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.
Antler Lighting
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!
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!
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!