Chandeliers have become very popular recently because they add so much to the decoration of a room but these lights have been around in one form or another going way back into history. The word chandelier actually originates from the French word for candlestick and early chandeliers were, in fact, nothing more than two pieces of wood nailed together into a cross shape which had a spike on the end of each “arm” on which to fix a candle. These were hung from the ceiling to light up the room and might be used by anyone whether rich or poor as long as they could afford the candles.
Of course, as years progressed chandeliers were created in all kinds of materials including metal and so the richer you were the fancier your chandelier (just like today!) The richer merchant class favored metal chandeliers in ornate designs throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Eventually gas lighting was introduced to more well to do homes and chandeliers would then have small glass lamp shades at the end of each arm.
With the introduction of electricity, chandeliers took on a luxury look being made of many intricate pieces of light reflecting glass and crystals and many were suitable for only the largest homes and grand public buildings with tall ceilings. More modest homes made do with a single pendant light and sometimes a bare bulb if a lamp shade was beyond their means.
Of course, there were some chandeliers made for middle class homes which were not so grand as the ballroom type chandeliers with hundreds of crystal droplets but were made up of a light fitting with just a few “arms” usually in wood or metal. And these needed shades to soften the harsh light from the bulbs. Hence chandelier lamp shades were born.
Now of course these chandelier lights are within reach of most of us and they are a great way of adding decoration to our rooms. Not only is the chandelier itself often a work of art but even a simple chandelier can be made decorative with the addition of the right lamp shades.
Tags: chandelier lamp shades, chandeliers, interior design, lamp shade, lighting