Fit for a Queen

I love chandeliers. And they're more fun when you find them at a salvage like the one hanging in my kitchen. About 10 years ago when we finally tackled la cuisine, we removed a ceiling fan from the space that is now graced by this Italian gold gilt chandelier. I don't know how old the piece is, but it is vintage and it gives a chateau feeling to my little cottage hearth. During noon time, the sun shines through my leaded glass window (that story will be another post). The light bounces off the crystals and the Silestone counter tops and throws tiny little mirror lights onto the walls. It is magic. This table chandelier in my living room is one of three table lamps that I found at a local antique shop, each for under $120.00. The base is real marble, the crystals are vintage and I made the lampshades to soften the light. The other two table chandeliers are in my bedroom; one on my boudoir and the other on the inside of my beautiful faux fireplace. All three of them appear to be from the same era, maybe 1940s. The chandelier in our dining room is from a local home improvement center that again, cost under about $150.00. This particular piece however, has endured some of my embellishments, as you can see. A Christmas ornament given to me by one of my students serves as the main bauble hanging from the center. Small lampshades mute the bright lights hanging over what I prefer to be an intimate dinner for entertaining rather than an interrogation room! We have plans for this dining room; the wall where the tapestry is hanging will have a 6-7 foot wide arched door spilling into a 18 X 18 family room with beams and French doors facing out to our garden. That dream will hopefully come to fruition when our economy bounces back....My photos don't do justice to the flicker of the little bulbs from my fireplace chandelier. In the early hours of morning or the late moments of midnight, this corner of the upstairs is a perfect place to sip a cup of tea, think and rest. The lamp on my boudoir fiercely throws gentle flickers of light in all directions. It is a small world of dreams, but a large canvas of possibility to create beauty and inspiration for decorating madness! Happy decorating to you all!