Black Chandelier - A Modern and Exquisite Light Fixture

A black chandelier is the perfect addition to any room in the house. It adds a touch of class that goes beyond most simple homes and can be a real conversation piece. It is rare to see a black chandelier which sparks a great interest when it comes down to it.

What is a Chandelier?

A chandelier is a lighting fixture that hangs from the ceiling. They have multiple arms that have lights in them. The first time they were ever used was in churches. They were a lot more basic and were formed like a wooden cross. This chandelier had spikes that secured it. After they caught on, they began being used for not only lighting but for aesthetic purposes. Chandeliers became a status sign for the wealthy. These became most popular during 17th century England. The artisans that made the chandeliers soon started adding lead and it provided a certain kind of clarity and sparkle to the glass.

Thanks to the clarity and sparkle, light reflects through the glass and there is beautifully dramatic rainbow showing in the room it is placed in. This is part of its allure and popularity. At one point down the line instead of just using crystals someone invented crystalline glass which made it easier for even the not so rich to buy chandeliers.

When it comes to finding the perfect black chandelier there are so many choices! There are simple ones and super intricate and extended pieces that tend to cost a bit more. Either way, it does add some magic to a dining room or a living room. If you have a smaller space to put it in, putting a large chandelier would be gaudy and look overbearing. Finding the right size chandelier is key to adding a touch of class without overdoing it. Chandeliers are no longer just for the rich and famous, we can all put one in and it will provide the perfect amount of light to any room. To reiterate, size is very much so important. Do not put a giant sized chandelier in say your bathroom or your bedroom. It is perfectly acceptable today to use a chandelier in those rooms but over doing it will just look tacky.

There is actually an equation when it comes to finding the perfect sized chandelier. You are to add the height and width of the room it is to be in and then the chandelier should be that size converted in inches. Also, it is important that the chandelier is thirty to thirty two inches above the table top.

A black chandelier can be the perfect lighting option for many rooms as long as it is done right.

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Discontinued Tile: Remodeling with Discontinued Ceramic Tile

Using discontinued ceramic tile is a wonderful way to remodel your home while saving a great deal of money. Most businesses will sell discontinued ceramic tile at a great discount and this offers many benefits to the consumer. You can use the tile to remodel your floors, or tile a wall, just make sure that the discontinued ceramic tile is strong enough to handle the use you've purposed for it. You should also make sure that you purchase enough of the tile at first, to protect yourself from running out of tile before completing your project.

Cleaning and Discontinued Ceramic Tile

Most ceramic tile requires little more than soapy water to clean it. However, if your discontinued ceramic tile is specially glazed, be sure to find out what cleaning products were recommended to use with your tile. You may also want to write down the name of the manufacturer and contact them as soon as you purchase the tile with any questions that you have. If you contact them in the future, they may no longer have readily available answers for you.

Looking for Discontinued Ceramic Tile

You may be lucky enough to just "happen upon" discontinued ceramic tile that is perfect for your project while visiting your local homebuilder supply store. If not, and you are set on purchasing this tile for the reason of savings, then you can turn your search to the Internet and look for discontinued ceramic tile from various dealers online. This is a great way to view samples of tiles before you view and will allow you to have many options to choose from. By browsing the Internet you can save time, money, and gas. Plus you have the ability to shop from many more stores than you could tackle in person. By choosing discontinued ceramic tile, you can create the project of your dreams and maintain your budget as well. This is a wonderful benefit for both you and the supplier. Remember, for the best assistance, you should ask any questions that you may have regarding the ceramic tile at the time of the sale.

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Wrought Iron Kitchen

Are you looking for a new kitchen style, but you're not sure where to turn? Consider looking at wrought iron kitchen décor items and functional items to give you some great ideas.

Wrought iron kitchen items are available for many different decorating tastes. This makes looking at various wrought iron kitchen products a good starting place for designing your new kitchen. The various styles portrayed by wrought iron include rustic, contemporary, and traditional.

A rustic wrought iron kitchen comes to life with a bulky, oversized pot rack as the centerpiece accented by cast iron cookware. Add a nice rustic touch to your kitchen cabinets with the help of wrought iron hardware shaped into symbols of nature - tree knobs and pulls, leaf and branch drawer handles.

For a contemporary kitchen style, add a sleek wrought iron chandelier to light your breakfast nook area. Use simple round or square knobs on cabinet doors and drawers to accent them with a clean and simple new look.

Kitchens with traditional style can also be created with the help of wrought iron. Adding an elegant Victorian style wrought iron and crystal chandelier makes a nice focal point for a traditional kitchen. Many simple accents also enhance the look including a wrought iron napkin holder, paper towel holder, spice rack, and utensil holder.

A wrought iron kitchen can enhance the look of your entire home, regardless of the style you want to achieve. With the various wrought iron kitchen items available, decorating with rustic, contemporary, or traditional style just got easier.

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A Transatlantic Crossing With the Queen Mary 2 - Part 1

Day One:

Driving up to the Port of Southampton's Mayflower Terminal and catching first glimpse of the white-and-black hulled Queen Mary 2, the largest, longest, tallest, heaviest, and most expensive ship ever built, evoked considerable excitement and awe. Docked to port at a 50-degree, 54.25' north latitude and 001-degree, 25.70' west longitude and facing a 116.4-degree compass heading, the 17-decked leviathan, with a 1,132-foot length and 148-foot width, featured a gross weight of 151,400 tons and towered above the buildings with its balcony-lined façade, eclipsing it with its 236.2-foot height. Its draft extended 33.10 feet beneath the water line. The floating metropolis, complete with its staterooms, restaurants, shopping arcades, libraries, theaters, and planetariums, would bridge, in six days, the European and North American continents, the equivalent in hours to the duration of the aerial crossing by 747-400, itself then the world's largest commercial airliner. But the oceanic crossing would yield civility, refinement, rejuvenation, emotional repair, and return to the slower, but more elegant era of steam ship travel-a journey, I would soon find out, would lead to a search for the maritime history of the past which had created the technology of the present.

Unlike the proliferation of modern cruise ships with their comparatively lower speeds and greater-volume, square-geometry hulls, the Queen Mary 2 had been designed as a next-generation successor to the 35-year-old Queen Elizabeth 2 and, as such, would have to offer the same year-round, passenger-carrying capabilities, predominately in the rough North Atlantic, with a design which sacrificed revenue-producing volume and lower construction costs of the traditional cruise ship for the required safety, speed, and stability of the ocean liner. Resultantly, it featured the same v-shaped hull configuration characteristic of the long line of its Cunard predecessors, constructed of thicker steel which carried a 40-percent greater cost than those of conventional cruise ships. Designed by Stephen Payne, whose inspirations for the bow had come from the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the brake wall from the Normandie, it was the first quadruple-screw North Atlantic ocean liner since the France of 1962. Payne himself, a naval architect born and raised in London, had been involved with the Carnival Holiday, Carnival Fantasy, and Rotterdam VI projects. The latter, incorporating a modified Statendam hull, had featured a less "boxy" hull shape than the traditional cruise ship, but had still been considerably removed a full liner design.

Intended for the primary Southampton-New York route, it incorporated dimensional restrictions dictated by the United States port, including a funnel height which cleared the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge by only ten feet and an overall length which exceeded the 1,100-foot pier of the Port of New York by 34 feet.

Constructed by Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France, which had also built the Normandie, and designated hull G32 by the shipyard, it had been the first Cunard liner ever constructed outside of the United Kingdom and, like Concorde, the world's fastest and hitherto only supersonic airliner, became the second British-French collaborative transportation project intended for trans-Atlantic service, although via vastly different, if not opposite, modes.

Its interior offered unparalleled space and comfort. Of the 17 decks, the first four were for machinery, storage, and the 1,254-strong crew; 13 were for the 2,620 passengers; and eight contained balcony staterooms. Notable features included a Grand Lobby, the Royal Court Theatre, the Illuminations Theatre and Planetarium, the ConneXions Internet Center, the Queen's Ballroom, a Winter Garden, nine major restaurants, 11 bars and lounges, an 8,000-volume library and bookstore, an Oxford University lecture program, performances by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, five swimming pools, sports venues, a Canyon Ranch Spa, a pavilion of shops, and a discotheque. These appointments would constitute my "home" for the next six days.

Symbolically reflected by its smaller QE2 predecessor berthed a considerable distance from its bow at the Queen Elizabeth 2 Terminal, the Queen Mary 2 represented a two-fold gross weight increase over its earlier-generation counterpart and, indeed, traced its lineage back to a long path of Cunard vessels which had spanned a 165-year period. I somehow sensed that the imminent crossing would not only be a journey of distance, but a return in time.

Gently vibrating at its spine, the behemoth laterally separated itself beneath from its berth below the metallic overcast at 1810, local time.

Unlike the conventional engine-propeller shaft technology of older-generation ships, the Queen Mary 2 was powered instead by four aft, hull underside-mounted Rolls Royce Mermaid electric-motor pods, each weighing 260 tons and containing four fixed-pitch, 9,900-pound, stainless steel blades, and collectively producing 115,328 horsepower. The forward, outboard pair was fixed and provided forward and astern propulsion, while the aft, inboard pair featured 360-degree azimuth capability and provided both propulsion and steering, obviating the need for the rudder. The advanced-technology system reduced both complexity and weight and increased internal hull volume by eliminating the traditional engine configuration's associated equipment.

Three Rolls Royce variable-pitch, transverse-propeller bow thrusters, collectively producing 15,000 horsepower, provided port and starboard bow maneuvering capability at speeds of up to five knots. At eight knots, when their effectiveness had been exceeded, they were covered by 90-degree rotating, fluid-dynamic doors.

Led by dual water-sprout shooting tugboats, the behemoth oceanliner commenced its lumbering movement down the basin. Maintaining an 11.5-knot forward speed in the Solent, it commenced its starboard turn from 140 degrees at Calshots Reach at 1907, poised for the similar maneuver at Brambles.

Compressed into dark gray, the sun projected its glowing orange streaks outward through the thin, unobstructed strip on the western horizon. Assuming a 220-degree heading through the Thorn Channel, the Queen Mary 2 initiated its starboard turn to round the Isle of Wight.

The first dinner on board the elegant, maritime engineering triumph had been served in the 1,351-seat, three-story-high, dual-level Britannia Restaurant which had featured a grand, sweeping staircase, column supports, and a vaulted, back-lit, stained glass ceiling and was reminiscent of and inspired by the grand dining room salons of the 20th century French liners such as the Ile-de-France, the L'Atlantique, and the Normandie. The meal itself, served on Wedgwood bone china and in Waterford crystal, had included white zinfandel wine; cream of mixed mushroom soup with parmesan croutons; crusty rolls and butter; oak leaf and Boston salad with shaved carrots and sherry vinaigrette dressing; rack of pork with wild mushroom ragout, truffle mashed potatoes, morel sauce, and sauerkraut; warm apple strudel with brandy sauce; and coffee.

The thin line of orange lights outlining the coast traced itself behind the stern. Maintaining a 27-knot speed and a 250-degree heading, the rock-steady, 151,000-ton engineering mass plied the black channel and commenced its great circle course, from Bishop's Rock in the Scilly Isles. Ahead lay the infinite Atlantic-and the path forged by every one of Cunard's previous transatlantic liners. Tomorrow, I would begin tracing the historical one.

Day Two:

Dawn greeted the lengthy liner as a tunnel of indistinguishable, moist gray. Encased between the morose cloud dome above and the navy sea slate below, which spat periodic white caps, the black-and-red funneled vessel penetrated the moisture-saturated morning, the rain-emitting sky and the swirling, eddying sea merging into seamless, wind-blustery, ship-bombarded drench.

Any undesired movement, however, was quickly, and invisibly, dampened by the two pairs of 15.63-square-meter Brown Bros/Rolls Royce fin stabilizers which were controlled by gyroscopic vertical reference instruments and extended as far as 15 feet from the hull to counteract ship roll.

Plunging into 348-meter-deep waters 98 nautical miles off of Ireland at noon, the Queen Mary 2 had traversed 418 miles since its departure from Southampton yesterday.

Current weather entailed intermittent, light rain with a clockwise movement to the west, predicted to drop to force 4. The present force-5, fresh breeze out of the south, coupled with an 11.2-degree Celsius air temperature, carried a 994-millibar pressure. The sea, with a moderate 4 state, maintained a 10-degree Celsius temperature.

Afternoon tea, held in the Queen's Room, had been a British tradition and a delightful intermittence between lunch and dinner served on every Cunard crossing, the last personal one of which had been the 2002 eastbound journey on the Queen Elizabeth 2. The Queen's Room itself, the largest ballroom at sea, featured an arched ceiling, twin crystal chandeliers, a velvet blue and gold curtain over the orchestra stage, a 1,225-square-foot dance floor, a live harpist, and small, round tables seating up to 562. Today's presentation included egg, ham and cheese, cucumber, tomato, beef, and seafood finger-sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and strawberry cream tarts.

Afternoon tea at sea could trace its lineage back some 165 years. Einstein's theory of relativity somehow seemed to apply. Suspended between continent, landmass, and population, the ship seemed caught within a void, an arrested warp in which history seemed captured and in which the vessel reconnected with its past, as it once again replayed it, a separation from the present on land and an approach to its past on the sea. It was to this suspension of time, distance, and place that the threads of Cunard's past indeed led. One man, who had lived some 200 years ago, had made the journey of today possible.

The name of that man, of course, had been the same as that which had graced a long line of ever-advancing Atlantic ocean liners, Samuel Cunard. Born on November 21, 1787 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the son of Abraham Cunard, himself a carpenter at Halifax's Royal Naval Dockyard, he had forged a maritime link upon physical entry into the world. His initial venture had entailed a Royal Mail contract award to transport mail over the Boston-Halifax-St. John's route after cessation of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States, while he later became involved with the first steam-powered vessel project intended for Atlantic crossings. Named the Royal William, the 160-foot-long, 1,370-ton ship had been inaugurated into service in August of 1931 between Quebec and Halifax, requiring 6.5 days for the journey.

The venture which had sparked his ultimate fame, however, occurred at the end of the decade when the British government had announced its intention to subsidize steam-powered mail service between England and the United States. In a formal proposal to fulfill the requirement, submitted on February 11, 1839, Cunard outlined a bimonthly, steam-powered service between England and Halifax operated by 300-hp ships making 48 annual crossings. Awarded a contract by the Admiralty in June for four 206-foot-long, 400-hp, 1,120-ton vessels ultimately to be designated the Acadia, the Caledonia, the Columbia, and the Britannia, he finalized plans to serve the Liverpool-Halifax-Boston route.

The latter ship, the Britannia, had actually been the first to be completed. The 207-foot-long, 34-foot-wide hybrid power ship, constructed of African oak and yellow pine at Robert Duncan's Shipyard on the River Clyde in Scotland, had featured a clipper bow, three masts with square yards, and two mid-ship-located, black-and-gold paddle boxes which extended almost 12 feet from either side and contained 9-foot-wide, 28-foot-diameter paddles turning at 16 revolutions per minute and operating off of a 403-hp, two-cylinder, side-lever steam engine which burned 40 tons of coal per day exhausted through a single, aft smoke stack. The engine, requiring 70 feet of hull for installation, drew coal from a 640-ton bunker.

Of the four decks, the upper, or main deck, featured the captain and chief officer cabins, the pantry, the galley, the officers' mess, the crew cabins, the raised, exposed bridge, and the dining saloon, which, at 36 feet long and 14 feet wide, had been the largest enclosed room on the ship. Two aft, circular staircases linked the dining hall with the second deck, which housed the gentlemen's and ladies' cabins, each with two bunk beds, a wash basin, a mirror, a day sofa, and a port hole or an oil lamp, with shared toilet facilities, equaling a 124-person capacity, of which 24 had been female. The cargo holds, located on either side of the engine yet another deck lower and capable of accommodating 225 tons, accompanied the sail locker, the mail room, the stores, the steward quarters, and the wine cellar in the stern. Coal had been stored on the fourth, or lowest, deck.

The 1,154-ton Britannia, inaugurated into scheduled service on July 4, 1840 from Liverpool to Boston with an intermediate stop in Halifax, operated the world's first transatlantic steam ship service, carrying 63 passengers and taking 12 days, ten hours for the 2,534-nautical-mile crossing at an 8.5-knot speed, one third of the journey undertaken by pure-sail. After an eight-hour port suspension in Halifax, it continued to Boston in another 46 hours.

By January 5, 1841, all four Cunard ships had entered the fleet.

The Britannia itself made 40 round-trips before being sold to the Prussian Navy, which had converted it to a pure-sailing ship used for target purposes and renamed it Barbarossa. It was ultimately sunk in 1880. Nevertheless, it paved the way for a long line of Cunard liners to come.

Biting into the angry, dark-blue, white cap-spitting North Atlantic on a 272-degree heading at 1545 with its protruding, bulbous bow, the mighty Queen Mary 2 engineering triumph pitched on its axis at a 23.4-knot speed, the sun's rays having been powerful enough to tear the singular cloud fabric into a puffy, white mosaic of aerial islands. The ship had reached a 50-degree, 12.036' north latitude and 14-degree, 26.312' west longitude coordinate.

That night's dinner, served in the Britannia Restaurant, had included Merlot wine; smoked halibut mousse and jumbo shrimp on Russian salad; Lollo Rosso and apple salad with caramelized walnuts and cider vinaigrette; filet mignon and lobster tail with young roasted potatoes, polenta cake, and asparagus in hollandaise sauce; chocolate banana tart with mango sauce; coffee; and petit fours.

The Britannia, as a ship design, had been only the beginning, and would pale in comparison to the leviathan Cunard vessels produced in the 20th century.

Day Three:

Continually bowled significant sea swells, the Queen Mary 2 had pitched through the dark blue, star-glittering night at its center of gravity like a seesaw, its bow pounding the mountainous wave troughs and projecting avalanche-white reactions at 45 degrees from its centerline.

Breakfast, eaten in the King's Court with its multiple stations, had included a ham and pepper omelet, bacon, hashbrowned potatoes, a grilled tomato, white toast, and cranberry juice.

Negotiating 25- to 30-foot seas over the mid-Atlantic ridge, which covers the Continental Divide, the ship had sailed 590 nautical miles in the 24-hour period since 1200 noon yesterday, now pursuing a 263-degree heading, with 2,075 miles remaining to the New York Pilot's Station.

Light rain showers were forecast to dissipate, with gradual clearing. The force-5 wind, out of the northwest, had produced 9-degree Celsius temperatures, with a 996.5-millibar pressure. The sea, whose moderate state had been registered a "4," maintained a 12-degree temperature.

Gazing out toward the Atlantic's infinity, I could not help but think that somewhere out there, if not in physical space, then in historical time, had been the first of the "huge" Cunard Atlantic liners which assuredly had passed this way during the beginning of the 20th century.

The design, the Lusitania, had had its origins as early as 1902 when J.P. Morgan had attempted to create a steamship conglomerate called the International Mercantile Marine by buying several existing companies, including the White Star Line. In order to ensure Cunard's continued autonomy and dissuade its absorption into the ever-expanding corporation, the British Parliament had granted it a 20-year contract and subsidy to build two of the world's then largest and fastest liners and, in the process, regain the speed record the Germans had captured with three of their twin-screw vessels.

Cunard, seeking tenders for the two ships from four shipyards, specified a 750-foot length, a 76-foot width, and a 59,000-hp capability attained by reciprocating engines driving triple screws. The contract, awarded to John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland, resulted in a 790-foott length and an 88-foot width, eclipsing the 30,000-ton gross weight by 2,500 tons for the first time, and employing turbine engine technology, also for the first time, with a 68,000-hp combined capability, exhausted, in an effort to emulate the Germans, through four funnels.

Construction, commencing in the fall of 1904, produced two of the largest, fastest, and most powerful Atlantic liners ever built with long, sleek designs; straight sterns; rounded bridges; and four raked funnels sporting 787-foot lengths, 87-foot widths, and 31,550-ton gross weights propelled by steam turbines geared to quadruple screws.

Accommodating 563 first class passengers amidships, 464 aft second class passengers, and 1,138 third, or steerage, class passengers in the forward portion of the hull, the first of the two new liners featured opulent appointments. A Georgian-style lounge sported light green colors, a marble fireplace, stained glass panes, and a 20-foot-high dome. The Veranda Café had latticed wall patterns and rattan furniture. The dining room, of dual-deck configuration, had been the first of its kind on a Cunard ship. The main lounge had been decorated with mahogany paneling, while the smoking room featured dark Italian walnut. The second class dining saloon also sported Georgian appointments and the drawing room had been decorated in the Louis XVI style. Featuring electricity for the first time, the Lusitania provided modern conveniences to its passengers, including two elevators.

On its second westbound crossing, the liner beat all speed records, averaging 23.993 knots and covering a 617-mile, single-day distance, although it ultimately broke the 26-knot mark, reaching New York in four days, 20 hours.

Its fate, however, was not to remain so successful. Departing England on its 202nd voyage on May 1, 1915 with 1,257 passengers, 702 crew members, and three stowaways, the ship had approached Great Britain, sailing ten miles off of Old Head of Kinsale when it had been broadsided by a German torpedo, listing forward and to starboard. Slipping oceanward at a 45-degree, bow-first angle, it hit bottom 18 minutes later, exploding and killing 1,201 on board, the result of a deliberate act of war.

Because not an outcrop of land is sighted during the six-day Atlantic crossing, the Queen Mary 2 seemed suspended in a void between two continents, the journey about course, speed, weather, sea state, distance, and interior life, the temporary, although ever-moving civilization atop the sea.

Soldiering on, the ship burned 3.1 tons of heavy fuel oil per hour at a 100-percent load to operate its diesel engines, or 261 tons per day at a 29-knot steam speed, while it used 6 tons of marine gas oil per hour to run its gas turbines, or 237 tons per day, drawing off of a 1,412,977-US gallon tank for the former and a 966,553-gallon tank for the latter.

Its fresh water supply, produced from seawater by 3 Alfa Laval Multi Effect Plate Evaporators, replenished itself at the rate of 630 tons per day, satisfying its 1,100-ton daily consumption. The potable water tank capacity equaled 1,011,779 US gallons.

A German-themed lunch, served in the King's Court, had included bratwurst, bacon sauerkraut, cheese spaetzel, roasted potatoes, schnitzel, and black forest cake.

Maintaining a 261-degree heading and a 23.1-knot steam speed, the city at sea had reached a 49-degree, 43.705' north latitude and 28-degree, 25.458' west longitude position by 1500.

The Queen Mary 2's Winter Garden, designed after the skylighted verandah cafes of the Mauretania, had featured a 60-by-25-foot trompe l'oeil ceiling depicting a lush, verdant gardens, paneled walls which looked through cast iron gates to rolling hills, and wicker furniture, and had been created to counteract the cold, gray, turbulent winter of the North Atlantic.

The Mauretania itself, the ship which had provided the Winter Garden's inspiration, had been the second of the two early-20th century Cunard designs after the Lusitania. The nine-decked liner, accommodating 563 first class passengers in 253 cabins, 464 second class passengers in 133 cabins, and 1,138 third class passengers in 278 cabins, had featured its own opulent appointments. The first class smoking room, for example, located in the stern, had featured polished wood wall panels and plaster friezes. The lounge, located on the Boat Deck and measuring 80 by 53 feet, had been adorned with mahogany wall panels, gold moldings, long ceiling beams, gilt bronze, and crystal chandeliers. The library, featuring bay windows, had been decorated with sycamore paneling. The first class dining room, seating 330, had been configured with long, white clothed tables and revolving chairs, and was decorated with polished ash, teak-molded paneling, and arched windows, while the second class dining room, with parquet floors, featured Georgian oak paneling and carved cornices. A grand staircase, installed between the second and third funnels, connected five decks with the public rooms.

Entering service on November 16, 1907 between Liverpool and New York, the Mauretania had been retrofitted with four-bladed propellers two years later, in 1909, at which time it could attain maximum speeds of 26.6 knots. It had been only the first of several modifications. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, for instance, it had been repainted gray and briefly served as a troop ship, reliveried and returned to commercial service five years later in 1919, at which time it operated in company with the Aquitania and Berengaria, offering weekly east- and westbound service on the Southampton-New York route. It remained the fastest of the three.

Yet another modification, necessitated by fire, resulted in conversion to oil-burning engine technology and cabin reconfiguration, reducing both the second and third class passenger capacities.

In its 27 years of operation, during 22 of which it had held the North Atlantic speed record until it had been recaptured by the Bremen in 1929, the Mauretania had sailed some 2.1 million miles in transatlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean service before being usurped by two larger, more advanced Cunard liners. Making its last crossing on September 26, 1934, it was scraped the following year in Scotland.

That evening's dinner, served in the Queen Mary 2's Britannia Restaurant, had featured white zinfandel wine; baby shrimp thermidor on walnut brioche; cob salad with smoked chicken and bleu cheese dressing; roasted seabass with Mediterranean vegetables and olive tapenade; banana foster flambee with rum raisin ice cream and whipped cream; and coffee.

The Lusitania and Mauretania replacements, although larger, would prove a motley pair: although one had been the third in the series, it had been slower, while the other had been transferred from the fleet of the enemy, the Germans.

Day Four:

Suspended in the middle of the Atlantic, the black-hulled leviathan pursed its Great Circle course on a 249-degree heading, eating the gray and foamy-white ocean with its bow with a 21.7-knot appetite. Four hundred seventy miles off the coast of Newfoundland, the ship negotiated 3,549-meter-deep waters, having covered 607 nautical miles in the 24-hour period since yesterday, now 1,615 miles from Southampton. At a current 47-degree, 34.066' north latitude and 042-degree, 00.754' west longitude position, it was 1,468 miles from its destination.

External conditions were mild: the air temperature, at 14 degrees Celsius, had been coupled with a force-4 moderate breeze out of the southwest and low level cloud, with a 989-millibar air pressure. The sea, whose state had been slight, had a 12.7-degree Celsius temperature.

If the triplet of early 20th-century Cunard liners could have sailed past the Queen Mary 2 in chronological order, the Aquitania would have trailed both the Lusitania and the Mauretania, the third of the long, sleek, quad-funneled vessels constructed by John, Brown and Company of Clydebank.

The 45,647-ton ship, with a 901-foot length and a 97-foot width, had been both larger and heavier than its two predecessors, resulting in a 3,200-passenger capacity. Launched on April 21, 1913, it had commenced trial runs 13 months later, achieving a 24-knot maximum speed, and entered commercial service on May 30, 1914 on the Liverpool-New York route.

Opulently appointed, it featured a long gallery which connected the main lounge with the smoking room decorated with a series of garden lounges; a carpeted, Louis XVI-style first class restaurant; a columned Palladian lounge, which spanned two decks; and the first pool ever installed on a Cunard ship.

Late to the North Atlantic, the Aquitania had sailed on the fringes of World War I and had been requisitioned by the government for military service as an armed merchant cruiser in August of 1914; but, because of its excessive size, had been recommissioned as a troop ship the following year. Reconfigured for ocean liner service after the war, the ship resumed its civil role in August of 1920, amending its capacity six years later, in 1916, when a major reconfiguration decreased the first class passenger complement from 618 to 610, increased the second class capacity from 614 to 950, and dramatically decreased the third class complement by some three-forths, from 1,998 to 640, in order to more accurately match passenger class demand.

Once again reconfigured to a 7,724-person troop ship during World War II, the Aquitania provided eight years of military service during which it had sailed 500,000 miles and carried more than 300,000 troops.

Arriving in Southampton on December 1, 1949, the multiple-role vessel ended 35 years of service, having sailed some 3 million miles on 443 voyages. It had been Cunard's last quad-funneled design.

Lunch, back in the present on the Queen Mary 2, had been served in The Carvery, itself one of the King's Court stations, and had included beef tikka masala, white rice, cauliflower in cheese sauce, and double chocolate fudge cake.

Although the Aquitania's very long, mulitple-role, and fruitful career had ended in 1949, it had, for the most part, continued to operate in tandem, as originally conceived, with two other Cunard transatlantic liners, despite the fact that the Lusitania had been destroyed almost immediately after entering service. The third ship, however, emanated not from a Cunard blueprint given life by a ship builder on the Clyde, but instead by the very enemy which had necessitated its replacement.

Endeavoring to compete with the Cunard and White Star Line designs which now regularly plied the Atlantic, the Hamburg-America Line had laid the keel of a new breed of transatlantic liners on June 18, 1910, intended to be the largest-capacity, highest gross weight passenger ship ever built. The specifications were, for the time, staggering: measuring 919 feet long and 98 feet wide, the elongated, tri-funneled, 52,117-ton ship, designated the Imperator, had been powered by steam engines geared to four-bladed propellers feeding off of 8,500-tons of coal nourishing two 69- and 95-foot-long engine rooms, respectively. Accommodating 908 first class, 972 second class, 942 third class, and 1,772 steerage class passengers, the behemoth, steered by a 90-ton rudder, was christened on May 23, 1912 and entered commercial service 13 months later, on June 10, from Cuxhaven to New York with an intermediate stop in Southampton.

The Imperator featured a First Class winter garden with potted palm trees and a dual-deck indoor swimming pool.

Because initial service had demonstrated top-heavy conditions, its three funnels were shortened by nine feet during an autumn retrofit.

Ultimately banned from sailing because of World War I German atrocities, the ship had been moored in Hamburg for four years until a war reparation agreement resulted in its transfer to Cunard in 1919 as compensation for the German-sunk Lusitania. Rebased in Southampton two years later, in April of 1921, it had been subjected to an initial retrofit during which its coal-burning engine technology had been replaced with oil and it had been reconfigured with 972, 630, 606, and 515 first, second, third, and tourist passengers, respectively. Redesignated Berengaria, the ship joined the Mauretania and Aquitania, operating Cunard's weekly transatlantic service. Although it had been originally planned to continue operating it until 1940, its antiquated wiring system, which resulted in persistent on-board fires, had precluded its anticipated service longevity, temporarily leaving only the Mauretania and Aquitania until a new breed of Cunard liners, to offer double the tonnage of the existing designs, could enter service. That ship, of course, bore the name of the current one: Queen Mary.

Dinner, served in La Piazza Restaurant on board the (present-day) Queen Mary 2, had included a mixed green salad with ranch dressing; artichoke hearts; vegetable moussaka; pasta with onions, mushrooms, black olives, garlic, and red tomato sauce; tiramisu; and coffee.

Dusk could be more accurately gauged by looking beyond the wooden deck with its Queen Mary I-reminiscent line of deck chairs and down toward the sea, rather than up toward the sky. The former, a reflection of the latter, had appeared a deep blue, mirroring the temporary brightness of the sky during the early-evening when the mountainous white cumulous formations had parted, creating a blue rift. It then rapidly metamorphosed into a dark blue and, momentarily, a cold, morose, winter gray, the prevalent environmental conditions of so many earlier transatlantic crossings, as the dark, billowing clouds reassembled into a tight, cohesive quilt, hindering even a momentary glimpse of the sun. Merging dimensionally with the ocean, the amorphous, referenceless void cacooned the floating city until visibility extended no further than ten feet from either of its sides. Two souls, well dressed, braved the fierce, blustering wind as they attempted, buttressed by the force, to circle the deck. Thus was life on a transatlantic crossing.

As the day bordered the midnight demarcation line, the ship crossed from the Newfoundland Basin to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and, effectively, reached the North American continent. Two days of steaming remained before it arrived at its terminus, the Port of New York.

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Crystal Chandelier Lighting To Decorate the Home

In the 18th century crystal chandelier lighting was introduced. This was the time when glass making had been first developed and the lead crystal used in many of these works of art for the time. These very first chandeliers had several branches that held onto candles as electricity was not invented yet. They were prominently displayed in the homes of the wealthy and higher class individuals. Today this type of lighting is found in many homes and with the introduction of electricity the candles have been replaced with bulbs.

Traditional chandeliers try to replicate the look of a candle but are created with heavy plastic that holds the light bulb at the top. This type of chandelier would be the perfect design touch for rooms that have a renaissance feel to them. This lighting option can be found with many options available for the purchaser. They can include metal of different colors into the construction. For a dated decor theme a bronze colored metal would give the crystal chandelier lighting the perfect finish. These light fixtures may also have several crystal tear drop shaped ornaments displayed throughout them as well as small crystal beads.

Chandeliers are often thought of as a dining room lighting solution. There are many chandeliers on the market today which can easily accommodate not only an elegant dining room but other rooms as well. There are one or two light crystal chandelier solutions that would fit in pleasantly in an entryway. They not only offers people entering the home a lighted entrance but they are a beautiful focal point for the area as well.

Contemporary style chandeliers made of crystal are quickly becoming one of the preferred lighting solutions for many home owners. This lighting option includes several small beads of crystal to be displayed over the steel base. Keeping with the classic contemporary style many creators of this type of light fixture will use stainless steel in its construction. Crystal chandelier lighting can be purchased with only a couple of arms to hold the lights or with many. The covers for the light bulbs are usually created in white or silver and have the sleek appearance that the contemporary theme is known for.

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Crystal Chandelier - Bringing Old Things Back

If you are tired of having the old things in your home and want to make some changes, you may want to try to have a make over in your home. And when we say make over, it may sound to stressful, stressful in a way that you need to spend a lot of money and do some dirty works.

Actually it doesn't need to be stressful as you may expect or expensive as you may think. Before doing a make over you need to do some evaluation on what are the things that you want to change in you home. Consider those things or decoration that makes your place old fashion.

Usually a home consists of a lot of furniture and fixtures and maybe one of those are needed to be replaced or remove. But when we hear the word replace, we need to have something new.

If you are a type of person that is budget type, you might want to think of something that needs a little change so the expenses is not that high. Something that your pocket can afford, indeed this is much possible if you are creative and resourceful enough.

Making old things new is one good way in starting a make over, you don't need to spend money, but you need to do some stretching by cleaning your home and rearranging them and fix some broken furniture. You can change the setting of your living room by rearranging things or looking for some old decorations on your storage room that you can use.

Things that you may have on your storage room are those old fashions light. Let's say that you still have the crystal chandelier that your grandmother had before. Crystal chandelier is everlasting, the materials are made to last forever, and you just need to clean it thoroughly to put out the beauty of its light.

Use a wet cloth to clean the crystal to put out the dust and dirt; you may need some tools in fixing broken rings that binds a crystal and its main body. Being resourceful is what you need; you may have some unused colored crystal in your storage room and put it on your chandelier. Put out all things that you have in your storage room that you think can help you beautify your chandelier. This will really help you a lot saving money.

And by placing the crystal chandelier on your living room, the brightness that it can bring to your house will surely be a successful make over.

Eliza Maledevic Ayson

http://www.goldenageusa.com

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A Look at Tiffany Lamp Geometric Designs

Tiffany Lamps consist of five different design categories, one of which is Geometric Design. To better understand these designs it is imperative that you understand that Geometric designs encompass the shapes used in geometry such as, squares, rectangles, circles and triangles.

Geometric Designs are typically very symmetrical, incorporating a repeating pattern. Some of the Lamps within this category consisted of simple designs such as: plain squares, parasol and straight panels. The only thing that sets these plain designs apart from other lamps is the use of Tiffany colored glass.

Although many of the Tiffany Lamps geometric designs are very linear, Louis Comfort Tiffany managed to make some awe-inspiring pieces using these plain and basic shapes. The Nautilus Seashell is one of these lamps. Using only squares and rectangles, Tiffany managed to design a beautiful seashell lamp that is worthy of Captain Nemo's ship in the Jules Verne favorite 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Another geometric design that is very unique is the Spider Web. The lamp shade is composed solely of rectangles. What sets this lamp apart from the rest (besides the beautifully colored-glass) is that a spider adorns the top with its eight legs stretching down the sides of the lamp shade.

The Lotus leaf is yet another famous Tiffany design that baffles the mind when it comes to its geometric design. Consisting of only squares and triangles this Tiffany shade raises and lowers like an accordion all the way around with soldering effects that cannot be described with mere words alone. Another attribute that is unique to the Lotus leaf design is that the lamp shade slants downward at an angle part way before it curves outward, cupping the light.

The geometric designs of the Tiffany lamps prove that there is nothing boring about squares, rectangles, circles and triangles. Louis Comfort Tiffany used these basic shapes to prove to the world that there is no limit to what the imagination can do with limited resources.

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Choose Rawhide Chandelier Lamp Shades For Western Interior Decorating

Rawhide and leather chandelier lamp shades are a superb option for southwestern or metal chandeliers and lights. Because they are an easy way to incorporate southwestern style that looks great with southwestern and Native American accessories, many designers are choosing to incorporate them in their design projects.

Sometimes you will see these kinds of lamp shades used on large lighting fixtures in hunting cabins, western homes, and steakhouse restaurants where a southwestern design style is used. You will most likely be surprised at how easy it is to incorporate western design into your interior design by simply using rawhide lamp shades on your chandeliers and wall sconces, or on lamps that need a smaller size southwestern style shade.

You will no doubt love the soft light generated by the natural color of the rawhide and the inviting setting it creates no matter where you decide to place it. Rawhide chandelier lamp shades are certainly the best choice when wanting to design an elegant look without loosing western design.

One big reason these rawhide lamp shades are so popular for Spanish style chandeliers and other home lighting fixtures is because of the many choices available. When using a specific color pattern, you have the option of choosing a pig-skin shade in one of many colors to match, or the natural warm color of rawhide.

It doesn't matter which kind of rawhide or leather chandelier lamp shades you need, you will no doubt be happy with the style you can accomplish with these shades. The fact that these leather shades are fashioned by hand, gives them a certain uniqueness you won't find in factory made lamp shades.

Because they are each constructed with a built-in bulb clip, you can easily change even the smallest desk lamp or table lamp into a stylish southwestern accessory. Try hanging a large Spanish style chandelier with rawhide chandelier lamp shades over an elegant dining table, or hung as the focal point in the living room of a rustic style cabin.

You will like how it remarkably enhances your interior, adding warmth and adding a look of the old west. It is the authentic leather and rawhide that brings out the quality of wood furnishings and southwestern decor items.

If you have been hunting for the right rustic lamps to pair with southwestern interior design, you will certainly enjoy the unique style you can achieve with leather shades. Because of their many different uses, chandelier shades can be used on lighting fixtures you already own, or on unique metal lighting fixtures.

Not only do western chandelier shades give you the option of transforming the style of your interior, you will also enjoy how easy it is to find them online. Find the right size shade for decorative lamps and chandeliers in several interesting styles and colors. You won't come across a better way to heighten the look of southwestern home decor than with the beauty of rustic rawhide and leather chandelier lamp shades.

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Chandelier Cleaning

Make sure to use a safe ladder in order to reach this chandelier. By reading the directions below you should then be able to have a nice, clean chandelier looking good as new!

Start off by turning on lights that are near because you will not be able to use the chandelier lighting once you start to clean it. Turn off the light to the chandelier and put a piece of tape over the switch so nobody will turn the light on. Place plastic bags over any of the light bulbs and wrap a rubber band around it to keep it in place. Make sure to place a cloth underneath the fixture just in case anything drops onto the floor. One way to clean the fixture is to make your own solution or you could buy a special cleaner for your type of chandelier.

To make the solution you can mix a solution of one part isopropyl alcohol or ammonia in three parts distilled water. Put this solution in a spray bottle. Next, spray every part of the lighting with the solution, avoiding wires and any other electrical spots. Let the cleaning method drip dry, if your fixture is not good to let drip dry then you will have to clean each individual crystal with the spray. You should then remove the plastic bags and rubber bands from the fixture. Make sure not to turn on the chandelier until the day after so it will be completely dry.

Your chandelier should be looking as clean and shiny as new! No more problems trying to clean this, you should be good to go now for a few months until it needs another cleaning.

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How to Hang a Chandelier

A chandelier is comprised of decorative lighting that is put together and hung from the ceiling to light a room. Bohemian glass makers first made them hundreds of years ago with various materials. They used to be found primarily in houses of worship or only in homes of the very wealthy but now they are fairly commonplace. It is an essential aspect of home lighting design and many people utilize them to provide light to their living spaces.

You have many different types of designs to choose from so you can generally find a great match for the rest of the room which is the optimal design approach. It is not so hard to install a chandelier and if you follow the below tips it will make it easier for you to put one in your home. It used to be that candles were used to provide chandelier light but nowadays they work on electricity. So this is the type of chandelier that we are going to be working with throughout the installation process as it is now the most common choice but be very careful and take the proper safety precautions.

First you will want to decide on a location to place the chandelier and clear the space needed if there is anything there already. You will have to figure out the wiring and make sure to be safe in doing so and it is always a good idea to turn off the electricity. Use a ladder to reach any of the areas that you can't get to by standing. Remove the connections from the existing light fixture as well as any of the other parts until you just have an empty hole with some wiring.

An important piece of the installation is the support brace as you will need this especially if you have a heavy chandelier. Tighten it and then connect the wires to the new chandelier. Make sure that you secure all of the wires and tighten everything but not too tight so as to tear any of the wires. After this, you will want to attach the electrical box with the wires and tighten it to make sure that the support is in place.

Remove enough chain to ensure the proper height then remove the insulation from the ends of the wires and attach and tighten to the ceiling. Add the lights and then turn the electricity back on and you have your new chandelier.

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Crystal Chandelier 101 - A Guide in Choosing the Perfect Home Lighting and Maintenance

Crystal chandeliers adorn the most beautiful of castles and luxurious homes of the rich and famous during ancient times. Today, you can practically see one hanging in living and dining areas of simple, yet luxurious homes; or in the grand ballrooms and reception areas of entertainment and recreational facilities in big cities.

You may notice that there are practically hundreds of crystal chandelier designs available today, and picking one out that will suit your home can be quite a chore if you don't know the details for a successful purchase.

Choosing The Perfect One For Your Home

In most cases, a chandelier is found in dining areas directly above the dining table and in living rooms of many residential units today. First, you need take into consideration the size of the room, the design, and the type of lighting you wish your room to have.

Measure your room before going around shopping for a crystal chandelier. Make sure it's not too big or too small for the area you plan to install it on. Having a large chandelier in a small room can be an eyesore if you're not careful.

The design and lighting comes together when choosing a chandelier for your home. First, you need to determine how much lighting you will possibly need on a specific room. You might want to look into the types of bulb used in chandeliers to know the intensity it gives off. Pick a chandelier design that can hold enough bulbs that provides the perfect light intensity, instead of purchasing large ones good for 10 of these light sources.

Maintaining the Beauty Of Your Crystal Chandelier

Having one installed on your home is one thing, maintaining its elegance and beauty is another matter entirely. You need to keep in mind that a crystal chandelier is unlike any furniture or fixture in your abode. You need to properly clean it to maintain its elegance and beauty, to make it last for a longer period of time without wear and tear.

First, you need to wrap the bulbs, wires, and sockets to avoid any mishaps. Since you will be practically using a cleaning solution in maintaining your chandelier, it would be best to keep exposed electrical component closed up to avoid short circuits from happening.

Next, you need to look for a cleaning agent that will fit perfectly with the material of your crystal chandelier. If you plan to mix some household solutions for it, then you better ask for expert advice before doing to so avoid damaging its exterior. It is advisable to purchase cleaning agents pH balanced for crystal chandeliers.

When cleaning the crystals of your chandelier, it is advisable to let them dry by dripping the excess moisture off instead of finishing it up with a dry cloth. After cleaning, remove the coverings on the bulbs and give it some finishing touches. Voila! Good as new!

http://crystal-chandeliers.xon.us/ -- Crystal Chandelier

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Different Types of Modern Floor Lamps

There are several types of designs of floor lamps. Add in the different colors and material, there are almost thousands of combination of unique modern floor lamp designs.

Here are the few mainstream designs of floor lamps.

Classic Lamp Designs

Console Floor Lamp

This is the classic design of lamps. It usually comes with a flat round base with an upright pole. At the top of the pole, a shade or glass globe shields the light bulb. Light is usually illuminated from the bottom of the lamp shade

Modern console lamps have at least 2 light sockets to allow more brightness

Torchiere

Like a console floor lamp, it has a flat stable base and an upright pole. However, instead of light glaring out downwards from the lamp shade, light is beamed upwards to the ceiling.

It origins from France near the end of the 17th century as a candle holder. Although the candle is replaced by light bulbs, the concept still hold and light is beamed upwards onto the ceiling.

Tree Shape Home Lamp

It has a stable base and a straight upright pole. Instead of having light sources in one direction, it has several pivot-able light sockets, which acts like a leaf of the tree, which allows you to focus the light in any direction you desired.

Arc Shape Lamp

As the name states, it is a upright pole which is bent at the top to form an arc. Light is typically beam downwards.

Depending on the style, it can be a single arc of 1 bulb or several arcs.

New Age Design Modern floor lamp
Other than the above designers, creative juices from the designers created new style for you to decorate your home with modern floor lamps. These lamps often combine with house furniture to create a new practical product for home decoration as well as usage.

Lamps with Shelving or Trays

A shelf lamp is one of the most functional lamp. It serves as shelf, to place your stuffs, with a light source at the top.

It is extremely practical as it saves spaces by allowing you to keep your stuffs on the shelves, yet light up the house for people who lives in small apartments.

Lamps with Adjustable Width and Height

As it states, you are able to adjust the height and width of the lamp simply by tightening or loosening a knob. Could be apply to all the above designs.

Blended Practical Designs Lamps

This is a general phrase given to lamps which are a mixture of the designs. For instance, for a mechanic who is repairing dedicated parts will repair an arc lamp with magnifying glass to enable him to focus on his work.

Or a torchiere lamp with arcs allows you to read your newspaper with sufficient illumination while sitting on the sofa.

Before you purchase a modern floor lamp, ensure that not just the design is suitable for you, but as well as the functionality. Shop around and explore more alternatives before buying a lamp for your house. Make sure that the lamp fits into your home decor and at the same time, giving you ample lighting for your house.

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Essential Parts of a Crystal Chandelier

One of the most desired types of furniture in a home would be a crystal chandelier. It is known for class, elegance, style and high status in the society. Thus, there is a high demand for the chandelier and if you are about to buy one, you should know which one would be the kind that should be bought.

First, you should know the parts of the crystal chandelier. You should know that there are different parts of the chandelier that can play an important role in your decision making. These parts have different qualities and with the variety, you should find which one is more suitable for your home. The parts of the chandelier would also be important if you want to know how to properly manage one kind of chandelier.

Even if the crystal chandelier is known as a fixture that can add beauty and appeal in a home, you should still remember that you will have to be careful with it since it uses electricity. It should function properly and safely so there are more things that you must learn about it.

To guide you in finding which chandelier should you buy, then you should know the parts of a chandelier. It would be helpful in the market if you know more about the kind of fixture that you are about to buy. When it comes to style and functionality, most individuals would want to find balance. The parts of the chandelier would also play a role in this part because you have to find a piece that is arranged well but they should also function the right way. This is still a lighting fixture so it should properly add light in a home.

The parts that are commonly seen are the crystals. There are different kinds of crystals and the type would affect the price of the chandelier. Hence, if you want to spend less, then you should know which fixture costs less and which does not. There are also varying shapes of the crystal chandelier and there are even those that can be made custom to suit your needs. You will only have to make your needs suit your choice of chandelier.

The arm is another important part. This is the area that holds the crystals. They will also be a factor in the design of the chandeliers. They should be framed the right way. There are classic looking while there are also modernized. You should make sure that the style that you choose would suit the needs of the house. You should find a match so that it would really fit and be able to improve the appeal of your home. The other part would be the candle. As it is a lighting fixture, you should make sure that the candle that you will buy looks good and proper for the whole crystal chandelier.

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Light Is Might For Crystal Chandelier

Everyone who is into crystal chandeliers knows that its lighting feature is the most important on its use. So when choosing a crystal chandelier it is important to focus on it as well. I now that people fall easily in love with beautiful styles and designs but at the same time you also have to keep in mind that you need to focus on its lighting as well, because it is one of the factors that is really needed on it. Let me talk about the use of accent lights. Accent lights are either recessed or track-mounted, on either side of the crystal chandelier and between the ends of the table add a festive sparkle to china, crystal, and fruit arrangements. Space them so they are not over the heads of diners, but not so close to the crystal chandelier as to create shadows. Angle them toward the chandelier to add sparkle and provide down lighting.

Portable lighting, or table lamps, also plays an important role in the dining room area. Accent lamps on breakfronts or étageres or two great buffet lamps with unique shades can help create just the right mood for that special meal or occasion when the dining room is being utilized. You must keep in mind that the lighting aspect of the crystal chandeliers is the most important to keep in mind. You bought a crystal chandelier for a reason and I am mighty sure it is for lighting purposes. So always take note that when choosing one, you better focus on it as well.

The final layer of light should fill in the shadows around the room's perimeter. Consider recessed lights located in the ceiling toward the corners of the room. Wall washers, recessed or mounted on tracks, can illuminate drapes or paintings. Torchieres and sconces point light toward the ceiling. Don't forget to light furniture around the edge of the dining room. Buffets, hutches or breakfronts can be illuminated internally with low voltage lights on the underside of shelves to light up collections and china. The perimeter should always be lit and it is also a big factor to keep in mind that everything should be covered in this position.

Although there are other options include recessed or track lighting above buffets or breakfronts. Miniature low voltage pendants suspended three feet above the buffet offer a more contemporary look, while tall, thin candlestick lamps on either end are more traditional. The things to keep in mind most of the time is that you need to consider the lighting of your crystal chandelier at par. Be sure that you are also giving care on it so that you won't have a useless crystal chandelier, remember the brighter they are the more exposed the beauty of it can be.

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Wall Murals - A Wall in Every Room

I got a call from some friends of mine the other day. Jake and Diane are a married couple with 3 kids, Sarah (16 years old), Jordan (11 years old) and Emily (7 years old). They invited me over to take a look at their newly remodeled home. They had been working on this project for about 2 ½ years and finally finished the entire house. They are proud of the work they had accomplished and are now inviting friends and family over to show off their finished product.

So today was my turn to drop by and see what kind of decorators they turned out to be and of course compliment them on a job well done. I arrived around 12 noon and rang the doorbell. Diane came to the door and invited me in.

Over to the left of the entrance way is the living room. As soon as I walked in I was awe struck by the far wall. They had hung a full wall mural called Treasury of Splendor. This mural is an artist rendition of a narrow river with a white wooden bridge crossing from one side to the other. Meanwhile there is lush foliage on both sides of the river's shore.

The colors are that of early fall with green, gold, yellow, orange and red leaves in an array that only nature could create. The fall wild flowers are in full bloom. There are tall trees in the background and in the foreground in the river are 2 white geese floating on the river water. Needless to say they had decorated the room in a fashion equal to the beauty of that mural.

From there we met up with Jake in the family room. This room is what they call their entertainment center. On the far wall was a large flat panel TV and below the TV was an oak cabinet chock full of audio and video home theatre electronic components.

A large micro fiber sectional sofa in a curved pattern was positioned just far enough away from the TV (about the middle of the room), so that the surround sound speakers on all 4 corners of the room could be heard with peak precision. With oak bookshelves and 2 oak tables with matching chairs and curtains in multi-colored earth tones, the only thing left to say was...

Yes, this room also has a beautiful wall mural. This mural is an artist's rendition of urban city with skyscrapers superimposed on each other. This time the colors are magnificent shades of browns, golds, maroons, black, yellow, gray and white. This is modern urban art tastefully done.

So now they ask me to follow them into the kitchen. Here the cabinets are oak in a honey finish. All the counter tops are granite in a medium brown. The walls above the counters are mosaic mural tiles that picture fresh fruit platters and wine bottles.

The kitchen table and chairs are constructed of mahogany with a finish close to the same finish of the cabinets. There is a stainless steel island counter in the middle of the kitchen with a small sink and a cutting board inserted into the top next to the sink. Above the island is a chandelier hanging pot rack. This lighted pot rack also illuminates the island counter to shed light when preparing meals.

Did I mention the mural on the far wall of the kitchen? Now this is stunning and I will explain why. First, just so you know, the name of this colorful mural is Courtyard View. This is an artist's rendition of a tropical sea shore view of a cobblestone courtyard with lush foliage. Absolutely amazing potted flowers in full beautiful deep colored shades of red, pink and deep orange line the courtyard leading to a white linen tablecloth covered round table and chair.

Sitting in the middle of the table is a bottle of wine and a pitcher of fruit punch. In between the lavish potted flowers are lush green leaf plants lining the way down the courtyard. In the distant background is a palm tree shoreline with mountains rising out of the sea. Wow, does this mural make a striking impression when you enter the kitchen. Need I say more?

From the kitchen, Jake and Diane lead me back to the stairway by the front entrance and we all head upstairs to Sarah's bedroom. This bedroom is all done up in shades of lavender and pink. The bed is a white wood framed canopy bed with a white lace canopy that has lavender fringe around the entire outer edge. The curtains on the windows match the lace canopy. The dresser, night stands and hutch are all finished in antique white.

Guess what is on the wall opposite the bed? Did I hear you say wall mural? You are right again. This time the wall mural is called Unicorn Garden. This truly is a heavenly scene. I hope my description comes close to the awesome beauty of this mural. I'll do my best.

To begin with, this scene takes place at night. There is a Unicorn and a teenage girl with a flowing pink lace gown with her right hand on the unicorn's snout and her left hand petting the unicorn on the lower neck. They are standing under a large oak tree and in the night sky above is a bright white full harvest moon shining down upon them. The girl and the unicorn are positioned on a small strip of land between two small ponds. The moonlight transforms the scene into unbelievable deep shades of blue, purple and lavender.

On the far side of the pond behind them to the left is a waterfall flowing into the pond. In the far background on the right is a castle on a hill. Hanging from the tree branches they are standing under are artfully crafted lanterns shining brightly. In the foreground is the edge of a pond reflecting both of them in the water.

On the edge of the pond to the right and to the left are wild flowers in magnificent shades of white, yellow, gold, pink, lavender, purple and blue. The ground they are standing on is a lush lawn in a beautiful shade of jade green. This full wall mural is a delightful addition to the atmosphere of the room. Nice Job!

Next, we head down the hallway to Jordan's bedroom. Jordan's bedroom looks like the typical 11 year old boy's bedroom. It has the race car framed twin bed. The white walls have a checkered flag wallpaper border going around the room about 1/3 of the way up the walls.

The night stand and dresser are both finished in solid black. There are black wall mounted shelves above the headboard of the bed. These are holding Jordan's trophies he won in the Pinewood Derby. On one wall is a life-size wall graphic of Jordan's favorite NFL Quarterback. Here too, on the far wall across from the bed is, you guessed it, a wall mural.

Now this particular wall mural is an artist's rendition of NASCAR racing. With smears of wonderfully brilliant pastel colors surrounding five race cars colored in radiant and pulsating hues of red, green, yellow and blue. You can feel the intense emotional excitement of actually being in the front row seat at a NASCAR race. The artist who painted this original truly brought out the heart pounding emotion associated with all the fans of NASCAR racing. This wall mural is what I like to call the perfect finishing touch to this boy's bedroom. Nice job!

Now we head a little further down the hallway to Emily's bedroom. Emily is Jake and Diane's 7 year old daughter. As we enter the bedroom I noticed a color scheme of pastel yellow with green accents in just the perfect shade of green to compliment the setting of the bedroom.

Here the bed is a Hollywood style bed with an over stuffed comforter in a beautiful swirling pattern of pastel green, pink, blue and yellow. The bed is positioned in the room, sitting on a pedestal, with the head of the bed about 5 feet to the left of a window. The window treatments are shear curtains with a valance in a beautiful shade of emerald green. Here the dresser and night stand are made of acrylic in a shiny shade of pastel green.

There is also a small bookshelf to the left side of the bed, matching the dresser and night stand. On the far wall opposite the bed is what puts the icing on the cake, so to speak. You know I'm talking about a wall mural perfect for a 7 year old girl.

The title of this mural is Daydreaming. This is a delightful and charming scene with two field mice lying on their backs in a lush green lawn. One mouse is on the left while the other mouse is on the right side of this colorful drawing. The adorable mouse on the lest is wearing a pastel red shirt with light blue overalls.

The cute mouse on the right is wearing a lavender shirt with dark blue pin striped trousers. Both of these mice are surrounded by a field of colorful wild daisies in beautiful shades of pink and golden yellow. The entire background is a bright blue sky with billowing clouds. These clouds in the sky seen to be forming the shapes of birds, rabbits, butterflies and a castle.

The entire border of this drawing is a sparsely leafed vine. The unique part of this particular wall mural is the option that you may add a short caption over the clouds in order to personalize this mural. So after a little thought Emily had the words "Daydream a Little Dream for Me" printed across the sky in letters that were filled in like a rainbow. This room is a little girl's dream.

Next Jake and Diane walked me over to the far side of the hallway, over to the master bedroom. As we entered the master bedroom I noticed that the walls were painted in a light brownish grey tone. They had a king size soft-sided waterbed sitting on a six drawer pedestal. The drawers, headboard and surrounding framework of the pedestal were finished in a brownish grey antique style with matching night stands on each side of the bed.

The dresser with a large mirror and a hutch also matched the finish. There is a medium size Italian style tapestry above the headboard and two beautiful brushed pewter wall sconce candle holders on each side of the tapestry. On the far side of the room opposite the side of the room the waterbed is on, is a full wall mural.

This wall mural is absolutely gorgeous. The name of this full wall mural is Tuscan Villa. This is the scenic view of the Italian countryside from the inside of an arched pillared outer terrace wall. This artist's rendition shows three arches of this pillar arched wall. The center archway is the entrance to the terrace. Just beyond the entrance, on the outside, is a fountain in the courtyard.

The pillar archways on the left and on the right of the entrance have beautiful sculptured stone railings and the terrace floor is constructed of random shaped cobblestone. There are beautiful green vines climbing up the pillars and the inside arched pillar walls of the terrace are in magnificent earth tones. Outside, just beyond the courtyard are beautiful rolling hills.

Some of the hills are vineyards and some are golden hills reflecting the beauty of the bright sunshine from the mid day sun. Off in the distance is the majesty of purple mountains with blue skies above. This full wall mural is an alluring art form that takes your breath away when you enter this room. Wow, I am impressed.

From here Jake and Diane lead me back to the stairway leading to the main floor. Between the living room and family room they open a door with a stairway leading to the finished basement. Next we explore the recreation room in the basement.

As I enter their finished basement I can't help but notice that the walls are finished in stone and brick for the most part. Jake says that the brick and stone wall are actually faux paneling. My reply was how real this actually looks. Along one wall is a wet bar about 15 feet long with 10 bar stools in front.

The wall behind the bar is mirrored and a there is a long cabinet below the mirrored wall with liquor bottles lining the wall in front of the mirror. There is a pool table several feet over, two pinball machines and a juke box.

Over in the far side of the room is a ping pong table. Over on the far wall, just past the ping pong table is a large flat panel TV mounted on the stone wall. This would have been the perfect recreation room just the way it is, but on the wall to the far side of the pool table is something that amplified the decorative atmosphere of the room. It was a full wall mural that made the room come to life.

Let me begin by saying that this wall mural made the room seem much larger than it actually was. The title of this mural is Game Room. A more fitting title would be hard to find. This scene takes place in a large building. The front outer wall is an arched glass wall that must be at least 35 to 40 feet tall. Inside there are people playing pool. The pool table is in the center of the room. The room decor is right out of the late 1950's.

There is a bar over to the right side with a tube TV inserted into what looks like a Rolls Royce grill and is turned on behind the bar on a counter. The front of the bar has the headlights and grill of a 1958 Edsel. The couches and lounge chairs around the room are made from the tail fin open trunks of cars like 1958 Cadillac and 1958 Mercury's. There is a juke box over to the right side of the room.

There is a stairway heading up to the second floor with an old fashioned gravity gas pump right out of an early 1950's Mobilgas Station to the side of the stairway. There is so much detail in this full wall mural I could go on and on, but let me just say that this mural was a perfect match for his finished basement recreation room.

Wall murals add extra dimension to any room. With an unlimited variety of subjects to choose from, including any picture of your own choosing, you now have the capability of transforming any room into any place or art form imaginable. If you let your creative imagination run wild, you will be able to add a magical atmosphere to any room of your home.

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Chandelier Lamp Shades For Chic and Classy Ambiance

The use of chandelier lamp shades provides elegance, exquisite, and dramatic lighting accent to your room. Good lighting can set the tone or mood of your surroundings. It creates a certain aura for everyone to enjoy and be proud of. Your environment tells all about your personality, taste and style. Using chandelier lamps does not intend to be rich but rather to have fashion sense. It is very important to choose the appropriate chandelier lamp to use in blending with the interior design of your room. Chandelier shades come in different styles, shapes, and materials or fabric used. The different styles will add more glitz and glamour to the room's decor.

Lighting companies and online stores offer a great number of quality chandelier lampshades to choose from. These elegant centerpieces include black chandelier shade, beige chandelier shade, and cream chandelier shade. Other stylish and exquisite styles consists of high quality Bellacor black diamond chandelier shades, Bellacor ostrich feather shades, Dupioni silk lampshades, silver cone shades, natural linen shades, silk chandelier shades, and ruth's lamp white box pleated empire shade. All of these jewels in crown decor make an excellent fixture in our rooms which will make it a more lively, glamorous, and trendy. Chandelier lampshades have different styles, designs and sizes that perfectly fit with the room.

Chandelier lampshades provide a lot of sophisticated options in creating different ambiance. These can easily create a different appearance in your homes with simple, quick and easy installation of these centerpieces. Different moods and setting can be achieved by changing the shades of the chandelier lamps. The chandelier lamp can easily be disassembled. Changing the shade can also alter the illumination of the room. But most importantly, the design style can change the look from Simple to Rustic or Modern Contemporary.

Chandelier frames are made either from simple wood or iron to more decorative frame. The designs of the frame also add glitter and chic to the lampshade. The shade comes in different shapes, sizes, and designs. Regular cone shapes are the traditional shapes. Other shapes include bell shapes, circular like Chinese-styled shades, and four-sided shapes designed patterned with different adornment. Shades are made from different materials such as handmade paper, printed fabric, beads, or silk paper. These can be in different bright colors to create different mood lighting. The lampshade chandelier is great alternative to dress up a room and make it different anew.

All lampshade chandeliers can use different bulb styles, shapes, sizes, and wattage. These elements can give various lighting accents and illumination to the room. It will also enhance the fashion sense created by the lampshade in complementing with the room's decorations and fixtures.

In designing and decorating the interior of your rooms, it makes sense to use chandelier lamp shades as added centerpiece in your home for a more eloquent, classy, and fashionable ambiance.

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Adirondack Furniture - the Key to Decorating Your Cottage For Vacationing

Because you are not there every single month out of the year, it is important that you make your vacation cottage a special place that you can retreat to whenever the mood strikes. After all, it is the decor and design of this vacation cottage that will keep you happy and stress free whenever you feel the need to escape for a while to enjoy yourself either alone or with your friends or family. Finding the right pieces of Adirondack furniture to relax on as well as wonderful accents to soothe your senses will be key to your successful vacation cottage.

For obvious reasons, you will want to have a nice seating area within your cottage so that you can relax with your guests and enjoy great conversation or even sit alone on a beautiful night to curl up with an interesting book. The best way to create the perfect nook is to have a nice table, perhaps a coffee table or an end table, surrounded with a couple of chairs or even a cluster of a chair and bench set up. Whatever you choose to use for accent on top of that will basically depend on your tastes and budget.

Chairs and other Adirondack furniture are the perfect choice for any cottage. These pieces simply invite relation with their high backs, sloping seats and oversized armrests. You can place a few chairs around a fire pit or even a pair by the lake is great for enjoying the wildlife and natural beauty of your cottage's surroundings. If you spend a lot of time on the beach in front of your cottage you might want some portable furniture to relax on down there. Folding Adirondack chairs or a matching table and chair set are perfect for enjoying the sun and sand.

And don't think your Adirondack furniture has to stay in its natural wood hue. Some chairs are available in several colors and finishes and others are best left in their natural state because they won't take paint well. You could choose green furniture like the original Adirondack chairs or perhaps you would prefer yellow, white or blue. You can literally find Adirondack furniture in every color of the rainbow.

In order to bring together just about any design scheme for your cottage you need some finishing touches. So once you have decided on the pieces and location of Adirondack furniture you desire, the finishing touches could include some sort of lighting fixture or a collection of candles. Maybe a lantern or some planter boxes to bring a little bit of nature even closer would work. You could also include a cooler or other container to keep refreshing beverages nearby.

You may also want to create an outdoor dining area at your cottage complete with long wood table, matching chairs and perhaps even an outdoor chandelier. Soon your cottage will always be welcoming and ready for enjoying alone or with family and friends. Relaxation will come naturally once you take the initiative of creating a memorable vacation space that you can enjoy whenever the mood strikes.

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Lighting Fixtures - Home Decor and Remodels Can Have Personality Without Sacrificing Cost or Quality

For the past 20 years the real estate market has experienced extensive growth until the market declined in the last few years. With this explosive growth also came an explosion of home décor, styling and lighting, which the average home owner could afford. Prior to this time most of the average buildings constructed showed little flair or imagination, with few exceptions, such as hotels, government buildings and wealthy estates.

The average home owner does not need to sacrifice with the home décor and lighting. The available choices of lighting range from the mass produced and cheaply made aluminum fixtures found in the big brick-and-mortar home improvement stores to custom crafted lighting imported from Europe. The latter will not be found in any hardware store, but in specialty lighting boutiques.

Most lighting fixtures will not break the bank, nor should it be necessary to skimp on quality. Specialty lighting houses will, of course, have the best and widest selection of styles. There are well over a hundred different manufacturers of lighting fixtures and lamps in the United States alone. Most lighting stores can not compete with the home improvement behemoths for square footage so will make up for that by having the need to sometimes cram as much as possible into a smaller space. For this reason alone these specialty houses rely on a myriad of catalogs. Many times the customer will be permitted to "check out" these catalogs as there is not a way to leaf through them all in a few minutes.

Surprisingly most of the lighting shops are quite good at minimizing the wait time for a light fixture order. Quite often the average shipping time can be as little as 3 days or so. For custom designed order a realistic time frame may be up to 6 to 8 weeks or more.

The customer should be prepared for the majority, if not all lighting stores, to normally require a deposit for any special order. The purpose for this down payment is to cover the minimal expenses which the store will incur in the event of an order cancellation. Many specialty boutiques may also assess a restocking fee in the event of an order cancellation as well.

When shopping for lighting fixtures, a prior special order cancellation may be available at a significant discount in order to move stagnant inventory. Should the customer decide to purchase a number of fixtures then price negotiating may also be an avenue for savings for the customer. The saying, "the more you buy, the more you save" can be applied to this situation.

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