When form meets function you end up with the best interior design. When decorating your home, I highly recommend that you take care to select investment pieces that will not only last, but appeal, for years to come.
We have a number of vintage light fixtures in our home including a wonderful vintage Degas chandelier in our main foyer. Warm hues penetrate the frosted glass in this piece that possesses a distinct art deco style. The light, reminiscent of a sunset, casts the perfect glow in the space, highlighting the art hung on the walls, but with the ability to stand alone as its own art piece as well.
We have other vintage lighting from The Lalique company which was founded by Rene Lalique, a jeweler, glassmaker and industrialist. He began his career in the late 1800s with a jewellery shop in Paris. He lived above the shop where he increasingly began experimenting with glass.
During the First World War Lalique’s glass factory produced such practical items as plain glass bottles and containers for hospitals and medicines. But when the war was over that same factory began producing more than 1,500 glass models for: ashtrays, seals, clocks, paperweights, decanters, pitchers, stemware, lamps, light fixtures, pendants, perfume bottles and all manner of decorative objects.
At the height of the art deco era Lalique was the most celebrated glassmaker in the world. Production in his factory ceased during the Second World War and he passed away in 1945 just days after learning that factory was liberated by allied forces and that his molds were in tact.
Not only have many of his pieces survived until today, so too has his name with a celebrated company operating and selling opulent pieces under his menarche.
New Lalique pieces, while beautiful, don’t have the vintage flair I so adore, but are highly regarded investment items that can run many thousands of dollars. Vintage pieces, when found, can also be pricey with items selling on ebay now anywhere from $750 to more than $2,000. I just caution that you ensure the pieces are in fact genuine Lalique, and not fakes. As the value of Lalique glass has risen, so too have the number of fakes found on the market. Ensure the piece is marked with a genuine Lalique signature by having it checked with an expert before investing.
Purchasing vintage lighting, from any maker, is an investment. It can be more expensive than buying new pieces, particularly from big box stores, but it’s a wonderful way to add elegance, sophistication and unparalleled quality to your home.
