Art Deco Table Lamps
There is a lot of confusion between Art Nouveau and Art Deco and often items are labelled incorrectly. While Art Nouveau is the flowery style that was popular right at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Art Deco started from 191o and lasted until the beginning of the Second World War. While Art Deco was partly inspired by nature for its decorations and motifs, it was also inspired by the dynamic lines found in the design of planes, cars and ocean liners and the bold geometric lines found in the art of Ancient civilizations. So your Art Deco lamp will not just be a flowery thing, it might actually look a bit like a plane. Also Art Deco loved luxury to the point of decadence and often used expensive materials. Another thing that...
Hurricane Lamps
Hurricane lamps are oil lamps with a long cylinder to protect the lamp from any drafts. There are two explanations on why they are called hurricane lamps the first one is that their long cylinder protected the flame from the wind and therefore they could be used in all (or nearly all) weather conditions and the second is that it is a lamp used during a power failure such as one caused by a hurricane. As usual when dealing with antiques you can find original items in antique shops, markets or auctions or even online specialised antique stores or sites like eBay. Obviously when buying antiques you should always be careful as you do not want to be charged too much for something that it is not worth much. As an alternative, there are lots of modern hurricane lamps,...
Antique Oil Lamps
Photo:Some rights reserved by Webb Zahn The old alternative to candles oil lamps have been used for thousands of years. As with candles oil lamps have wicks that can be made of many different types of material namely flax, papyrus or linen. Besides being used in the home and outdoor instead of torches and candles and before the advent of electricity, oil lamps have always had an important role in many religions. Different types of oil have been used according to the culture and region of the world. Naturally the Mediterranean area used olive oil a lot while in Africa vegetable oil like peanut oil was widely used and in India ghee. As it was used to burn it has to be something widely available in the area. Whale oil was also used as it was a clean oil with a...
Real Candle Lanterns and Sky Lanterns
Candle lanterns are often thought of as a decorative and atmospheric objects but in reality they used to be a necessity as the candle flame had to be protected from wind and rain when outside. Most candle lanterns werebasically a metal box just to protect the candle, any decoration was optional as it was above all an object with a very practical use. You can still find real candle lanterns among the many electric and battery operated versions and are made with different types of material. You can find metal candle lanterns for indoor or outdoor lighting, there are even wedding candle lanterns which can create a stunning effect for any summer evening receptions, with very little effort. While you can buy a candle lantern as a decoration and never use...
What about an Art Deco chandelier?
Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by TheSeafarer If you look around the internet to find inspiration for a new chandelier you will find many examples of art deco chandeliers. Some are contemporary chandeliers inspired by art deco while others are original pieces from the 1920s and 1930s. As Art Deco originated in France you will find that many are referred to as a French art deco chandelier. There is a large variety of styles and shapes (and prices!) and art deco chandeliers seem to come in different materials too (although they are more likely to be made of “modern” materials such as metal, stainless steel, aluminium or bakelite). So you can have fun choosing one. Art Deco was born in Paris soon after the First World War (although the...
