Light Conversation — Throwback

Victorian Decor 0

If you are a follower of ours, you know how much we love Victorian homes and decor.  Flowers, animal print, real brass, crystal, velvet - all gorgeous elements of the Victorian room - are perhaps a bit out of trend in this time of grey tones and farmhouses. But, Victoriana is timeless.

I am still cleaning out drawers and organizing old press.  Below are a couple of camera shots of pages from Victorian Homes which, sadly, recently ceased publication.

Our Charleston 6 chandelier and Charleston Sconce in the Heritage Hills neighborhood of Johnson County, Kansas. 

Article by Gloria Gale, Photography by Bill Mathews, Victorian Homes Magazine August 1999

 

Our Richmond 6 in Claybaugh House built 1892.  Anaheim California. 

Article by Rebecca Ittner, Photography by James Itagaki, Styled by Merrie Destefano.  Victorian Homes June 2010

The History of the Baron Chandelier 0

We have great pride in our original designs, but we also find joy in creating reproductions.  There is something satisfying about being able to recreate things of beauty from our past.

Over the many, many years we have been building crystal chandeliers, we have been called upon to work on any reproduction projects.  One of our favorites was for Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, Florida.

The building itself is impressive!  Originally built in 1888 by Henry Flagler as the Alcazar Hotel, it has been through a few variations and purposes over the years, but is now, most spectacularly, the Lightner Museum. (You can read more about the building at visitstaug.com  and at https://lightnermuseum.org/history.)

Also in 1888, Mr. Flagler built the Ponce de Leon Hotel, across the street from the Alcazar Hotel. The Ponce de Leon Hotel is currently the heart of Flagler College and home of these beauties, the inspiration for our Baron chandelier:

Compare the instagram capture above to this great old photo:

And the history in this photo!

In the early 1990's we were approached by Lightner Museum about reproducing these chandeliers for the current phase of their amazing restoration journey.  

With a few little changes and the blessing of all involved, we decided to keep the chandelier in our line of crystal reproductions and named it, fittingly, the Baron.  It remains one of my favorite chandeliers.

If you haven't visited The Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, you are really missing out on a fascinating collection of artwork and antiques.  You will find updated exhibits along with learning experiences and an awesome staff of knowledgeable volunteers.  Tell them the folks at King's Chandelier sent you!

Golden Oldies 0

When I clean out a drawer around here, I find the best things!  I love these old photos from what must be the late Fifties. These lovelies were in some of our early catalogs showing the larger crystal chandeliers. 

I'm not sure of the house and exactly who every one is... though the handsome man in the tuxedo is Durward King.  

  

 Although I don't recognize all of the people, I do recognize some of the furniture as pieces that found their way to our showroom over the years.  Those pieces were meant to last generations - just like our chandeliers.

Our First Catalog 0

From our first catalog, circa 1950: Due to increasing scarcity and consequent higher costs of old crystal chandeliers, we are specializing in copies of some of these at a fraction of the price you would expect to pay, and without their losing any of the charm and elegance of the old ones.  For years we … Continue reading Our First Catalog

Looking back a bit… 0

#tbt Social Media can inspire some really fun trends, and one of my favorites is Throwback Thursday, or #tbt.  Since King’s Chandelier has been around for 80 years, we’ve got some old photos hanging around.    These old photos give insight into how the chandeliers evolve and change but yet still stay true to a … Continue reading Looking back a bit…