Petey & Lars posted the following very clever entry of a brass chandelier before kaarsKoker and after!
DIY lighting step-by-step guide
step 1: Finally get fed up with foul cheapo brass dining room light fixture.

step 2: Get brilliant suggestion from brilliant s-i-l to spray paint the whole nasty thing and thus baptize it into a new life of sky-blue beauty.
step 3: Swear brilliant s-i-l to secrecy, under principle of it being easier to ask forgiveness of one’s husband than permission.
step 4a: Have plans spoiled by blabbing b-i-l who runs out and tells whole world, including husband, of secret spray-painting plans.
step 4b: Spend all weekend in the doghouse.
step 5: Buy genius candle covers from kaarsKoker.
step 6: Wait anxiously for mail. Open package, cut gorgeous sleeves to right length, slide onto chandelier. Throw away hideous shades. Use blue bulbs just for the heck of it.
7: Bask in the glory that is my new chandelier.

Send pictures of your kaarsKoker-styled light fixtures to info@kaarskoker.com. I will post them on the kkDIY page at kaarskoker.com.

I must disclose that I have a chandelier in every room of my house except the first floor bath. I had 102 PLASTIC candle chandelier sleeves that needed to be replaced. It isn’t that I have a large house rather it is that I have a house in Seattle and light is very important. Thank goodness for all the light fixtures because as detailed in my first post NAKED CHANDELIER there would be no decorating challenge of replacing the plastic sleeves, which evolved into the decorating solution kaarskoker. While I would have loved to have kept this to myself, the thought of all the other tragic fixtures with plastic candle covers inspired me to put this decorating tool in the hands of others. Amanda Nisbet, Principal,  Amanda Nisbet Design, Inc. of NYC placed one of the first orders within days of the product launch and has placed several re-orders for her projects.  Here is what she has to say:

April,
I was thrilled to discover kaarskoker candlestick sleeves. They add that little splash of colour and whimsy that helps make a space dazzle. I am sad that they aren’t my little decorator’s secret yet, thrilled that they are available to  help finish off my projects with such an exquisite level of detail.
Cheers to kaarskoker for attending to the minutia in such a fabulous fashion!
Xo
Amanda Nisbet

What do you think of your new kaarskoker? Post your comments below! I will add them to the TESTIMONIALS page at kaarskoker.com.

I often get the question, ‘What companies/products compete with kaarsKoker?’ I feel I owe everyone a proper explanation by elaborating on the history of the candle sleeve, or candle cover, and the options pre-kaarsKoker. designboom offers a concise background on the evolution of the chandelier from candlelit to electric. The candle sleeve, or candle cover, is a chandelier part that was created for electric lighting to simulate the design effect of the original chandeliers lit exclusively by wax candles. The candle sleeves were paper and often detailed with faux dripping wax and ivory or beige in color. It is my assumption that plastic candle sleeves became more prevalent post-WWII with the rise of mass-produced plastics (think The Graduate). Metal and porcelain candle sleeves have always been an option and were originally handmade. Beeswax candle covers were introduced in the last decade and were considered the most elegant option. The beeswax style really brought the candle sleeve full-circle as it uses wax just as a real candle, which evokes the look of the original candlelit fixtures. In addition to the lack of innovation and style, the challenge with metal, porcelain, glass and beeswax is they are not flexible in terms of length! Sure they come in 1″ increments but I have trimmed 1/4″, 1/2″, 2-1/2″ off countless kaarskoker to custom fit fixtures both new and old. So the question remains: What companies/products compete with kaarsKoker?

It should come as no surprise that my husband forwarded me a Wall Street Journal article on the ROI of home renovation. The article references Remodeling Magazine’s Annual Costs v. Value Report, which I forward to clients as they begin their project. It serves as reminder to make aesthetic decisions with your family’s needs in mind and not just resale! The article stresses reducing costs by reducing construction waste (25% of most municipal landfills is construction waste). A valid argument for dressing your existing light fixtures with kaarskoker to reduce, reuse and re-style.

The following testimonial from E.R. in Durham, England is an example of preserving fixtures rather than trashing them- thanks to kaarskoker!
We are currently decorating our dining room and have dithered about whether to replace an old oak chandelier with a more modern light fixture. In the end I decided to keep the old fitting, remove the small shades and replace the ordinary bulbs with candle bulbs. That was fine except the old replica candle sleeves with imitation wax running down them had begun to break and crumble at the edges. I was trying to find replacements by putting “candle light sleeves” into Google – and I eventually found you! I was delighted to find something different, I have not seen anything like your sleeves before. Had I not found them I was about to try and make candles out of the inner tube of toilet rolls.

Toilet paper rolls reminds me of this post on Apartment Therapy. Recycle the rolls by all means but keep them off your light fixtures.