We have enjoyed several days visiting our western neighbors to the north, primarily Montana and Wyoming, with a detour through parts of Idaho. We have touched all of these neighbors over the years, but only passing through on our way to somewhere else. Having a destination wedding to attend, we decided to take a little extra time and see these beautiful states. Oh, America the Beautiful!
Decor styles in these very western states run to the rustic and, country reigns supreme. The wedding reception was held in a beautiful and historic barn. The ceremony was as beautiful as the bride was elegant. Guests sat outside, under beautiful shade trees, on fabric covered bales of hay. Small mason jars held sprigs of lavender at the end of each row. Inside the barn, tables were set around a wooden dance floor.
But the show stopper was the lighting. Strings of tiny lights were strung from side to side, the width of the barn, about forty feet wide! That took a lot of strings of lights. Additionally, there were paper lanterns of varying sizes that drifted with the breezes that came through the barn doors, it was magical and a lovely idea for any country wedding or gathering where lighting is needed.
During our travels, there was a reoccurring theme in nearly every restaurant, casual or dressy, and that was the use of antlers in lighting fixtures. Nothing new, I know; but I saw such variety and could imagine some of the choices in many different settings.
Outside would be natural for an antler chandelier, but inside would be fun as long as the proportion was suitable for the room. I can invasion small twinkle lights draped around the antlers or wound around them tightly for a more intense lighting effect. How fun would it be to decorate seasonally with an antler fixture? Spooky black lights for Halloween, red, green and white for Cinco de Mayo; soft pastels for Easter— you get the picture.
I saw plenty of simple antler table and floor lamps. An antler lamp could give a modern room a bit of natural sculptural element, especially when it casts its shadow against a wall at night— beauty in simplicity, the best kind.
Of course, an antler fixture would be at ease in most country homes; the possibilities are endless. If you have an old antler lamp in your barn, garage or attic, you mayhave been hoping it would be lost or tossed out—anything but bringing it back inside. However, you could get creative and spray paint it a fun color and add a funky shade.
Probably the most unique use of antlers was the the town square in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Each corner of a city block had a massive arch of naturally shed antlers, and at night they are lit with hundreds of tiny lights. It is a spectacular vision.
I have never considered decorating with an antler lamp or chandelier, but I'm intrigued by the possibilities--maybe in the garden. Now the problem is collecting enough for a small arch of my own!