Antler Lighting

Antler light fixtures or antler lighting are a popular item for many people looking to add a bit of the rustic, country feel to their interior design. Antler lighting is lighting quite simply made from the antlers from the many animals - but most commonly used to make antler lights for the home are deer and elk antlers. Using antlers for furniture and light fittings is an American tradition which probably dates back to the early days of the white man in the country. In the early days antlers could have been had for the taking as many animals drop their antlers as part of the normal yearly cycle. Antler lighting was probably invented when a homesteader used a discarded antler as a base for a few candles - to give some light in his remote prairie home. He didn't realise that he'd invented the antler light fixture!

Antler Light Fixtures - Types of Lights

Antler light fixtures range from desk lamps to full-sized chandelier style antler lights. Antler light fixtures come in a wide variety of styles and sizes because antlers are a natural product and they too come in many different sizes and styles. In fact when using natural antlers, by definition, no two antler light fixtures will exactly match each other - it is what it is - and that's why antler lights fit so well into rustic decor - that style of interior design which features organic natural shapes and avoids the exact and linear.

A large central antler light fixture could be the feature of a large lodge room. It would need quite a large space, and importantly a high stud or ceiling to really show of a piece of this size. You will also need to make sure that the fixture is securely attached as a large antler light is quite heavy - these are antlers of large animals after all.

If you don't have such a large space than maybe you should consider getting a smaller antler light- a single antler can be used to be the base of a side light or bedside light. A bed side antler light could look really good with a log style bed maybe in distressed wood. The important thing is to consider how the antler light that you are thinking about will fit with the rest of your interior design. You can also get antler light fixtures which are side lamps or even desk lamps.

A side lamp stand incorporating an antler will likely be a combination of product because the antler will not give sufficient height to the side lamp or light. Instead an antler floor light might include a base of natural wood or even brass. A number of floor lamps can provide better spot lighting for a room rather than a single large light fixture suspended in the middle of the room. It depends on the size and style of your room and the placement of furniture as well as the windows for you to know which places are right for your lighting design.

Antler Light Fixtures - Faux

Faux or fake antler lights are becoming increasingly popular. Natural antlers are shed by deer, mule, moose and caribou annually - usually in December. The animals shed the antlers to survive the long hard winter and then re-grow their antlers in time for the next mating season. The antlers are a way for the males of these species to demonstrate their health and vitality- the strongest animals grow the largest antlers. Unfortunately all the antler-bearing animal species are under threat in North America and its becoming increasingly harder to source natural antlers for use in furniture and light fittings. This means, that like any product which is short-supply and high demand, antlers have become more and more expensive in recent years. Short of rustic interior design falling out of favour it seems likely that the price of natural antlers is going to remain high.

The alternative is to consider a man-made antler light fixture. The best fake antler lights are molded from real antlers and are then hand painted and detailed. Faux antlers, as is common with man-made options to traditional, natural products, are of course a lot cheaper than than a real antler. Purists may be shocked but the reality is that the development of faux antlers mean that many more people can afford antler lighting and furntiures for their homes - than could in the past.

Faux antlers are also considerably lighter than a real antler. A lighter piece of furniture or lighting makes the antler product easier to ship and to install. Traditional antler light fixtures must be attached to very strong beams with heavy duty cable - this is not so much the case with faux antler products.

Antler Lights and Interior Design

Rustic or country interior design is always popular with Americans craving the simpler lifestyle or their ancestors. Rustic design which often features antler lights and furniture is all about getting back to basics: to that lodge or country home many do not own anymore . This probably explains the trend to including elements of rustic design and antler lighting into modern city homes. To do this successfully involves some thought and planning. A full sized antler light fixture in the middle of a modern open-plan living room may look out of place. Instead consider smaller lights - maybe antler side-lights - which suggest the style rather than the full-blown kit out of antler lighting in the rustic design in a city room.

Would you chose a deer antler chandelier as a feature for your home? Its a very personal choice but probably one that most of the people in the home really should be involved - after all most people are passionate about antler lights - for or against but rarely neutral!

There are quite a few pratical considerations which are worth thinking about before you fall in love with that chandelier. Number one is that antlers are natural materials and as such are not perfect - you will never have a completely symentrical piece - if this is important to you consider a fake antler option.

Large antler chandeliers are heavy pieces - and as such you may need to reinforce the position which it is going to be hung from. Large antler light pieces generally have strong chains to support them - something not featured in the pictures! But the fixture is only as strong as the connection it has to the ceiling. Make sure that you have a stud beam in the right place - if you are unsure you really need to involve a profesional builder. After all we don't want your star antler chandelier thinking its the star of a "Phantom of the Opera" remake do we!

Other issues with antler chandeliers is the dust. If you love a really clean home, or need to have one because of asthma sufferers living there, then consider how you are going to dust your new chandelier. Is it within reach - without having to balance on a piece of furniture or a ladder?

The other issue is harder to make a decision on - but is worth considering. Deer antler chandeliers are very expensive items - they run into the high four figures. Are you going to get bored with your new chandelier? This type of light fixture is going to dominate any room - are you going to get bored with it? And in your face interior design style - be it rutic or sleek minimalism - can get old quickly. If you are worried about this maybe consider getting something smaller and easier to replace - not the full-on chandelier look!

Antlers come in as many sizes as the animals that shed them. Elk particularly, as the largest deer species on earth, produce magnificent antlers which they shed annually. Although usually thought of as light fittings in rustic decor - there are far more options than lights in terms of using antlers and antler furniture is popular.

Antler Tables
Antler tables are usually topped with glass so that the beauty of the antler can be appreciated. Sizes vary dramatically - but because of the size of the antlers these work best as side tables or coffee tables rather than dining tables - because of the lack of leg room!

Antler Chairs
Antler chairs come in a wide variety of designs and styles. Antlers can be a decorative flourish to a chair or can be part of its fundamental structure. Because of their overall curve antlers are often used to frame the back of a seat.

Antler Sofas
Antler sofas are not to everyone's tastes. Its a very good idea to check out how comfortable any sofa is before you buy it. By their very nature antler are not soft and comfortable - so definitely try before you buy and discover how well the furniture-maker has managed to combine style with practicality and comfort.

Other Items of Antler Furniture
Smaller items are also available with antlers. Hat stands and coat racks take advantage of the shape of antlers for a perhaps obvious use. You can also get antler decorated shelves to complete the look of a room. Smaller items such as antler fireplace sets can look good in substantial country fireplace. Everything from night lights to magazine racks are available in your antler theme!

If you are determined tofeature deer antlers s in your room then you need to consider the overall balance of the interior design. The rustic "look" does tend to feature the "more is more" school of interior design - but antlers are such a design statement its wise to consider the overall design statement of the room or house.

If you are featuring a large and intricate chandelier then you may find it best to keep the other light fittings in the room to a more restrained style - though still in overall keeping of the rustic theme. Natural wood and brass fittings as well as cow-hide shades are often used in confunction with antler lights. This puts the focal point of the room firmly on the feature light fixture.

Alternatively you can layer a room so that you not only include antler light fittings of various sides but also include antler furniture and other deer, elk or moose inspired items including skins, mounted pieces, decorative rugs and art featuring the animals which discarded the antlers originally. Soft furnishings featuring leather and other natural materials will also carry the theme through.

When you are in the process of choosing your light fixtures make sure that you remember to keep the practicality of your lighting plans in mind. If the room is designed as say a dining room then its a good idea to ensure that there is a light fixture above where the table will be placed. If the room is a general living room then you may want to have a variety of lights which ensure that there is task lights for people sitting and reading but also overall general lighting which can be controlled to make activities such as eating or TV watching comfortable.

Antlers are often used in masculine rooms such as home bars or pool rooms. You can get specific antler pool table lights which are designed to ensure that players have the best light on the playing surface. If there is a built in bar then it is easy to include bar lights often on a exposed bar which feature smaller deer antlers.

Whatever you decide you will find many different antler light fixture available for almost any design situation in your home.

Antler light fixtures are very popular, but are also an expensive item. A large deer antler chandelier can easy cost thousands of dollars. They are also extremely heavy and therefore you may be restricted as to where you can hang them in your room - only a robust structural beam will do. A natural antler light fixture is also quite large - depending on the size of the original animals antler - ranging from the largest elk antlers down to smaller deer antlers.

So if either your budget or your room isn't large enough to feature a traditional antler light - don't give up yet there are options. To start of with if you want the look of antlers without either the weight or high price tag consider using buying fake or faux antlers. These are significantly cheaper and lighter - but obviously won't be for you in authentic is important in your rustic decor look.

Another option is to choose smaller light fittings which use antlers in their design. Options include side lights and scone lights. You can buy bar lights which are constructed of a number of smaller (three, five or seven) light fittings on one medium sized antler - and are designed to be either ceiling hung or attached to a wall bracket.

Another option is to consider free-standing floor lamps. These work particularly well if you are unsure that you want to live with a antler-themed decor long term. You can try it out so to speak, and then sell the item if you grow bored with the look. This is also an ideal compromise for those people who live in rental or temporary accommodation, where the landlord is unlikely to be happy about you installing antler lights in their property!

Whatever choice you make regarding antler light fixtures you really need to plan out the entire lighting scheme to ensure that your room will not just look attractive but also have the appropriate light levels in the right places. A mixture of general background lighting and spot lights are what usually work best in these cases.

Antler lamps are made from smaller antlers or broken pieces which are suitable for large antler light fixtures or furniture. Traditionally of course side lamps are generally bought in pairs to feature on each side of a bed or a sofa. If antler lamps are made from genuine antlers though, i.e. are not faux antlers, then natural antler lamps will never exactly match because antlers are not symmetrical in the wild.

If a slight mis-match in shape and size will annoy you then avoid buying pairs of antler lamps. Perhaps instead look for a single deer antler chandelier or other feature piece. Antler lamps are usually finished with a natural fabric shade - often rawhide or birch bark. Again these natural materials will never provide you with exactly matching shades.

There are also various accessories that you can buy for your antler lamp. Finials are popular, usually with brass fittings these vary in size from small burrs to large antler forks or points.

You may want to consider how easy a an antler light is to turn on and off if you are going to use them as a side lamp in a bedroom. Another option is to choose an antler wall scone. Scones can be mounted on various woods to blend with other joinery in the room and are certainly more practical if their are small children in the household.

Whatever you chose as far as antler lamps from a design point of view remember the practicalities of your design choices as well!

Does having antler lights in your home enhance your resale value of your home? This is an interesting question - and how important the resale value of your home will depend on your circumstances, particularly how long you intend to stay in it.

If you plan on living the rest of your life in the new house -then go to town - add antlers everywhere if that's your thing -heavy beams, small windows - whatever you fancy. You see its all about what sort of decor you want in your home and nothing about selling the house later.

Alternatively you may know that the house will have to sell in a few years because your job will transfer or the family will get bigger or smaller. In this case then you should consider your decorating efforts on items that you can take with you. An antler lighting can be fairly easily removed, or you could restrict yourself to floor antler lights, or other portable rustic inspired furniture which could go with you.

Also consider that for maximum appeal your house's interior decor needs to match the external design. If you home is a log cabin in the woods, or a lodge style in a rural area then walking in the door and seeing a room fool of antler inspired decor, warm wooden floors and southwestern style rugs feels right. In contrast though if your home is modern design or maybe a classic art deco - I don't know that a antler lighting fixture in the lobby would be quite what the visitor was expecting!

So before you go crazy with a distinctive extreme interior design style such as antler furniture make sure that you think about the resell value of your home if you are going to have to move house within 5 or 10 years. If you are staying put for ever then you can go totally to town - you will be able to basically do anything you want in your own home. If you want stuffed animals on the walls, heavy oak beams and distressed floor surfaces - go for it,who care that only a few people will like the style - that's there loss not yours. Really interior decor is very much a personal choice and one of the great things is that you really can go to town in your home with a style you love - after all we are all individuals aren't we!

So to recap - if you are looking at using a distinctive interior design statement just take a couple of minutes to consider whether your tast in extreme rustic interior design will be the same as anyone elses. If you wantto go all out anyway - that's fine but focus on removable pieces or pieceswhich can be easily removed before the house is marketed - like a central antler light fixture.

Interior design is a very personal choice but many people enjoy the rustic style and are drawn to antler lights and furniture. If you decide that you want to adopt the rustic style in your home then you have some choices to make before you rush off and buy a house lot of antler lights!

First off, decide whether you are going to go for the ultimate extreme look of the interior style or whether you are going to tone it down and mix and match a bit. Interior design trends come and go and what was hot one year may be very not cool the next month. In general though the general log cabin or rustic style is always popular with some people it is better suited to some areas of the country than other.

Though the natural and organic movement has tended to see rustic style imported into city locations - many would not want to see a 6 foot antler light fixture in a home in Manhatten or San Francisco! To each his own I say - but rustic style is here to stay.

Like any good interior design movement - rustic style is evolving too. Even purists have to admit that natural antler lights are heavy and expensive and a diminishing natural resource as the animals that shed their antlers annually are reducing in number in the wild. Nowadays though there are options such as fake or faux antlers which allow the look and appearance of antler furniture without the weight and expensive of the original product.

Lighter weight antler furniture is also a lot easier to ship than the original which is both heavy and fragile - an unfortunate combination! But if the large pieces of furniture is too much for your taste. Consider instead using images of antlers in patchwork or rugs rather than the actual item, easier to change if you get bored with the look compared to large permanent pieces.

Antlers are often combined with natural wood and log style furniture all of which can be quite heavy in a smaller room. Maybe choose just one of these elements rather than taking them all on at one time. You can lighten up the look by adding metallic highlights with brass and using white in the loose covers and curtains. Consider carefully before you paint the floorboards dark or expose natural teak wood. Instead consider bright Mexican inspired colors in throws and rugs. Antler lights can be a successful part of an interior design but they are not the whole story!

Many of us can't start from scratch when we want to include antler lighting into our existing interior design. I know how it happens you come across a beautiful piece while on vacation or when you are browsing the local rustic decor stores and when you get it home - it doesn't quite look right.

Well the thing is with an accent piece such as a distinctive antler light fixture you need to have some other pieces to back it up- to make it blend into the overall theme of the room. If the rest of the room is all hard industrial colors and artificial surfaces then its not going to work. Soften the room with some warm country tones and a rustic southwestern rug or two. You can't just have one stand out piece you need to incorporate into the theme of the room.

Also you can't have one room with a dramatically different style compared to the rest of your home. You need to spread the country touch through out your home. Maybe an antler side light in the bedroom or a few pieces of rustic and distressed furniture throughout the home. You can also get antler furniture where the antlers are used as stands for tables - sometimes with glass tops so that the beauty of the natural antlers can be appreciated.

Another idea is to incorporate other images into your decor which display the animals which once wore those noble antlers which are now part of your furntiure an fixings. A print or even a piece of handwork which shows the noble deer or elk can be added to great effect. Even a piece of patchwork or tapestry which shows the animals of the Old West will go well with antler furniture and lighting.

When incorparting a new light fixture into the room you need to consider the whole lighting design of the room. Adding a central light fitting can cause unforeseen issues. If you add say a large central antler lighting fixture you may creat shadows and darks spots which didn't previously exist in the room. You may need a lighting specialist to help your liighting design. Or you should be prepared to do a little bit of trial and error. Consider how the lighting in the room will work at different times of the year as well as during the day and night cycle.

You might need to add side lights, floor lights or other spot lighting solutions to off-set the dramatic central light fittings. As antler lights tend to be large then they are often most suitable for rooms with a high ceiling. If you don't have the height in your existing room you might have to compromise your dreams and consider choosing a floor lamp or even a side light made of antlers rather than a central light fittings.

Whatever option you choose you should find a solution to your design problems. Antler lighting is not for everyone but for those who love the rustic look nothing else will do!