Founded in 1807 by Thomas Osler, the firm of F & C Osler of London and Birmingham became the leaders in chandeliers and lighting manufacturing during the nineteenth century. The glassworks specialized in glass furniture and chandeliers. Many of their products were produced for overseas markets.
F & C Osler was commissioned to create the gigantic crystal fountain for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. It stood 27 feet high and contained 4 tons of crystal. During a time when cut glass remained the cornerstone of quality, this large fountain depended greatly upon the cutter’s skills. The brochures for the exhibition boasted the fountains impressive scale. It was written that the chandelier formed the center of the entire building, and that it could be seen from ever vantage point. It was claimed that was perhaps the most striking of the objects at the Exhibition.
During 1856, the firm was contracted to build a large chandelier for St. Georges Hall in Liverpool. Liverpool was one of the largest and richest ports in England at the time. The fame they gained for building the Liverpool Chandelier led to other commissions that included a thirty six light chandelier for the Mansion House in London.
Queen Victoria opened Aston Hall, in the spectacular Jacobean mansion to the public in 1858 with a banquet that was held in the Great Dining Room. F & C Osler created the table service. The work so impressed the queen that she commissioned the firm for some personal items. F & C Osler rode this fame to new heights. They constantly pushed the envelope of cut glass design in their chandeliers always producing more and more complicated designs that still invoke awe today.
Perry & Co is considered the second best chandelier creators of the 18th century in the United Kingdom. William Perry joined with Samuel Parker, the son of the famous William Parker, in 1803 after a previous partnership with William Collins. After leaving Parker & sons in 1822, he was joined by nephew George Perry. When William retired, George’s brother joined the company.
The designs of Perry & Co are many and varied, their signature “Perry Chandelier” is characterized by its long slim stem pieces usually with a cup shape to contain suspension brackets and “twisted rope” arms. Specialties of Perry chandeliers are molded drip pans, sculpture glass, and walls of prisms. One of Perry & Co’s premiere designers was John Wateridge. His sketch books were on display for a time in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Perry & Co supplied chandeliers to clients as noteworthy as the Emperor of China and many of the crowned heads of England. Although Perry & Co went out of business around seventy years ago, one can still find their more ornate products for sale in antique stores. Perry & Co’s most illustrious of creations found itself at the bottom of the Atlantic on a cold Sunday evening on April 14, 1912 when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. It has since been recovered from its watery resting place.
They also produced the chandeliers that bedeck Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth commissioned two chandeliers from the firm. One was of two tiers and sixteen lights and another of two tiers and twenty four lights. They were placed in the Adam Room used by the Council of Lloyds.
The son of the world renowned founder of Tiffany & Co., Louis Comfort Tiffany, was a great American artist best remembered for his amazing work with stained glass. He designed beautiful stained glass windows, jewelry, and lamps. The first Tiffany lamp was produced in 1895 at Tiffany’s New York based glass factory. The lamps were covered with a stunning shade of stained glass pieces of bright vibrant colors in a mosaic style pattern.
The exquisite Tiffany lamps gained popularity in homes and businesses across the nation. Today, the lovely style of lighting is just as fashionable. Tiffany style lighting is now available in everything from table and floor lamps to graceful chandeliers. Modern lighting influenced by Tiffany has grown to include etched picturesque images within the glass and can be found in almost any style or color scheme.
Tiffany chandeliers can be purchased at a variety of specialty stores. The traditional eclectic colored shades can be found as well as shades with southwestern designs, Victorian romantic themes, or even nature motifs. The style of a Tiffany chandelier can be as varied as the design of the shade. Chandeliers with a Tiffany flair are abundant in many desirable shapes, sizes, and trends, including Mission, tiered, and traditional.
Tiffany chandeliers and lamps have remained a popular decorative part of homes for over a century now. The materials used and designs and styles available are much more diverse today, but Tiffany chandeliers are still as gorgeous as the very first lamps produced by Tiffany.
Modern chandeliers are available in such a wide variety of sizes, styles, and designs that it is difficult to pinpoint an average price. The materials used in production and the quality of workmanship are the biggest influences of the cost of chandeliers. This cost can vary from extremely affordable to several thousands of dollars.
The most basic chandeliers, very common in many new homes, are made of polished brass. The shades are generally glass, sometimes tinted, frosted, or marbled. These chandeliers can usually be purchased for about $100 and can be found as low as $50 or $60. More exquisite brass chandeliers, usually tiered, cost anywhere from $400 or $500 to as much as $3000.
Specialty styled chandeliers are much more costly as a result of the improved quality and workmanship. Modern Tiffany chandeliers are generally about $500, though they can be found for much more and often much less. Crystal chandeliers can cost as little as $200, but generally average about $1500. A more affordable option to costly crystal is a cut-glass chandelier. Cut glass gives the same radiant effect ad crystal for about an eighth of the cost. Swarovski Strass crystal is the best quality found in chandelier crystals. Chandeliers made with Strass crystal cost about $35,000. Strass trimmed chandeliers can be found for about $1500.
While most modern chandeliers are relatively reasonably priced and generally affordable to the average person, most antique chandeliers and even some new fixtures are so costly they can only be owned by the most prestigious people.
The very first chandeliers were lit with candlesticks. To prevent fires and ruined furnishings from the hot wax dripping from the candles, rings or cups in a matching style to the chandelier called bobeches were placed around the candle. Today, bobeches are the easiest and most inexpensive way to accent and add elegance to a chandelier.
Chandelier bobeches are available in lead crystal, pressed crystal, cut glass, and brass. Glass and crystal bobeches can be found in simple, transparent designs or with beautiful etched patterns. Brass bobeches are seen in an even wider variety, with elegant leafed patterns. Some brass bobeches, and even some of glass and crystal, are made in contemporary shapes rather than the basic circular shape that is common. It is not unusual to see bobeches in unique colors, especially chic shades of pink and blue.
Though more extravagant bobeches can cost several hundred dollars each, most chandelier bobeches can be found for as little as five dollars a piece. Adding inexpensive bobeches around each light can transform an ordinary chandelier into an exquisite, glamorous home decoration. Most bobeches are made with small pin holes around the circle ideal for hanging prisms and various crystals, adding more dazzling style to the chandelier.
A boring chandelier can be renovated into an impressive work of art for less than one hundred dollars with the addition of stylish bobeches. Bobeches give chandeliers a new look and can be used for even more gorgeous adornments with dangling prisms to add sparkle.
As the cost of living continues to rise, more and more people are looking for energy efficient ways to save money in their homes. The US Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Department of Energy, have developed a program to aid consumers in their search for energy efficient products. The Energy Star program identifies products that meet strict guidelines on energy efficiency to save the consumer money and to protect the environment.
Energy Star chandeliers can save owners about a third less on their energy bills than a standard, similarly styled lighting fixture. Energy Star products also decrease the amount of harmful greenhouse gas emissions emitted by about a third as well. These money saving chandeliers are available in the same quality, styles, and designs as the most popular chandeliers and are competitively priced.
The light cast by an Energy Star chandelier is just as good if not better than that given from similar traditional lighting. Fixtures meeting the Energy Star requirements use far less electricity than standard fixtures, significantly lowering the cost of lighting a home and drastically cutting down on air pollutants resulting from power generation.
With the help of Energy Star, consumers can find an energy efficient chandelier without giving up the design and quality they desire. Energy efficient lighting technology has advanced so much in the past years that efficient chandeliers are now exceeding traditional chandeliers in lighting quality and appearance. Improving the cost of lighting and the quality of the air has never been easier or more affordable than with Energy Star chandeliers.
Graceland is a Mecca for all of those that love the king -that is if your king is Elvis Aaron Presley. It is estimated that the mansion at Graceland and all of its grounds is one of the most visited estates in the world.
The colonial styled mansion was built in 1939 by a relative of S. E. Toof, one of the original owners of the fourteen acres of land that make up the Graceland estate. It stayed in the Toof family until it was sold to Elvis in March of 1957 for the price of $102,500.
As Elvis was often prone to decorating whims many rooms were constantly changed. Right before Elvis passed away he had just completed kitting the entire mansion with a red theme. The mansion was an eyesore of rich red carpeting, deep red drapes and as many crimson accessories as it could hold.
However one room was rarely changed: the dining room. Located just to the left of the front entrance, the dining room is a lavish display of all that is opulence with custom built-ins and rich, heavy blue drapes.
The crowing glory of the dining room is the majestic and over-sized chandelier that hangs just over the dining room table. The chandelier is so large that it had to be carried into the home in segments and then reassembled. It is estimated that it contains well over eighty hand cut crystals attached to a solid brass finish. It weighs over 600 pounds.
In San Jose, California you can tour what is referred to as the nation’s most spirited residences: the Winchester mansion. Commissioned by Sarah L. Winchester, the young widow of rifle and gun manufacturer William Wirt Winchester, the house always seemed to have a life of its own.
Perhaps the longest consecutive construction project ever, the house was worked on nonstop for thirty-eight years. Popular lore and legend hints that this was due to a touch of madness that Sarah Winchester had. Rumor has it that Sarah was told by a famous Boston Medium that all of the lives that were taken by Winchester guns would haunt her unless she built a house that could provide a place of peace for their souls.
Sarah headed west and settled in Santa Clara County where she immediately began the work that would keep her busy until she passed away in 1922. The house ultimately reached seven stories high and included over 160 rooms, 40 of which were said to be bedrooms designed for the spirits that haunted her. Forty-seven fireplaces kept the mansion cozy and the inclusion of modern touches such as elevators and indoor plumbing made the house always ahead of its time.
Still Sarah’s decorating tastes were consistently eyebrow raising. She is said to have been obsessed with spider webs and the number 13. Sarah even went so far as to significantly alter an expensive and imported crystal chandelier in her ballroom. She changed it from 12 gas lamps to 13. This famous chandelier is now listed among the most known, mostly for its interesting story.
The Blue Room in the White house has had different purposes throughout the history of administrations, but it is most often used as a reception area to welcome esteemed guests and visitors. Originally decorated during the Madison administration and filled with classic furniture and art, the entire room had to be redone after a devastating fire in 1814.
The president in charge or redecorating the Blue Room was President Monroe. After consulting with a team of experts he settled on a style that was decidedly French influenced. President Monroe was hoping to use deep and luxurious French mahogany furniture to show case the beauty of the shape and size of the room. However the French firm that was to ship the furniture found such a selection in poor taste and instead sent a suite of gilded furniture that they felt would be more tasteful.
President Martin Van Buren put his own stamp on the room by redecorating it with a blue motif. A custom made blue and gold carpet was installed as well as opulent blue drapes.
However, it is the touches added by Monroe that make the Blue Room continue to stand out. In the center of the large room stands a simple marble top table that was purchased in 1817. It is what is above the table that is truly breathtaking: a 19th century French chandelier with gilded wood and finely cut glass. A wreath of acanthus leaves circles the chandelier. Acanthus has come to stand for quality, longevity, and creativity. The chandelier is the focal point of the room and attracts almost as much attention as the famous blue coloring.