On a trip back from Germany in 1989, I bought some cigars from the duty free store in Frankfurt for my Father. I was half asleep at the time (it was six in the morning), and I bought Habana cigars, the kind that are not allowed in the USA, unless of course you are a diplomat, wealthy industrialist, or customs officer who seizes these and then hands them out to friends and colleagues. I did declare the cigars, but when they searched my luggage and saw the Habana label, I had to voluntarily surrender then to the agent. The funny thing is that I do not even like cigars, and that taught me a very valuable lesson:

“If you want something, get it yourself!”

The grilling that customs agent put me through still bothers me to this day. And the other funny thing was that I played volleyball with the customs officers from LAX in El Segundo at the time on Thursday nights. I told my friends about the whole deal, and they knew the agent, and they all agreed he was a real hard case.

So now I need to review a kitchen island light from Corbett Lighting called the Havana (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/cor-129-56.html), and I need to stay objective.

For the record, this fixture is NOT MADE in Cuba, but imported from China. It is made with hand woven fibers of the Abaca plant, features six 60 watt candelabra base bulbs, and measures 42″ wide, 15.75″ high and 20″ deep. It’s a very rustic, tropical looking fixture, and although the price tag is a bit hefty at $1300.00, it truly stands alone in the Kitchen Island Lighting category. This is a great fixture for beach houses, tropical locales, and for sure Miami.

So smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, just don’t ask me to buy ‘em for you.

Now can some one get me a Cuba Libre, please?

Usually, I wonder who came up with the name of a lighting fixture, and what the heck they were thinking at the time. But with this Kalco Lighting chandelier, he or she hit the nail on the head. This example of transitional chandeliers could be the poster child for the city of Santa Barbara, I kid you not. With amber goblets of glass hanging from a drooping, Spanish-inspired frame, this represents Santa Barbara architecture better than any other object, lighting fixture or piece of furniture I’ve seen. And I have been to Santa Barbara dozens of times. These fixtures measure 22” in diameter and 28.5” in height, use five 100 watt medium base bulbs and come with 48” of chain, perfect for those tall, 18th century pueblo-style buildings found in the area there. With over 44 glass options and fourteen finishes, you should find the right match for your home no matter what your décor, whether it is by the sea, the desert, the mountains, or plains. Kalco Chandeliers are made to order, and made to last.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 5/21/10.  We were outside of the Ondrian Nebulae when we spotted the array. With its overlapping structure of metallic bars and six tube-shaped illuminations, the construct appeared to mimic that of wrought iron chandeliers from the 21st century, manufactured by a company out of Vermont named Hubbardton Forge. The original source material, named the Ondrian six-light metropolitan chandelier (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/hub-13-6305.html) measured 42.5” wide by 25” in depth, with an adjustable height of up to 40.75”, and it accommodated slope ceilings. These fixtures were damp rated and had fluorescent options (9W GU24) or halogen (60W G9). The Ondrian was a strong fixture, like the array before us. I fear that we may have met our match.

Spring is almost over, so I wanted to sneak in a Spring Fling product, considered for your perusal: The Appalachian Spring Wall Mirror (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/sty-ac2200-aib.html) from stylICON, a Philips Lighting company. Those folks bring you Thomas Lighting and Forecast too. This decorative rustic-style mirror features aged iron swirls and leafy décor. This mirror reminds me of The Chronicles of Narnia, and if you are into that sort of fantasy inspired design, then this is the wall mirror for you. It measures 28.5” in diameter, and is suitable for rustic as well as modern décor. It also could be considered art noveau. Yes, it is a bit pricey, at $736.00, but what price vanity? Plastic surgery will run 10 times that amount.

So go a on a fling and spring for the Appalachian Spring, and then you can swing.

Berceau means quite literally a cradle or trellis filled with plants. This astonishing Hubbardton Forge chandelier (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/hub-10-1273.html) substitutes water glass shades for the plants, but otherwise the title is apt. This is one of the few high end chandeliers rated for damp locations. Now I am not saying that you install it under a gazebo in Hawaii, but for a decently covered large patio area, this could be apropos. The fixture weighs 40 pounds and requires heavy hanging hardware. The Berceau chandelier comes in burnished or satin steel, black, mahogany, bronze, natural iron or black finishes, and uses a magnificent seven 60 watt candelabra base bulbs. At under $2300.00, it is a chandelier designed for large homes designed in either modern, Mediterranean or Nouveau traditional style of architecture.

I can see this fixture in large estates, including wineries, as well as Malibu beach houses, like Charlie Harper’s from Two and a Half Men.

Hey CBS, don’t cancel the best comedy on TV. Give Charlie what he wants. After a long day of selling lighting, I always come home to dinner and the Two and Half Men Happy Hour on KTLA.

The Lamp Lies Down on Broadway

Shut me in, lock me tight.
Lips are dry, throat is dry.
Feel like burning, stomach churning,
I’m dressed up in a white costume
Padding out left-over room.
Body stretching,
Feel the wretching in the cage
Get me out of the cage!
Lyrics & Music © Genesis, Gabriel, Banks, Rutherford, Hackett, Collins

Having just seen Peter Gabriel in concert last Friday at the Hollywood Bowl, I have his songs rattling around in my brain. The Cage has also been a personal favorite, and one of the best of the live tunes still performed in concert by Genesis. So when I saw this cage-like piece among the wrought iron chandeliers by Troy Lighting, all the bells and whistles went off. Looking more like a lighting fixture atop a gazebo, the use of brass mesh shades over the eight 60 watt candelabra base bulbs gives a regal treatment, and provides a visual that would be at home during a Gabriel concert event. The Chinois chandelier (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/tro-f2418fbz.html) from Troy Lighting measures 32.5” in diameter and 28” high, and there are matching wall sconces available for a complete Chinois look, as well as four-light and six-light chandeliers for smaller venues.

So how was the concert, you ask? Sedate, serene, sensual and sensational. Nobody sings like Peter Gabriel, and the New Blood Orchestra was astonishing. Not a rock show, per say, but he did sing another song about a cage: My Body is a Cage.

Still, nothing like the original. When it comes to rock, and lamps, I am a purist.