Palladium ES Contemporary 6-Lamp Chandelier

New to www.affordablelamps.com is Nuvo Lighting. And for their first blog entry on our site, I am choosing the Palladium ES Contemporary 6-Lamp Chandelier. Now, if you live in Los Angeles, you have no doubt heard of or been to the Hollywood Palladium. There are also many Palladiums across the USA, in St. Louis, Worcester, and Dallas, to name a few. But the Hollywood venue is probably the most famous, and I have seen acts like Oingo Boingo, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Hootie and The Blowfish, and the Brazilian Carnival every February. Except this year, because the promoters decided to move it to the Club Noika in downtown LA, so I will not be attending.  Frankly, because I like the Palladium, for all of its faults; it is a large, spacious concert hall, and walking distance to the Metro red line, not to mention my brother-in-law’s apartment. All of the things Club Noika is not.

And I like this Palladium ceiling light as well. It is big, measuring 25” in diameter, and hangs up to 72” with the chain. This Energy Star Compliant ceiling light fixture uses six 13 watt GU24 Base Fluorescent bulbs, so it green and grand. This Nuvo chandelier has a contemporary feel, mixed with a dash of nautical and topped off with a satin nickel trim.

So if you want to turn your place into a Palladium-style venue, I can think of no better chandelier to decorate it with than this Nuvo Palladium ES Contemporary 6-Lamp Chandelier. At under $330.00, that is a paltry price to pay.

Del Sol Flush Mount Ceiling Light

I’ve always had a soft spot for blown glass since I was child. I even worked briefly for Douglas Cole Blown Glass Designs back in the 1980’s. We produced blown glass earrings, necklaces, and vases and sold them at art shows in Santa Monica and Las Vegas. So this ceiling light from Thomas Lighting definitely caught my eye. With its hand forged filigree and seedy glass, this is a stunning flush mount fixture, measuring 18” in diameter and 8” in height. It uses two medium base 100 watt bulbs, and that is quite bright for any flush mount. This is an ideal fixture for a traditional home, hotel, lobby, or conference room. At $242.19, this ceiling light delivers the power and the prestige.

Chelsea Morning

“Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning and the first thing that I saw…” was this Crystorama Lighting fixture! Primarilly because it is so huge and bright and someone left the light on! This excessive example of contemporary pendant lighting measures 24” in diameter and uses nine 60 watt candelabra base bulbs. This is the sort of pendant that Zsa Zsa would love, due to its two-tier crystalline elegance and brilliance. It is a bit over the top, but hey, if you got it, flaunt it, right? I can see the rappers getting in the grove with this one, with all of the bling. Me, I prefer Tiffany myself. This Chelsea is way too bright for my taste. I’m sure Joni Mitchell agrees with me on this point.

But like I said: if you love opulent, excessive, and expensive lighting fixtures, then this is right up your alley.

Solaris 6-Lamp Chandelier

Crystorama Lighting did not name this fixture after the movie Solaris, from the book by Stanislaw Lem, but they might as well have, as the retro Sci-Fi look hearkens back to the days when speculative fiction truly had a sense of wonder, and was not filled with mindless violence and overpowering visuals. As far as contemporary chandeliers go, the atomic structure design along with the sleek and thin metal frame evoke all sorts of retro-futuristic visuals realized in the pulp magazines and sci-fi digests from the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Solaris measures 22” by 27.5”, and uses six 60 watt candelabra base bulbs, for a total of 360 watt of illuminating presence. So in a sense, this lamp is an anachronism, yet a lovely one at that, and is perfect for foyers, dining rooms, high ceilings or dens.

Bring in the double! Wall Reading Lamps!

This new House of Troy wall reading lamp is designed for couples who like to read simultaneously while sitting on the same bed. The only problem with that scenario is that that this fixture is just 18” long, so one must be careful when moving around the light, lest you move it too far over the bed, and it bangs your head. The solution, as my esteemed colleague Patrick suggested, is that this fixture is perfect for twin beds! It measures 18” wide by 11” high, and extends out 19”, so if placed in between two twin beds, presents no danger of a bump on the noggin. It supports 3-way bulbs, and requires two 100 watt medium base bulbs (or a compact fluorescent if you live in California). Another option is that these are ideal for hotels, youth hostels, YMCA’s or motels. The WS 14291 is great new addition to the House of Troy wall reading lamps arsenal of fixtures, because it addresses a need. Just ask my friend Norman.

Trellis 3-Lamp Vanity Light

Designed to look like a train trellis, this bathroom vanity fixture out of Thomas Lighting succeeds at this, but the price is that of a mediocre visual at best. Sure at just over $211.00, it is priced below that of the competition, but unless you have a dark bathroom, or are into trains, then this fixture will be on the dull side. The Trellis measures 24” wide, 8.5” in height, and extends out 8”, and uses three 100 watt medium base bulbs, and the good news is that it may be mounted up or down. This is a good selling point, as I get dozens of requests for fixtures that can be mounted either way. And it is bright enough with three 100 watt bulbs.

So the long and short of it is: aesthetics. If you like your bathroom vanity lighting to be on the dark side, then the rewards outweigh the risks.