Crystorama Lighting Group in Brooklyn, New York has been creating beautiful and classic chandeliers since 1958. They seem to have mastered the idea of preserving tradition with modern edge. The lighting collection is unbelievable diverse ranging from Georgian brass fixtures to Art Deco crystal sconces to Delft-inspired, hand-painted ceramic chandeliers. Imagine paired with kaarskoker candle covers. Tradition redefined.
As discussed countless times on this blog, Shades of Light hearts kaarskoker and vice versa. kaarskoker’s mention in the SOL fall catalog was outdone by a feature in the SOL holiday catalog- recommending kaarskoker candle sleeves in kkCLOVER as a holiday decorating tool. Not to mention, its a unique and fun stocking stuffer.
The movement to spray paint chandeliers and sconces I am not quick to accept. While I appreciate the effort to reuse a fixture and put one’s fingerprint on interior details, I have seen some “interesting” results. I am just a sucker for the refined and divine. Gardenhouse, a home & garden shop located in West Palm Beach, was just introduced to me via twitter by coco + kelley. The lighting is heavy on repainted and reused but in a way that is, well, refined and divine. As Cassandra of coco + kelley said of the black and white fixture below, Chanel in a Chandelier. The style is of Italian tole but the colors less of a spring garden and more of Grey Gardens.
* images courtesy of gardenhouse
It is mid-October and the holidays are almost in full gear. It’s time for friends and family to come together and spend quality time with each other, away from our busy lives. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, this is the perfect opportunity to entertain the people you love in style.
Pottery Barn’s Style Expert, Susanna Salk, gives great advice of how to create an amazing centerpiece without spending a lot of money. The key is to use materials, height, and layering in your centerpiece. The adjustable kaarskoker candle holder speak to her advice perfectly and no one would know how easy it is. Your go-to holiday decorating items will breath new life with your choice of any of the kaarskoker candle sleeves. Make it a habit of selecting sleeves to dress your table every season and every Sunday.
In spirit of the holidays get a free pair of 6” ivory tapers for every pair of candlesticks purchased through the end of this year. Happy decorating!
Welcome to our first ‘Sunday Table’ feature. Bi-weekly we will feature a table set for dinner and dressed with kaarskoker candlesticks. Cassandra of Coco + Kelley began her ‘Table for Two’ series last month with an objective to de-feminize (a word?) the well-dressed table. She personally visited the kaarskoker studio to select the perfect sleeves to evoke a palette synonymous with menswear, which included a pinstripe tablecloth. He tabletop features kkHOUNDSTOOTH in Dark Chocolate and kkCANE in Classic. How handsome!
* images courtesy of Coco + Kelley
A big thanks to writer David Keeps for including kaarskoker Silver Skull in the L.A. Times Halloween lighting round-up. His reference to Baccarat’s Starck Zenith Chandelier is quite appropriate. I have reference several times on this blog (NEED I SAY MORE? and PLASTIC IS NOT POSH) how the terrible white plastic sleeves on this stunning crystal chandelier confirmed the need for a more attractive alternative. Voila, kaarskoker! Just imagine kkSKULL on Starck’s Zenith for the ultimate Halloween decor. Scary Chic!
Image courtesy of Baccarat.
Also included in the Halloween lighting is this pumpkin shade available at Ballard Designs.
Image courtesy of L.A. Times blog.
I have been following so many people on twitter that giving any of them a fair amount of attention has been neglected. In reviewing those I follow, I decided to narrow the list and note the most helpful to my kaarskoker fans. Lux Lighting is an Atlanta lighting showroom that has an incredibly informative blog with stories ranging from choosing a dimmer switch to lighting a room in layers. I will devote follow-up blogs to these topics as this post is inspired by the lightingbylux blog post on cleaning your crystal chandelier. Here are my abbreviated points to Lux Lighting’s instructions points on the pesky job of cleaning your chandy:
- use a store-bought cleaner such as Sparkle Plenty (typically available at lighting retailer) or you can make your own solution of one part isopropyl alcohol to three parts distilled water
– before starting, turn off the chandelier and give the bulbs plenty of time to cool down
3 METHODS FOR CLEANING
1. White Glove Method – This method can be a little tedious, but it doesn’t require taking the chandelier apart, and it creates very little mess.
- put on a pair of white cotton gloves
- dampen one glove with your chosen cleaning solution, and keep the other dry
- working one crystal at a time, rub each one with the damp glove until it is clean, and then repeat with the dry glove to dry and prevent streaking
2. Drip Dry Method – This is probably the easiest and quickest method, but also the messiest.
- cover the area underneath the chandelier with a drop cloth, some newspaper or an old sheet
- place a plastic bag over each light fixture and secure it with a rubber band to prevent any liquid getting into the sockets
- fill spray bottle with solution, spray the chandelier from different angles, making sure to cover each crystal
- blot up any liquid that settles on any relatively flat surfaces, let dry overnight, remove the plastic bags, and you’re done!
3. Removal Method – This is the most involved method, but it is also the most thorough, and may be necessary if it’s been a long time since the chandelier’s last cleaning. The good news is, you only need to do this once to get it really clean. After that you can use one of the above methods for regular maintenance.
- take a picture of the chandelier before you begin, so you’ll remember how to put it back together
- work on a section at a time, using the remaining sections as a guide to rehanging the crystals
- line entire kitchen sink with soft towels (if your sink only has one basin, you’ll need a dish pan or large bowl)
- the first basin with water and gentle dish soap
- in the second, place the cleaning solution mentioned above
- carefully remove the crystals and wash them in the soap and water solution
- while crystals soak, dust the chandelier’s hardware and clean it with cleaning solution
- once the crystals are free of spots, rinse off the soap and dip them in the second solution to bring out the sparkle
- wipe them dry with a soft, clean cloth, and place them on a soft surface until you are ready to return them to the chandelier
-once both the crystals and the hardware are dry, re-hang the crystals, referring to either the photo you took at the beginning or the sections you left untouched to make sure they’re hung correctly
Here’s a pic of my favorite crystal chandelier and GASP there are no sleeves. I blame my modernist side. Thanks to Vaughan for the Sorbonne Crystal Chandelier.
I am often asked, “Who sells kaarskoker?” This question has a more complicated answer than you might imagine. Below is a brief attempt to profile one type of kkRETAILER, the lighting-focused store.
Accent Lighting. Wichita, KS
Whether you’re purchasing a common light bulb or choosing an entire home full of new lighting and accessories, Accent offers a full-range of indoor and outdoor lighting and accessories. The leading lighting showroom in South Central Kansas was an early adopter of kaarskoker thanks to a referral from Witchita-based interior designer and kaarskoker customer Kristen Clevenger, Principal of KP Designs, LLC.
LiT Shades. Seattle, WA
LiT is the brain child of Dawn Basset. With a love of color and pattern she transforms vintage and contemporary lights with her perfect shades. With her recent adoption of kaarskoker, Dawn now pairs the sleeves with just the right fabric to create knock-out pieces. As she says, “Anything is possible”.
Mary Davis Lighting. La Conner, WA
Located in historic La Conner, WA, Mary Davis has an eye for the potential in every vintage lighting piece. The showroom is housed in a great old firehouse with carefully placed fixtures and categorically organized lighting accoutrements, i.e. mercury shades, glass globes, cloth cords, period appropriate bulbs, including Edison & hand painted. Specializing in restored vintage lighting, Mary Davis Lighting offers a full restoration business and completes spectacular custom work that is used in interiors throughout the Northwest and Western Canada. Mary chooses just the right kaarskoker candle sleeves to bring her revived creations to colorful life.
Shades of Light. Richmond, VA
Where to start with Shades of Light? Just one visit to their website and you can quickly learn they are the online destination for an vast assortment of well-curated lighting fixtures and accessories. I have referenced this kkRETAILER in several previous posts, including kaarskoker featured in its most recent catalog. The September issue of Country Living featured kaarskoker candle sleeves on a Martha Stewart chandelier source at Shades of Light. All around, a match made in lighting heaven!
Timberlake Lighting. Charlottesville, VA
Timberlake Lighting originated in Lynchburg, Virginia and launched its Charlottesville store in early 2009 quickly becoming a highly sought after local source for lighting. The showroom manager Ms. Charlotte Block wanted the store to open with kaarskoker on as many fixtures as possible. With her savvy merchandising, this store has produced an overwhelming number of kaarskoker fans who email me regularly. I should note that Charlottesville is home to my alma mater and I am thrilled that kaarskoker is available to all the wonderful homeowners in this sophisticated community.
kaarskoker is now well-represented thanks to three new showrooms in Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle. A showroom provides a permanent home for kaarskoker products to be viewed by buyers for retail outlets big & small, brick-and-mortar, online or catalog. These showrooms offer incredibly strong brands to which buyers flock such as Chilewich, Roost, babylegs, Dwell Studio, Fat Boy, Caldrea, Voluspa, and Rosanna. kaarskoker is so thrilled to be along side these fabulous brands of which two are also the Seattle-based Rosanna and babylegs.
Retailers, please visit our showrooms!
JDH & Company
LA Mart
1933 South Broadway, Suite 800.
Los Angeles , CA 90007
(888) 650-6776
Montage Showroom
Denver Merchandise Mart
451 East 58th Avenue
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 221-0066
Scarlett
Pacific Marketplace
6100 4th Ave South, #219
Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 763-2559
