Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Found: My New "French" Dining Room Chandelier!

After searching high and low, deliberating for days, and bringing two imperfect fixtures home, I've finally settled on this fixture for my dining room:

I love that this fixture is pretty and elegant, but still simple and not too uber-chandelier, if you know what I mean.  This traditional beauty, named Adagio, is from Schonbek and it is made with real crystals.  It comes in at 50% over my original budget, but the quality is very high and the fixture is beautiful, classic and looks great up close.

Despite the Italian moniker, this chandelier looks very French to me and I've decided to think of it as my French chandelier (which adds a certain je ne sais quoi!).  It's reminiscent of French style because it has the same low-slung look as an Empire chandelier, which I have always loved but simply don't have the house to accomodate!:
Plus, the little laurel leaves decorating my chandelier are very Napoleon (see crown below), and you can't get more French than Napoleon Himself:
The fixture comes in several finishes but my preliminary pick is Gilded Silver (as shown), which is a soft pale champagne gold colour.  My second choice is Antique Silver, which is more of a true silver colour.  I think the pale gold looks more classic and sophisticated, but the silver would look better with the various silver and nickel accents around my house.

The tiny crystals which decorate the fixture are mostly done in "clear" (uncoloured) crystal, but there are a a number of accent colours available. You can choose accent crystals in amethyst (so pretty), smokey gray (glamorous), topaz (classic), and so on.  The accent colours sound tacky, but they are actually quite pretty.  For now, I will stick with clear, as shown!

I didn't plan to spend so much on a fixture, but my favorite lighting store, Carrington, is having a big 20% off sale, and the price seems very fair for a crystal chandelier, which I shall take with me when I move!  Luckily, I only have to buy the mid-size (24" wide, 27" tall) and not the larger, saving a few bucks.  My room height simply cannot accomodate a larger fixture.

I recently took order of a contemporary drum-style fixture by Quiozel (this one), which I loved for its classic lines and blogged about here.  But when I brought it home, it seemed too big, stark, and imposing for our small dining room. So back it went and I reverted to the traditional look.  While I really wanted the clean look of a contemporary fixture, the one I chose (after a ton of searching) just looked too modern and dominant once it was in the house. 

I want this fixture to harmonize and I don't think I'll tire as quickly of a classic traditional look.

I haven't ordered it yet. Before I do....any thoughts?

20 comments:

  1. Hi! de-lurking here. ...that is a very pretty chandelier, I especially love the laurel leaves! I think I have a thing for laurel leaves though hehe...I hope your dining room will make you very happy, I'm trying to think up things for mine at the moment, it's really small!-So mirror ideas and chandelier decisions are floating in my head !!

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  2. Very lovely! I think you would be pleased with it for a long time- it is a keeper.

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  3. Hi Terri!

    Thankyou ever so much for the lovely card and the lovely magazine!! I had totally forgotten about you saying that you were going to send it and was really moved when it reached me! THANKYOU!! Very sweet of you! :)

    I think the chandelier will be great! And I also think that it will last for a long time :)

    My computer shuts down every now and then so I better post this and then answer your Hire and Help :)

    Hugs, Susanne

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  4. 1. My husband usually vaccuums and I do the dusting and he does the bathrooms. We do our windows.

    2. Everything I cook is homemade and I love to bake, always from scratch. We do eat out (Thai, International, Indian, Tapas etc) every now and then. I've never actually bought a cake that we were going to eat. The homemade ones are so much tastier!

    3. My husband drives the car through a car wash every now and then and we haven't had to do any shovelling yet.

    4. I rarely iron (my wardrobe is made up of snuggly dresses, skirts, soft tops, stockings etc so nothing really needs to be ironed), maybe a shirt per year, my husband irons his shirts.

    5. We paint occasionally if something needs to be painted and I do my own investing (with some thoughts and guidance from my Dad!).

    6. We do our own gardening and I try to take care of our flowers both indoors and outdoors best I can!

    7. I have a very good gaming computer (best on the market when I bought it) because I like to play Everquest 2 and we have about 5 computers at home since my husband works with IT (cracker :P) and I have a cell phone because it's practical and I use it when I go inlineskating and also when travelling.

    8. I buy the clothes and shoes that I want regardless of their worth in money (rarely expensive) because I LIKE that thing. I bought a little pitcher cause I really liked THAT pitcher and it cost me about 2 euro. I am not steered by things being a la mode or the things that you "have to have". Money has no worth of it's own to me (not sure if that came out right in English but hopefully you know what I mean).

    9. I bake basically every week and make cookies, cakes, pies, jam, rhubarb saft and elderflower saft (like Ribena or Tesseire) when I can because I like to and I love cookies and good saft! :P

    10. We basically NEVER have a babysitter cause I prefer to always bring my son along and he is used to attending parties and dinners and lots of things.

    Can't really think of anything else that we hire or need help with but I'm sure I've missed something.

    Have a great wednesday!

    Hugs, Susanne

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  5. I love it and think that it will look great for many years to come.

    Leeann x

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  6. Oh beautiful choice, Terri! I can't wait to see it up in your dining room.
    xo Isa

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  7. I love them both, maybe the 2nd suits your style home a bit more?? personal taste I guess! Can't wait to see what you actually choose!

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  8. Congrats Terri! It is fun to read your excitement! The fixture is glamourous and timeless! Have fun with it!!

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  9. I think it is just beautiful and will add that extra touch you are looking for in the room. Good choice!

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  10. BEAUTIFUL!!!!! cannot wait to see pics!!!!

    so elegant & just the perfect amount/ratio of glam & understatedness (haha is that a word??)

    xoxo!!

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  11. I love it! I think it is a great choice. It is light and airy, so will not overwhelm the space, and I like the size too.

    I personally think that a finish that is a little gold, a little silver is perfect and versatile. A few years ago I ordered a Baker coffee table in gold, but the sent me the silver one by mistake. It was a lovely color - really a 'gilver', in between silver and gold, but I had them change it out for the gold one. I still regret it...once the gold one was delivered, I knew that I should have kept the silvery gold one.

    Anyway, great choice!

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  12. Thanks for all your comments.

    I tend to agree with Things That Inspire, that "gilver" (silvery gold) colours are most versatile in traditional interiors, unless you are a silver or golden purist!

    I can see this having a longer lifespan than if I choose a silver finish that restricts me more to silver accessories, etc.

    I did start my living/dining rooms with all-silver in mind (nickel, chrome, etc) but it is hard to find everything in this finish. So if I can find a "gilver" finish, like my coffee table, I use it, and find that it is lovely and still light, and versatile.

    I think this "gilver" colour is a good subject for a future post!

    Terri

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  13. order it! I love it!!!!!! it will look great. And I love your mirror in the silver - better than the brown.

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  14. I think it's sleek and elegant, so if you're 150% sure, go for it. I'm not great at choosing stuff myself, though...

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  15. Hi Terri!
    Hope everythingh is fine with u.
    We have had a great summer here in the northest past of Sweden, only 3 days of rain ... but now I strated working.

    My blöog is soon up again, I am making a new one with my work only.

    c u

    Love and hugs
    Katarina

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  16. That is beautiful! Thanks for your comment. And I think I can really only wear orange and yellow when I have a tan. . . otherwise I'm a summer and should really be wearing pastels, pinks, blues, etc. Like you!

    Anyways, you have beautiful taste with the choices you are making for your home!

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  17. I just realized you are not on my blogroll!! I am going to fix that immediately!!

    Hey, congrats on the Blog Watch, I clicked on the link and it took me to Things that Inspire - maybe I did something wrong as I was just there before yours. . . Hmmm. . .

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  18. Pretty and delicate, how I see you so I'd say a perfect match!

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  19. Great article, I really enjoyed this.

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  20. Anonymous2:56 pm

    This French Dining chandelier can make your dining room the most romantic part of your home! Imagine having a dinner of roast pork and wine under the soft light of this beautiful piece. I bet that would look lovely!
    Santiago Mills

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