Making it Work: Crystal Chandeliers (in Real Rooms)
I ended up buying the chandelier after all, and it was the perfect choice. In hindsight I think I should never have hesitated at all. The fact is, crystal chandeliers are really quite versatile; they bring a touch of elegance to a casual room, and in a more formal room they fit right in. They're a nice contrast to a sleek, modern aesthetic, and in more eclectic homes, they can look funky and old-fashioned. Furthermore, hanging a crystal chandelier is a bold choice that expresses confidence, so it can really pull a room together.
I found a handful of examples from real homes, a few from Apartment Therapy House Tours and several more from the wonderful Sneak Peaks on Design*Sponge. These rooms all differ quite a bit from one another, of course, in terms of overall design, but the crystal chandelier works beautifully in every one.
The first three photos come from these excellent glimpses of our readers' homes:
• Kristie's Thirties-Style Vintage Home
• Richard Takes Downtown
• May's Hip and Little Room
The last photo, from Casa Sugar, is a DIY crystal chandelier made from a simple, cheap Ikea light fixture. What a great way to get a little bit of glamour on a budget!
Tell us, what do you think of crystal chandeliers? Do you have one at home? Does it have a story?
(Images: Apartment Therapy House Tours (photos 1, 2, and 3); Design*Sponge/Xenia Taler; Design*Sponge/Kimberly Austin; Design*Sponge/Shop Horne; Design*Sponge/Cassandra Ellis; Casa Sugar)
Comments (10)
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I recently found an old chandelier at a garage sale for $10! Brought it home, spray painted it, and spent more on replacement crystals than I paid for it initially.. my partner hung it up in our guest room/office and it looks great! Our dream is to replace all of the horrible shiny brass fixtures in our Victorian rental - I need an endless supply of garage sale finds!
view SfDweller's profile
I recently bought a "blingbling" pendant lamp by George Kovacs. I have the traditional glamour of crystals, but in a modern fixture.
Here's a link to a photo.
http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/50187.htm
view jewelryjeff's profile
When cleaning out my parents' house after 45 years, I claimed the dining room crystal chandelier. Right now I'm having it rewired to hang from my 10 foot ceilings rather than their 8 foot ceilings. My victorian rental has old gas light fixtures so I can't hang it over my bed, but it'll still look great in my office / living room.
view sfgirl's profile
I heart that drawer unit in photo #5. Want. Want. Want.
view Mary B C's profile
I love the one over the baby bed (though I pray it's very very secure) but functionally won't work out later on unless you also want to put the head of the kid's bed against that one same piece of wall and never move it.
view ChrisGal's profile
I want the drawers also! I looked on Design Sponge and it says it's from Grenouille, a furniture store in San Franciso.
view mirandabee's profile
I heart chandis, especially crystal ones!
view Erin Stanton's profile
Would love to hang one over the vanity in out mini rental bathroom, yum!
view fatalefemme's profile
I've had a crystal chandelier hanging in my traditional style bedroom for a couple of years and I love it!! I'm going modern now and it looks just as gorgeous with the new decor.
view AprilAries's profile
We have chandeliers over our beds, our piano, in our bathrooms, front hall, breakfast room, dining room, hanging from overhead trellis on our decks. Each one is different, all are vintage finds. We have Venetian glass chandeliers in gold, black, blue and milky white, chandeliers in wrought iron, brass, burlwood, red crystals, white ceramic flowers, and an Ikea LED light wreath hung with glass Christmas ornaments. Friends in NYC hung 5 chandeliers over their dining table because 1 seemed tacky. The chandeliers are all gorgeous and special and never seem like "too much."
view housedreams's profile