Vintage Lighting Archives - Letters from EuroLux

Antiques Buying Trip Belgium: Vintage Chandeliers

by admin

The next stop on our antiques buying trip in Europe was Belgium, which Greg calls his second home. I already wrote about our travels around France as we hunted for antique treasures to ship home to the USA, and you can read our last French antiques-hunting blog post here. As we drove our rented van into Belgium, we guessed we’d have an interesting time ahead of us, and we did. Well, Greg and his muscles did…

We were very happy to find some treasure troves of antique and vintage chandeliers. Soon the numbers mounted up….

As Greg said (sang): “30 chandeliers on a pile in the van, 30 chandeliers on a pile, take one down and sell it online… 29 chandeliers on a pile in the van.” By the time we finished buying vintage chandeliers in Belgium, we had 85 chandeliers in the back of the van!

I also bought the largest blue Delft vase we’ve ever seen – 2 1/2 feet tall! And I love all the details in this amazing antique Renaissance dining set with a Gothic iron chandelier. We bought it all to ship back to the USA because we know our customers will love these pieces.

This is a close-up of one of the carvings on the enormous antique Renaissance buffet. You will notice how fine the detail is. You can almost see the movement in the gentleman’s tunic.

The iron Gothic chandelier is also spectacular. The ironwork is superb, as you can see in the figure here in full armor…

Now Greg had an even bigger packing job on his hands, between all the chandeliers and furniture. Could he fit everything in the van?

You bet he could! Greg has mad truck packing skills. I’d back him against anyone to get the largest quantity of fragile and beautiful antiques packed safely and tightly in the fastest time. Greg says that his superpower is probably from all the Tetris he played as a kid.

In our next adventure in Belgium, you can see some of the wonderful religious treasures that we found, which have a surprising story behind them! For more info on chandeliers, check out our guide here.

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.

Vintage French Rococo Chairs

by admin

Our customer Fran P. found this beautiful set of vintage French Rococo dining chairs in our listings on Chairish, but she made the smart decision to track down our website EuroLuxHome.com and reach out to me directly for a best price! As Fran only lives about two hours from us in Concord, NC, she decided to drive down to our store in Newberry, SC, in order to pick up the chairs in person.

The set of 6 mahogany vintage French dining chairs dates to 1950 and the chairs are full of charming Rococo appeal. The sensuously curvy lines, the cabriole legs, and the carved curlicues on the mahogany wood frame are the perfect match for the chic pinky beige fabric upholstery. The sweet nailhead trim accents the glamorous silhouette, making these vintage Rococo French chairs a truly delicious treat as a dining room set.

It was a real pleasure meeting Fran and her daughter, and you can see how truly wonderful the chairs look in Fran’s dining room. Fran said, “It was such a pleasure to visit, your items are beautiful, and we love our purchase!” We are pleased to have such a happy customer and we agree that this set of chairs is perfect for Fran’s dining room. The faded pink upholstery works very well with the pinks, mauves, and cranberry in her rug and she did a great job of finding such a good set of vintage chairs to blend in both color and style with her mahogany Rococo table. The gorgeous gilded Rococo mirror adds even more glam to room.

Fran says that she is now looking to replace the brass chandelier. I think this vintage Italian Capodimonte chandelier in our gallery would look fantastic. It dates to 1950 and has an unusual cherub motif that is adorable. The angelic pastel pink and blue colors bring the scenes to life and the metal arms curve in a very elegant way. This relatively rare style of six-arm Italian chandelier doesn’t become available very often and so I wanted to share it with our blog readers because it is just so pretty!

Or for even more glam, Fran could opt for this stunning new Italian Murano cut glass chandelier! The Rococo style 8-arm crystal chandelier is dramatically crafted with gold leaves and gorgeous clear glass pendants and clear glass flowers.

Fran has such good taste that I’m sure that any chandelier she chooses will be the ideal match for the vintage French Rococo chairs and her beautiful dining room. I imagine she will host many elegant dinners in that lovely space!

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.

Our Upcycled Chandeliers on TV’s Trashformers

by admin

We were thrilled when a media company emailed us to say that our upcycled chandeliers were being featured on the Trashformers TV show on FYI Networks.

Trashformers stars four designers who are challenged to upcycle all kinds of crazy items. Our Spoondelier chandeliers were shown as an example of innovative upcycled design. Here are several spoondeliers from our selection of upcycled spoon chandeliers:

The spoondeliers are custom-made to order for us by a skilled artisan using vintage silver-plated spoons. This means that each chandelier is unique and you can also tailor the details and number of tiers.

The light through the gleaming spoons creates fantastic shadows on the wall. It’s perfect in the dining room for a romantic dinner for two or for a dramatic dinner party.

You can see how the upcycled chandeliers look in our clients’ homes in these spoondelier client spotlights. Some are made only from spoons, others use vintage teacups too.

On Trashformers, four designers who are experts in upcycling had only three days to transform a school bus, airplane and ferris wheel into high end, high value products that people might buy. They were guided by host Brooks Atwood who advised on style and construction, and then judged by a panel of retail experts who estimated a value for the upcycled products. The team earning the highest sum of money wins the game!
Here is the trailer to give you a taste of the show, which was broadcast earlier this month.

The designers did a great job of turning trash into treasure, as you can see in these Trashformer video clips. (You can also get access to full episodes at the link if you enter you TV provider.)

Challenges included salvaging an old school bus to create new upcycled items. The transformation of an old ferris wheel into a zen-like sculpture as a cool piece of garden art is especially impressive.

Another challenge involved turning the parts of a broken down plane into high-end products including bags, lamps, and even a guitar.

Some people are so creative and that’s why we love stocking the upcycled chandeliers from our artisan friends! Do you enjoy upcycled decor in your home? Tell us about it in the comments.

Best of May 2015: Castles, Gold, and Chandeliers!

by admin

We’ve had a lively month here at the EuroLuxHome.com antiques and home decor blog. In fact we’ve explored the stuff of legends: Castles and gold for starters, and then there was the Tea Party Chandelier that magically turned into a Coffee Cup Chandelier! (Who agrees that tea and coffee are the stuff of legends anyway? How else are we meant to start our busy days?)

Join us in looking back at our favorite blog posts last month, and may the legends continue…

We started our treasure hunt with a look at the interior design trend spotted at the Maison & Objet 2015 show in Paris: gold, gold, gold!

Gold diggers will love the warm and opulent effects in the Home Trends: Gold Decor Creates a Glow story and photos. But you don’t have to go crazy with the Midas touch if you just want a little gold rather than an all-over look. A few gold accents in your decor still add a vibrant and luxurious effect.

Next we went hunting for English history, lore and legends by taking a peek inside some incredible English Castle Hotels. If you want a unique and romantic vacation, staying in an English castle is bound to make you feel like royalty! You can even stay in the double-moated medieval castle that was home to Anne Boleyn when she was a girl, before she became the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Back at home, our own vintage 1920s bungalow is our castle and we’re delighted with all the progress we’ve made on the renovations.

We’ve worked hard on the garden landscaping, as you can see in the before and after photos in my story on Vintage Life: April Showers bring May Flowers!

As well as adding new planters that belonged to Greg’s great grandmother – family heirlooms for blooms! – we added hanging baskets, bird feeders, bird baths, and I built a rose bed around the mailbox out of vintage bricks. We’re also proud of the edible treasures growing in our raised bed garden boxes. See all the photos here.

I loved the photos sent by our customers for our two client spotlights this month. The first showed how wonderful this Woodbridge Game Table in antique French style looks in Marie-Regina’s home in Pennsylvania. The 18th century French style table is crafted in solid wood and hand-rubbed for a beautifully distressed finish. The photos of Marie-Regina’s living room make it look like a cozy place to spend a few hours playing cards!

Finally, clever Kelley in Texas added her own personal touch to the custom-made tea party chandelier that she bought from us. The chandelier is crafted from a vintage tea service, right down to the silver plated spoons and teacups. Kelly transformed the light by swapping the vintage tea cups for large double espresso coffee cups!

For more info on chandeliers, check out our guide here. We hope you’ll stay reading through June, when we’ll show more photos of customers’ homes and share more gorgeous antiques and inspiring home decor ideas.

Tea Party Chandelier

by admin

I’ve shared photos before of upcycled vintage teacup and spoon chandeliers in our clients’ homes, but in today’s client spotlight the tea party chandelier takes a new twist!

This is the tea party chandelier that we have in our gallery, custom-made by American artisans. It’s crafted from a vintage tea service including the teapot itself plus the silver plated spoons, a sugar bowl, creamer, tea tray and china teacups. The whole whimsical concoction is made to order and as the vintage tea service pieces are all unique, every single one of the brilliantly upcycled chandeliers is unique too.
Our clever customer Kelley F. in Houston, TX, made hers even more unique!

Spot the difference? Kelley added her own personal touch by changing out the vintage tea cups to large double espresso coffee cups. Kelley sent us the photo saying “I added my own cups to the light fixture…I’m in love!!!” She got the classic white Rhodes coffee cups from Pottery Barn, adding that she really wanted the ones that said ‘tea’ on them, but they would have been too big for the chandelier. In any case, she loves them now!

Here’s another photo of the vintage tea service chandelier with the tea party transformed into a celebration of coffee! The chandelier is a substantial 23 inches high so it can hold its own as a focal point in a large space like Kelley’s open plan living room and breakfast nook. You can tell that Kelley has a very artistic eye from the interesting array of decorative items on the shelves and also the gallery of framed images on the far wall.

The view back toward the kitchen also shows Kelley’s eclectic and witty taste. I love the oversized fork and spoon on the wall. This looks like such a happy home. I’m delighted that Kelley wrote, “I am sooooooooo happy with my new breakfast nook chandelier. It works perfectly with my home and matches my personality to a T!!!”

Hmm, was that a deliberate pun, Kelley? That the tea party chandelier suits you to a T? Ha! Thank you for sharing your photos and we hope that you party on whether you choose tea or coffee for breakfast!

If you like the tea party chandelier, then you might also like to see my blog posts on the Vintage Teacup Chandelier in France or the Teacup and Spoon Chandelier in a Cambridge kitchen, or the Upcycled Chandelier Decorating a New Restaurant.

Best of February 2015: Vintage Decor and Romance

by admin

February is the month of romance, and our client spotlight posts about vintage decor this month were certainly full of romance. February also ended on a romantic note for Greg and me – we took a break away from business with a trip to Hot Springs, North Carolina! Here are highlights from some our of favorite blog posts of the month.

Our customer Marie-Louise in Haute-Normandie, France, bought a vintage teacup and spoon chandelier from us. You can see all the photos Marie-Louise sent us of the chandelier in her gorgeous vintage French kitchen in the story about The Vintage Teacup Chandelier. This is just one of our many upcycled chandeliers, hand-crafted and custom-made for us by an artisan using vintage silver plate spoons. Marie-Louise’s home is dreamily romantic, inside and out!

Closer to home, Veritta in California sent photos of her dining room featuring the set of six vintage French dining chairs she bought from us. The upholstered oak chairs date to about 1950 and they are carved in the sheepbone style. Veritta told us that she bought the dining table 10 years ago but she has been waiting all this time for just the right chairs. We think it was worth waiting for the perfect love match, don’t you? See for yourself in the Vintage French Sheepbone Chairs story and photos.

Also in February, I told you about these Four Romantic Victorian Inns around the country so you can plan a romantic getaway any time of year, not just on Valentine’s day. All the inns are decorated with period Victorian or Victorian style decor, including the one in the photo. This is The Victorian Inn in Ferndale, CA, built in 1890 and convenient for California Redwood Forest. An antique armoire and a red velvet Victorian couch add to the appeal of the inviting Victorian Parlor room.

I often talk about home decor trends in this blog, and one romantic trend that I’ve noticed for 2015 is bird imagery and bird themes on furniture, textiles, ceramics, and home accents. My article called Home Decor Trends: Birds Take Flight shares bird decor inspiration from the charming and rustic to the elegantly sophisticated.

Let me know if there is a topic you would like me to cover in the March blog posts, whether it’s about antique furniture, vintage decor, or home decor trends. Or anything else related to making a beautiful home – we love to hear from you!

Vintage Teacup Chandelier in France

by admin

Check out how great these photos are from our customer Marie-Louise in Haute-Normandie, France! Marie-Louise bought a vintage teacup and spoon chandelier from us, and now the pretty chandelier graces her kitchen far across the Atlantic ocean.

This is the teacup and silver spoon chandelier Marie-Louise chose from our selection of upcycled chandeliers. It’s hand-crafted for us by an artisan using vintage silver plate spoons for each unique creation. The whimsical teacup chandelier is literally unique as every piece is custom-made using vintage pieces, so each chandelier is slightly different. People can customize the chandelier further if they want to. For example, by opting for just one tier rather than two.

The chandelier looks fabulous hanging in Marie-Louise’s home in Haute-Normandie, France. Her vintage kitchen is full of French character and the unusual chandelier adds another dash of personality. The pans hanging over the range look like copper – beautiful! This is such a welcoming and cozy kitchen, it makes me want to pull up a chair at the table and have a good long chat over a croissant and a steaming café au lait. 🙂

The chandelier is very well traveled. Instead of shipping it directly to France as the duties are quite high, Marie-Louise opted to ship to her second home in Dubai and carry the chandelier back to France on the plane. We think it was worth the effort! The vintage floral designs on the teacups look delightful against Marie-Louise’s rose-strewn window blinds.

The teacup and spoon chandelier (or spoondelier as some people call it!) looks wonderful lit up at night. It has a sculptural effect with every cup and spoon outlined by the light.

This shows a little more of the evening sparkle as the light glints off the vintage silver plate spoons.

I love that she included the photo of the outside looking in to the kitchen as I couldn’t help wondering how charming the outside must be with such a gorgeous vintage kitchen. Marilou invited us to stop in on our next trip to France – we just might take her up on the gracious offer!

Marie-Louise is not the only customer who has kindly shared photos of the chandelier in her home. There is something about the teacup chandelier that makes everyone want to show it off! Here are some other client spotlights showing custom-made teacup and spoon chandeliers. For more info on chandeliers and chandelier styles, check out our guide here.

Chandelier Lighting for Every Room and Style

by admin

Chandelier lighting makes a wonderful design statement in any room. Some people think you have to have a formal dining room to show off a chandelier. (For example, see the dining rooms in our client spotlights on Gail’s French vintage Rococo chandelier or Gary’s Art Nouveau chandelier.) Others like to use chandelier lighting in an entry way or foyer. A little razzle dazzle creates a sparkling welcome!

But you can enjoy the beauty of a chandelier in any room from the bedroom to the powder room. The crystal swagged chandelier in this traditional kitchen adds a very individual touch, doesn’t it?

Traditional Kitchen by Northvale Design-Build Firms Creative Design Construction, Inc.

We stock a huge selection of chandelier lighting in our online gallery. The choices range from antique and vintage chandeliers to new chandeliers hand-crafted by artisans. Let’s have a look at some of the chandelier style options for every room and every taste.

Do you prefer streamlined shapes rather than the more elaborate swoops, swags and flourishes of fancier Rococo styles? Then this 1950 vintage French chandelier shows you can have ornate style without the frou-frou details! The metal chandelier is crafted with a light golden finish. The 6 arms boast a graceful leaf motif. The body has an ornate embossed look too. It’s stately and elegant, and would look terrific in a living area or dining room, or even in a hallway. When hanging chandelier lighting in areas where people will walk beneath, be sure to leave at least 7 feet from the ground. If you have a tall visitor with a bouncy step, you don’t want them banging their head!

If bling is simply not your thing, a ceramic chandelier like this darling vintage Capodimonte one is a pretty choice for a Victorian home or cottage. Or even for a modern shabby romantic bedroom or dressing room! The Italian chandelier is a petite 20 inches wide and 17 inches tall so it will fit nicely into a smaller space. But even though it is petite, the yellow 1950 vintage Capodimonte chandelier is full of cheer, painted with flowery panels.

Believe it or not, this Dale Tiffany Mission style chandelier is not actually an antique. It is crafted by Dale Tiffany artisans in hand-rolled art glass with a bronzed metal base. The size and heavy look make this light a good fit for a larger room. Think about a great room or a high-ceiling foyer where it will balance the room scale nicely.

This rustic hand-carved chandelier is also newly crafted. The style is so adaptable that we could see it in a Scandinavian design scheme or in the decor of someone with a taste for folk art. Picture it in a country cabin, a Farmhouse kitchen, a Boho chic boudoir… the possibilities are endless. Each of the 8 hand-carved scroll arms supports a narrow shelf with candle cups and electric candles. Charming!

If you hang this or any chandelier over a dining table, allow at least 30 to 33 inches clearance above the table top.

Finally, those of you with eclectic taste (or a love for tea!) will enjoy this upcycled vintage spoon chandelier. It is hand-crafted by an artist using vintage silver plate spoons. You can see how fabulous it looks in our customer spotlight about Barbara’s kitchen featuring a custom-made spoon chandelier.

Fun and unique, the upcycled lighting would look delightful in a breakfast nook or your cottage kitchen. I can also imagine it as an entertaining addition to a guest bedroom. It will bring a smile to any visitor’s face and make them feel quite special and welcome!

I hope this post has inspired you to think about chandelier lighting in a new light! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
So here’s the Chandelier Challenge – just for fun. Describe your room or show us a picture and we’ll suggest a chandelier to suit it!

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. Find us on Facebook or connect with Aimee on Google+ Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Art Nouveau Chandelier

by admin

Today I want to tell you a story about a client who bought an Art Nouveau chandelier from us. I am always delighted and grateful when people send us photos for our spotlights on customers’ homes showing the furniture they have purchased from EuroLux Antiques. I don’t think we’ve had a spotlight on an Art Nouveau chandelier until Gary sent us some photos!

Gary P. lives in Cary, NC, and he is a very nice guy with wonderful taste. He is a commercial pilot and he flies all over the world. He always tries to find antique shops to visit wherever he lands. When Gary was in Rome, Italy, he found a handsome antique chandelier in a little shop, but the antique dealer wouldn’t negotiate the very expensive price.

Gary spent a little time researching antique chandeliers online and found our website at EuroLuxAntiques.com. As we are in South Carolina, Gary was delighted that we were within driving distance, so he decided to make a road trip with his good friend Kathryn. Gary relies upon Kathryn’s good design advice. Isn’t it great when you can trust a friend’s taste like that and know that it will match your own?

Gary was impressed with our wide selection of antique and vintage chandeliers and was also happy that our prices weren’t anywhere close to those pricey fixtures in Rome – although he insisted our quality was just as top-notch.

Kathryn was the first to spot this outstanding Art Nouveau chandelier in alabaster. She thought it would be perfect for Gary’s dining room and he agreed. Here it is in Gary’s home. In his email, Gary said he thought the Art Nouveau chandelier looked terrific. It really does, doesn’t it? I think the dining room has a nice Italian or Mediterranean look with the elegant lemony yellow walls. The white trim around the open archway adds to the classical effect. “Thank you so much,” wrote Gary. “With Kathryn’s assistance and good decorating taste, the dining room continues to evolve.”

We’d love to see more photos of the dining room as it evolves. Meanwhile I’m sending a big “thank you” to Gary P. for sharing the photo of the Art Nouveau chandelier in its new home.

If you are a fan of the Art Nouveau style, you can see all our Art Nouveau furniture and decorative home accents here. Or just check out all our vintage and antique lighting and chandeliers in many styles.

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.