Antique Lamps Are Conversation Pieces

There is nothing that adds more elegance and automatic ambience to a rooms dcor 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.

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. Theyalso 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.

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 animal lovers.

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 dancers skirt. If you have one of these in your home, your guests are sure to point out that you have the same lamp that Ralphies 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.

Antique lighting fixtures have character and intriguing histories and it is no wonder that they are so sought after these days. If you happen to come across an antique vintage table lamp or floor lamp in your travels, you never know, you might just have found yourself a treasure.

Lauren Tyler writes exclusively for LampLightworld

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