Color Gets Personal with New Lamps by Schonbek

Color is amazingly emotional. Many a romance has begun because of a red dress. Some people can only relax within beige walls, others can only find happiness surrounded by green walls and purple pillows. A perfectly wild color can come into fashion for no reason, and it changes the mood of the design world for that season.

"So," says Eileen Schonbek Beer, Creative Director of Schonbek, "when we decided to create a collection of lamps rich in color, we took a big picture approach.

"Every color has its particular magic. Our crystal lamp collection includes them all, and combines them freely. Of course we work with the hot fashion colors of the season. But every color is hot for someone. We play with the whole spectrum.

"We vary our colors not just from one lamp design to another, but within one particular design.

"Take, for example, our new Harlequin lamp, which is based on contrasting two tones, both in the shade and in the crystal. We make five versions of the same lamp. You have a choice of pink and olivine, light and dark topaz, aqua and sapphire, ruby and topaz or amethyst and topaz.

"This proliferation of color options is unusual, if not unheard of, in the world of lamps."

Schonbek's popular Diamante lamp with star shade comes with a ruby, moss green or purple shade, and complementary crystal colors in each case. Mardi Gras, a lamp with a lush velvet shade and a medley of extravagant crystal colors, offers four distinct color palettes. Even a mini accent lamp like Laurel comes in five color schemes.

"This number of options offers interesting possibilities for the retail buyer," says Eileen. "Distributors can buy just those colors that reflect the taste of their local market. Or their region. If they have a showroom with room sets, they can order lamps that go with those furnishings. And they can offer their customers the option of ordering a lamp with a different color palette than what's on display."

Each Schonbek crystal lamp is an original design, and according to Eileen, the rendering of a given lamp in different colors often happens deep into the creative process:

"Suddenly we realize how great a certain lamp would look with a sapphire crystal vase, in addition to the ruby and amber vases we had planned. Then we consider an amethyst vase, too. In the heat of inspiration, our product line multiplies. This might represent a manufacturing challenge. But at Schonbek, the sheer joy of design drives our decision making. Consumers are the gainers."

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