Designer Lighting - Rustic Lamps and Chandeliers

If you own a ranch style home, log home, or just have a passion for the rustic and western lifestyle, rustic lighting is the natural choice. The skilled artisans who create this style of lighting transform an otherwise ordinary lamp or light fixture into a true work of art.

Much of the rustic lighting produced today is handmade, using steel and natural materials such as wood, rawhide, gold and silver mica and antlers. With steel lighting, the process begins with a craftsman, commonly known as a blacksmith, that has the skill and knowledge to shape and bend metal using the intense heat of a forge. Forging is one of the oldest known metalworking practices. Tools such as the trip hammer, anvil and plasma cutter allow the artisan to shape, bend and cut the metal as the lighting fixture’s design begins to take shape.

Once the metalworking is done, other decorative materials are added. Rawhide is commonly used for rustic lampshades and other decorative parts on chandeliers, such as tepees. Working with rawhide is also an involved process. The rawhide must be soaked in luke warm water so that it can be stretched and formed into the desired shape. Rawhide lace is used to hand stitch the pieces together, or as the final decorative touch. Rawhide looks great natural or it can be hand painted.

Some of the most impressive (and expensive) rustic lamps and chandeliers are made from deer and elk antlers. These animals (usually males)shed their antlers each year after the mating season. Antlers begin to grow in the spring, from a point on the skull called the pedicle. Growing antlers are covered by a highly vascular skin called velvet. This skin delivers oxygen and nutrients to the rapidly growing bone. Once the antlers reach the proper size, the velvet is shed. Antlers on healthy animals grow bigger each year.

Antler chandeliers are made using a lighting kit. The insides of the antlers can be cleaned using oil soap, and then several coats of polyurethane are applied to the surface to make them more durable. Holes are drilled through the antlers so that they can be connected at the base with wire and screws, forming a circle of antlers. Holes are also drilled in the tips where each light bulb will go and electrical wiring is run through the antlers. The end result is an absolutely amazing and beautiful light fixture that easily becomes the focal point of the room.

Rustic lighting incorporates elements of nature, Native American art and the cowboy lifestyle of the old west. Common wildlife designs found in this style of lighting include buffalo, deer, elk, moose, bear, wolf, eagle and mustang. Tepees, spears, bow and arrows, feathers and geometric designs are used as symbols to represent the enduring spirit of the Native American culture that is now considered sacred by many, but was tragically almost eradicated completely by our violent and bloody history. Icons of the tough and rugged cowboys such as spurs, rope, barbed wire, wagon wheels, horses and cattle are popular designs for rustic lamps and chandeliers. Rustic chandeliers are often quite large, making them a good choice for rooms with high, vaulted ceilings. Most companies that produce this kind of lighting will gladly customize these fixtures to each customer’s specific needs.

It is important to have your lighting fixtures installed by a licensed, professional electrician, especially if the fixture has been shipped, as wires can become loose. It’s also important to take accurate measurements before purchasing or ordering your light fixtures. For pendants and chandeliers, knowing the height and width of the light will help determine the length needed for the rod or chain it will hang from and the amount of space needed between each light.

Rustic and Western Lighting
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