Chandeliers Are More Than Just For Lighting

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If you are looking for a new chandelier for some space in your home or are just surfing for great interior (exterior even) designs, you will likely find chandeliers somewhere in that picture. Why is this you may wonder. Maybe you already know the brief background of these fancy lighting fixtures, maybe not. We will briefly discuss that and go into a little more of how these types of fixtures are showing up everywhere these days.

Chandeliers have a history that goes back many hundreds of years. The design you think of now is a much more recent phenomenon. The initial chandeliers were designed and hung in places of assembly, like churches. Those initial designs would often take the form of a cross with the spots for candles to be placed in the ends. The wooden cross and candle chandelier would then be lifted using a rope or chain to the desired height and then tied off until ready to distinguish or change candles. These are typical of the ones you see people swinging from in the movies.

The metal and more ornate looking chandeliers didn't actually shop up until the fifteenth century. Around this time was when more ring and crown shaped chandeliers made their first appearance. The lighting was still provided by candles and it was considered to be quite a luxury to have light in the evening and night provided this way. So, as you might imagine, only the wealthy upper class had chandeliers in their homes and it was considered a status symbol.

It was in about the eighteenth century when the glassmaking and metal arts practices yielded enough discipline to be able to craft leaded glass and cast metal to form chandeliers that the middle class could afford to own. Many chandelier styles were still made of gilded wood adorned with some glass. The nineteenth century brought the addition of gas as a fuel source to provide illumination. This development allowed for more intricate designs and shapes, not having to accommodate for the size and shape of the candles anymore. Finally, in the early 1900s, electricity became more common and lighting fixtures began to be wired solely for this new means of energy.

And now, you have so many styles of chandelier that it could make your head spin, and does if you shop a lighting store looking up for hours. You can find crystal chandeliers and other styles that are meant to provide a real splash of elegance in a formal dining area or entrance way. However, you can also find a newer style of mini chandeliers that are providing elegance in places like bathrooms and walk-in closets. And, as you are probably aware if you have done any research into buying a new chandelier, you can even see interior designs that have chandeliers in children's rooms. Oh, have times changed for that elegant chandelier.