Tag Archives: dining

How to Decorate With Antique Lamps

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There is nothing that adds more elegance and automatic ambience to a room’s décor than an antique lamp. They are fantastic objects to have in a dining room or living room because they not only make a personal statement about you but because they are great conversation pieces. There is nothing like a 1930s big chandelier with large drops of ice hanging from it to help break the ice with your dinner companions.

One of the most interesting antique lamp fads that is around lately is the passion for chandeliers made out of deer antlers. These date back as far as the 1890s and straight through to today. They were standard lamp fixtures in medieval times in Europe (as they do have a bit of a pagan flair to them) but they are also considered to be part of American and Canadian furniture kitsch.

However keep in mind that when you buy one of these deer chandeliers that it is not always that politically correct. Some unscrupulous dealers are selling this type of thing on eBay as being made out of found antlers when what they have done is take the antlers off of live deer. This is a big ecological no-no. You are safest to look in antique shops and for chandeliers that look like they have been found on the ground. These antlers will not have sawed off ends. If they do have sawed off ends you might start the wrong type of conversation at your dinner party especially if you have invited any conservationists.

Yet another very popular type of kitsch antique lamp that is being manufactured right now is the “Sexy Leg Lamp.” This is the lamp that was featured in the movie “The Christmas Story.” It consists of a plastic molded ladies leg wearing a black high heel and it is topped with a shade that looks like a burlesque dancer’s skirt. If you have one of these in your home, your guests are sure to point out that “you have the same lamp that Ralphie’s Dad does.”

A kind of lamp that is getting harder and harder to find but used to be a common sight on top of television sets all over the world is the classic ceramic black panther that is topped with a shade made from paper pressed with glitter.

Perhaps the most popular of the antique lamps are the lava lamps. It is getting harder and harder nowadays to find a real lava lamp from the fifties or sixties. The knock offs that can be had for twenty dollars and be bought in a hardware store are simply not as nice as the ones you find on eBay or in antique shops. This is because the newer replicas tend to be a lot smaller then the original lava lamps that were sometimes tall enough to reach your knee. They also often contain glitter instead of the “lava” and their design is not as nice. If you manage to find a real lava lamp from the fifties then the design from the Atomic Age is certain to become a conversation starter.

How to Decorate A Dining Room With Chair Railing

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Dining rooms can be easily directed using chair railing. Decorative trim installed on a wall about 32 inches above the floor, which protects against scuffs from furniture. You can buy it anywhere online or at home outfitting places. Technically chair railing are also “panel molding.”

The point is that it can be used purely decoratively and not otherwise. Throw out all those preconceived ideas of how to use chair railings and create a dining room uniquely your own. In a short time, you will have a dining room you, your family and dinner guests will find beautiful. The reason this form of decorating works so well is because it is so unassuming.
You are using the architecture of the room to make a difference rather than decorating in a way that is just surface.

Did you know you can use the chair railing to divide your dining room wall. You can make the division vertically or horizontally using chair railings. All you have to do is paint the chair railing a color that complements and contrasts the color of your dining room wall. You can also paint sections of the wall in different complementary colors. However do not make your color choices too opposite or the room might look too much like a circus.

You can also use chair railings to create a fake window in our dining room. The chair railing should be glued to the wall in the shape of a window. You can even paint a mural of an outdoor scene behind the chair railing. Go all out and add draperies to make the faux window appear more real.

Use a chair railing to frame a wall mural in your dining room. Attach chair railing to the wall around a mural. Paint the chair railing a color that will complement the mural. This works well for any type of wall mural.

You can also use a chair railing to create narrow verticalstripes on your dining room wall. Attach chair railing vertically to the wall to make “pinstripes” on you dining room wall. This will have the optical illusion of making the the ceiling seems higher and the room larger. Paint the chair railing a contrasting, yet complementary ,color if you want them to stand out and capture the idea.

It is also relatively inexpensive to use chair railing in this way. Be sure to be creative. Many enchanting dining rooms have been created using just a few pieces of chair railing.