the photo above though. I think it is delightful but if you prefer a lighter touch…

This French Country bedroom limits the pretty red toile fabric to the bed linens and breezy drapes, with a few matching plates as wall decorations.

A fairy-tale lace bed canopy and soft peachy walls provide the allure in this romantic bedroom decor. The curvy lines of the furniture add to the sensuous mood. Notice the lovely mural too. A cute white pup is optional!

Cherubs and angels add a sweet note to romantic bedroom decor. The Italian cherub chandelier on the left in our gallery is made from an antique wooden cherub serenading you with a lute. The vintage gilded chalkware angel above dates to around 1950 and as it hails from France, it surely knows the language of love!

If you literally want to add hearts to your bedroom, we rather like the range of new Jonathan Charles heart chairs in the gallery. Crafted in walnut and leather, the chairs add a romantic note without being too fussy. I think this green leather chair would look especially wonderful before a dressing table or vanity.

What is your idea of romantic bedroom decor? Is it about the color scheme, the fabrics, or is there some special accent that makes your heart flutter? Do you have a romantic boudoir? We’d love to see photos, or tell us about it in the comments box below.

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her 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. Connect with Aimee on Google+ or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Gothic Chandeliers: Castles, Dragons, Romance

by EuroLux Home

With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve been admiring the Gothic chandeliers and other spooky light fixtures in our gallery. They would make great talking points at a Halloween party, but of course vintage Gothic chandeliers add character and Old World atmosphere to a home at any time of year. Here are some of our favorite Gothic chandeliers from all the lighting in our gallery right now and others that give a sense of Gothic novel romance. Which is your favorite?

Game of Thrones fans will love the fantasy castle carved on this vintage 1930 French Brittany style chandelier. The four castle turrets rise up to create magical, mysterious drama and the castle even boasts drawbridges to support the five copper lamps. It hangs from chunky chains that look like they’ve been dragged straight from the castle dungeons!

There be dragons! Six carved dragons “breathe fire” into the electric candles of this fabulous 1950 French Gothic chandelier. The dragons with ornate wings suspend from metal chains from the oak ceiling cap. The dark oak wood and metal chains add to the medieval fantasy flavor, but we’ve found that the dragons are quite tame!

From dragons to eagles! Six fabulous Gothic carved eagles perch atop this awesome chandelier, holding the glass shades in their beaks. The six lights cast a moody glow on the wise and powerful eagles as they watch over the world below. The 1950 French Gothic chandelier is carved in oak and the dark wood truly accents the striking silhouette of the eagles for maximum drama.

Here’s a rather more romantic chandelier for Lords and Ladies of mystery. You can imagine it starring in a Gothic novel, lighting the ballroom in a mansion on the misty moors! Six decoratively wrought arms and sensuously designed curlicues and serpenting s-shapes create the thrilling allure of this quite sexy 1950 French black metal chandelier. Flowing velvet gowns are optional.

The classic appeal of this large and heavy 1950 French Gothic chandelier is enhanced by the coachlight-style body. It summons up images of a ghostly horse-drawn coach racing through the night, driven by a shadowy black-cowled figure cracking his whip! The frosted glass lamps and spiky finials on the aged brass-tone metal all add to the cool Gothic chandelier vibe.

Don’t be a phantom! Tell us in the comments box below: Which one of these spooky, dramatic, or just plain Gothic novel romantic chandeliers gives you thrills? For more information on chandeliers and chandelier styles, check out our guide here.

Lighting Tips for Your Home

by EuroLux Home

Lighting can have a bigger impact on a room’s mood than even color or furniture. Those latter two attributes may give you a quick impression of a room’s decor — Victorian, mid-century modern, shabby cottage — but lighting can transform any design scheme from cool to warm literally with the flick of a switch. Whether you’re looking to enhance your dining room, living room or other places, it is important for interior designers to have a plan when it comes to lighting. Fortunately, we’ve got some lighting tips.

Here are some lighting tips for creating mood with your home lighting.

Lighting tip #1: Match your lighting styles

When you choose a light fixture for your home, think not only about where you plan to locate it or the style of your decor. Also think about how the fixture will affect the way the light is displayed within the setting. For example, a large crystal chandelier makes a certain statement in its opulence. But it also tends to scatter bright light, which results in dazzling patterns dancing on the ceiling and walls. You can control the level of this effect by hooking your antique or vintage crystal chandelier up to a dimmer switch. These pieces of overhead lighting are a great way to add ambience to a space, with pendant lights that become the focal point of a room.

Stained glass wall sconces can create extraordinarily warm accent lighting. The results depend on the color of the glass. Enclosed sconces that mount flush against the wall tend to push light back against the wall, allowing only a small amount through the glass. This creates a cozy glow and sense of intimacy. Glitzy reproduction candle sconces, on the other hand, can cast a lot of light into a small area. These fixtures can help brighten large spaces. Quality wall lighting, especially blended with a floor lamp or task lighting, is a must. These lighting options add ambient light to your interior design. As long as your ambient lighting matches your other lighting sources, you’ve got the right setup. Other ways to combine your lighting design with your furniture include cabinet lighting or kitchen island lighting.

Use your furniture to enhance your lighting!

Next lighting tip: make good use of your furniture when creating your lighting plan! Quality light on your bedside table or dining table can create an ambiance over meals. Using your furniture to create quality bedroom lighting and bathroom lighting will take your space to the next level.

Pendant fixtures come in an array of styles. Some of them act like sconces in that they push light toward the ceiling. Some direct light downward through the glass shade. These lights make great fixtures for entryways because they provide enough light to illuminate the darkness but also cast warm shadows onto the ceiling for a welcoming touch.

Our next lighting tip is that you always want to include a variety of light sources within your design scheme. These include up lights that cast light up from the floor, floor and table lamps that illuminate their immediate surroundings, and chandeliers or flush-mount ceiling fixtures that cast light downward. By integrating each type of lighting into your design, you’ll be able to set any mood you desire.

Whether you’re looking for accent lights, ceiling lights, pieces that use incandescent light bulbs and much more, EuroLuxHome.com is dedicated to helping you find the right lighting. We can help you match your overhead light with natural light, task lights with track lighting. Let us enhance your dining, bed, and living room lighting!

A Beautiful Chandelier

<img src="https://blog.euroluxhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/111512_crystal_chandelier_mood_euroluxantiques.jpg" alt="" />Lighting tip #1: Match your lighting styles

Use your furniture to enhance your lighting!

Lighting tip #1: Match your lighting styles