52″ Casa Contessa™ Bronze Ceiling Fan

I’ve been waiting for years to get a ceiling fan installed in my family room.

This home was built without a ceiling fan outlet in this room… and electricians are a bit expensive.

So… I suffered with one of those stick fans sitting on the floor.

They work great… but didn’t add to the Hacienda Style of my home.

LampsPlus.com is a one stop shop for ceiling fan choices.

Did you know you can build your own ceiling fan? Choose the light kit, the fan blades and the rod length all with a few clicks of the mouse.

Plus, LampsPlus.com ships really fast. I thought that was going to be super important to me because I had the electrician all lined up… Or so I thought.

The electrician decided to leave town for three weeks.

Guess what? I got a different electrician. One that actually wanted to work! — Go Figure –

Remember - I have a Hacienda Style going on in my house… Is this ceiling fan perfect or what?

You can see it installed in my house right here:  Hacienda Spanish Style Ceiling Fan

52″ Casa Contessa™ Bronze Ceiling Fan  -

There is no light so restful and agreeable in quality to the eye as candle light and no light is kindlier to the appearance of a room. The radiance is mild and diffused, shadows are not cut sharp nor exaggerated, and the colors in furniture and decorations are blended. The volume of light can easily be regulated by the number of candles.

Using Old World Style Candles

Candles as a means of lighting are perfectly practicable. Wax candles, of course, are desirable, but stearic acid candles and other substitutes for wax are satisfactory for general use and will not swell nor drip unduly unless exposed to a strong draft.

It is well to have a good broad glass bobeche for each candle. Any chance drippings can then be easily removed. As a rule, the use of shades on candles should be avoided. Shades are apt to be fussy and overdone.

Besides that and this is really the important thing a candle is, in itself, an object of grace and beauty, but its chaste and dignified simplicity of line is marred and hidden when its shaft is surmounted with a top heavy, frilly contrivance resembling an abbreviated ballet skirt.

Cathedral Long-Burning Plain End 26 Inch Candle

The flame of the candle, too, is an essential part of its beauty ; when it is hidden we lose a decorative asset that contributes a desirable note of brilliancy. The gleam is not disagreeable to the eye if the candle is of the proper height and properly placed.

For the dinner table use tall candles, tall enough to keep the flame above the level of the eye.

For the living-room or family-room, sconces will be at a sufficient height, and portable candles may be so placed on mantels, the tops of bookshelves, tables or cabinets, that the flames are comfortably above eye level.

Sugar Mold Candles

Quite often older homes have a certain flair and old world feel regardless of the style of home. If your house is a mid-century Spanish style home, you may want to have an old world style kitchen to bring back the charm of years gone by. Here are some ideas of how you can create old world style kitchens even in modern homes.

Old world kitchens typically have large cooking hearths and distressed walls. Cabinets had raised panel doors but they may have seemed mismatched. You might also find cabinets that have cracked. The cabinets will have dish and cup racks. This style of kitchen may be traced back to the years prior to seventeenth century Europe.

Pewter or copper accents and mosaic tiles are also common in old world style kitchens. Expect to find deep, rich colors and panels that hide appliances. Stone walls and floors are also indicative of this style of kitchen.

Think about the details when you’re renovating a kitchen in the old world style. You obviously won’t want a small kitchen with modern, stainless steel appliances as the focal point. This doesn’t mean you can’t have the modern conveniences; you just don’t want them to be visible.

Natural surfaces are what you’re looking for. Wood and stone will be evident all over the kitchen. Wooden cabinets, elaborate wood trim, and even wooden paneled ceilings would help capture the old world style you’re looking for.

Don’t forget about stone surfaces to complete the look. Stone tiles and slabs can be used for the counter tops, walls, or floors. Granite and marble can be used for cabinet tops or the floor. You can either have polished surfaces or distressed for a time-worn appearance.

Metallic fixtures would be a great lighting choice in an old world style kitchen to finish off the look. Try to find wrought iron chandeliers or rustic tin wall sconces. These can be painted or left plain, but with a matte finish, so they appear to be antiques.

Remember that you’re trying to give the impression that your kitchen was moved over from the old world and put into your home. If you have actual antiques that you can place in your kitchen that would make the room seem more authentic.

If you have a hacienda or other Spanish influenced house, an old world style kitchen might be the perfect choice for your home. You may want to consider this style of kitchen if you are planning to remodel.

Check out this article on: Creating a Distressed Look on a Kitchen Island

Here is a great resource on Mexican Kitchen Decor:

Mexicocina: The Spirit and Style of the Mexican Kitchen

photo credit: NancyHugoCKD.com