Light up your home
Interiors
Be it a contemporary or traditional home, chandeliers can brighten up any interior and make a unique style statement, says Bindu Gopal Rao
How many times have you seen a chandelier in an office or hotel lobby and wondered how it would fit within a home? Again, if the size of the typical chandelier put you off, read on. As something that not just provides a great source of light, but doubles up as a fashion statement, chandeliers can brighten up your home interiors.
Chandeliers have always been one of the most important fixtures in a house. They are crafted from hand-carved wood and wrought iron and some of them are embellished with decorative elements of metal and crystal. Eurolite Chandeliers have classic designs like original black Tizio desk lamp from Artemide to modern marvels like bendable rail lighting.
In addition, they also showcase Canadian designers, including Powell and Bonnell, Viso and David Didur. The Eurolite Studio also showcases pot light trims, dimmers, and light bulbs in all shapes, sizes and wattages. The linked chain metal and purple Murano glass chandelier is typical of the work of Italian De Majo. Through its offerings Eurolite brings in all the European designs to India for the first time.
Explore designs
A space can completely transform when the visual boundaries of the products in that space are slightly twisted with a playful approach. “The element of surprise, humour and curiosity to discover the unpredictable makes the products more fun. It also provides the opportunity to explore interesting and not so obvious technologies in product design,” says Delhi based space designer, Preksha Baid.
Chandeliers are an integral aspect of interiors. Often chandeliers become the focal point of the room and hence it needs to be integrated within the overall décor so that it does not stand out as a sore thumb. “However, while matching the rest of the décor to the chandelier may be easy, there are some concerns one should address first. One of the aspects is the size of the chandelier. A huge chandelier in a small room is will look very awkward. Be certain that the fixture is not too large or, conversely, too small to properly light up the room. While a certain ambiance may be nice, if the lighting is too low, the chandelier may have to be replaced with a brighter fixture,” opines Akash Kakkar, CEO, Eurolite.
Today chandelier forms or designs are getting inspired by the combination of different cultures — Art deco, Neo-classic and Baroque. Forms or designs are derived by a mix and match of these cultures. salmon rose, rose dust, palace blue, vibrant green, fushia red are a few of the popular colours used today.
Says Sudhir Pasricha, General Manager, Lighting Division, Jaquar Concept Lighting, “Right from colour, material, form, function and application, chandelier design is always influenced by trends which help bring about a new look in them every season.
There are various aspects to chandeliers like designs and colours. While the demand for customised colours is high, very few still prefer contrast colours for their interiors at home
For instance, experts have forecasted black as the colour for decorative lighting this season.” While the key remains customisation and uniqueness, importance is also given to the use of innovative materials, which are hardly experimented with.
“Brass, wrought iron and stainless steel still maintain their platform as before. All types of finishes — plastic colours, antique, wood, nickel, lacquer, chrome, gold etc are placed well in the market and each finish maintains its status. Gloss and matte have also become a choice-based selection. Plating and coating that deliver durability and a new look are being welcomed by the industry. Use of adornments on a chandelier has resulted in widening of its material range which includes crystals, fabric shades, glass drops, casted metal ornaments, wood finishing and marble carvings that have become popular in these years,” says Pasricha.
In fact today, chandeliers are not just restricted to dining rooms and foyers but are making their presence felt quite literally in other areas of the home by adding charm in less formal rooms. Says Harsha Jalgavkar, Interiors Designers and Astro-Wellness Consultant, “More commonly, kitchens and bathrooms have become the popular spaces for chandeliers.
Colourful chandeliers create drama in the kitchen. Smaller ones provide elegance to powder rooms. Even walk-in closets go upscale when lit up with a small chandelier. Mini chandeliers add a new sense of intimacy to small rooms and to corner spaces and alcoves of larger ones. These compact chandeliers are 9 to 12 inches in diameter and slip easily into tight spaces. For added impact, consider grouping them.”
Adds Sagar M Hindocha, Properitor, Pallav Interiors, “Today chandeliers are not necessarily bulky and are available in simple forms that are sober
and have a modern, contemporary look. Taking the environment into account, manufacturers have come up with chandeliers with LED’s, which conserve electricity and at the same time maintain the bright and bold look of a chandelier.”
Maintenance
Clean the chandelier at least once a year to maintain its beauty and shine. Use a soft material like cotton to avoid damage. Always use lukewarm water to get rid of dust and apply pH-balanced cleaning agents to get rid of those hard-to-remove stains.
Also, check if the store you bought it from offers free maintenance for your crystal chandeliers. To stretch the time between cleaning, dust lightly every two or three months with a feather duster, lamb’s wool duster or make-up brush. Frequency of cleaning crystal depends on the location of your crystal chandelier, type of crystal and shape of the jewels. Essentially you can clean them by either dismantling or where they are hung.
