10 Chairs for your artichoke lamp
Frasier Crane had a slick pad, every item carefully selected. The lamp by Corbu, a chair by Eames, and the couch an exact replica of the one Coco Chanel had in her Paris atelier. Artichoke lamp is elegant and stylish. And his father’s well worn, yellow-green recliner, held together with duct tape, stood centerpiece in his living room. Be warned – finishing off your room extends to the last piece of furniture.
1. Vernon Panton’s Cone Chair. This will impress those guests who know their architecture. Designed in the same year as the artichoke light, this completes the feel sought by designers and stylists of the era. The inverted teardrop shape mimics that of the Artichoke light.
2. Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair. Another era classic, the chair resembles a face-up palm – again drawing attention to the vertical space of the area. It extends volume to your room and adds focus to the light which remains the focal point of the room. 3. Heartbreaker Lounge Chair. A heart motif swiveller, this one is modern and fun. It is great for both living rooms and foyers.
4. The Question mark chair. Get eclectic. Get it in red. They were wondering about the light anyway.
5. Charles Rennie Mackintosh Hillhouse Chair. A visual delight and perfect for modern dining rooms, the vertical extensions extending to your ceiling draw attention to the highlight above eye level.
6. Kevin Rodel’s High Back. This is an exact copy of Mackintoshes’ original Ingram street chair – complete with horse hair fabric pattern. You may need to sell your horse at well over $2000 per chair though. Yeehaw, saddle up cowboy (or saddle down – whatever).
7. The Trinity contemporary leather lounge. With its teardrop design and spiked back, it points up at your marvel of lighting. It will also point the occupant straight at it, if they don’t pay enough homage to your modern vision.
8. Le Corbusier Leather Chaise Lounge. Mimicking the blade design of the light, this is the perfect accent piece of comfort. Beware – comfortable guests are difficult to get out.
9. The High Backed Brushed Aluminium Navy Chair. By adding height to the chair backs, your decorating area is elongated. Perfect for wide areas where wall space is dull.
10. The Emeco 111 Navy Chair. Made from 111 recycled plastic Coke bottles and 66 years of Emeco know-how, this is a conversation piece of note and certainly shows off your green side. No need to wonder what drinks to serve either.
Cleaning your Artichoke Lamp
The Poul Henningsen designed feature light first made its appearance in 1958 and is still popular as a design classic. A futuristic design, coupled with a soft diffused light makes it perfect for all areas where it’s striking appearance and practical lighting is sought. Due to the number of blades in the design of the artichoke lamp and the high resultant surface area of the fitting, it does tend to attract dust and needs to be cleaned once or twice a year, depending on the dust and conditions in your area of course.
• The design of the light makes the use of feather dusters and vacuum cleaners impractical. Fair warning – this is not a 2 minute job.
• When used as a ceiling-mounted fitting, access to the light is difficult. Rather than disconnecting the light, use a tall ladder and remove the leaves from their mountings. On most artichoke lights, this is not a difficult procedure as the leaves attach easily to the body and is uniform in size, so replacing them is not a jig-saw puzzle operation.
• If the leaves are of differing sizes or fixed to the body, you may have to clean the fixture in place. Follow all the safety procedure. Ensure that the power is off before handling the light and make sure your ladder or base is stable.
For brushed aluminum leaves.
• Use a non-scratch cleaning pad such as a Scotch-brite pad if there is a lot of grit on it from being outside. If just dusty, use a clean cloth to remove any dust.
• A solution of 1/2 cup of vinegar to 1 quart of water can help for a discolored aluminum. Use a clean cloth to rub this solution into the aluminum.
• Spray the aluminum with any non-greasy household cleaner and dry it with a dry cloth. This will make your brushed aluminum shine.
For glass leaves
• Use a clean cloth to wipe any dust from the leaves. If the dirt is stubborn, wash with warm water and dish-washing soap. Rinsing with hot water to remove any trace of soap is the key here.
• Wipe down with a good quality window cleaner. Ensure that there are no water stains on the glass and polish with a dry cloth.
To prevent future dust build up, wipe the leaves down with fabric softener sheets before refitting them the base of the light. Apart from reducing static electricity on the leaves which will attract dust; it will give you the benefit of a fresh smell in the room. Wipe down as much of the frame with the fabric softener sheets before fitting the leaves.