Antler lamps are wonderful for enhancing western home decor. Much more than a lighting fixture, antler lamps bring charm to your environment. If you have a mountain cabin or western style home, the elegant character of antlers with their beautiful shapes and variations in natural color will give your home the distinctive rustic style you are hoping to create.

For decades, ranch style home owners as well as those building more sophisticated cabins have used antler lamps as beautiful rustic lighting to complete their western or southwestern home decor. Because of the natural shape of antler lamps and chandeliers there is a rustic charm inherent within the antlers that wonderfully enhances any type of rustic furniture. There is something distinctive about antler lamps that combines all the elements and gives off a sophisticated western feel in the area. Antler lamps have a quality about them that easily enhances balance and focus in any environment.

Antler lamps also accompany many other western elements in home decor. In the Northwestern states or “north woods” antlers may be attached to snow shoes and complimented with rawhide lamp shades to make beautiful wall sconces. The light wood and rawhide lacing on the snow shoe, together with the leather binding and pleasant glow of the hand stitched shade, make it a wonderful harmony. Weather you choose to adorn your antler lamp with rustic light rawhide shades or country style dark rawhide lampshades, the choice is yours and the effect will be fabulous.

Smaller antler chandeliers are made from whitetail deer antlers while large chandeliers sometimes have many tiers of huge elk antlers. Weather your area is large or small an antler chandelier will bring the spirit of the old west alive in your home.

In Jackson Hole, WY the town’s square is decorated with arches made from Elk antlers. It is certainly unique, and you can create the same look with antler lamps. Small lamps are made from whitetail deer antlers while large light fixtures such as chandeliers may have tiers of elk antlers with rawhide lampshades. One of the most popular lamps is created using moose antlers, unmistakable with their great dark palms and beautiful dark rawhide lamp shades.

Throughout the year, organizations like the Boy Scouts will search for the prized sheds. If you ever find antler sheds outdoors, it is an amazing occurrence. Antler lamps enhance that same style in your home and can change your setting’s ambiance in a most exciting way.

Antlers are found in different qualities that are categorized like rare coins. The best quality is awarded an “A” grade. The grading system, indirectly, has to do with the length of time the sheds lie outdoors before found. The more time they are left in the wild, the more they break down. New antler sheds are a darker brown color. Sheds that are not found quickly will start to bleach in the sun until they become a chalky white. Another factor they loose their quality is because of chew marks from small animals and stains from wet ground or moss.

There are also different ways of making the antler lamps themselves. Some lamp makers use glue to hold the antlers together. Others may fasten them together with a rawhide thong for a rustic Indian look. And some of the most attractive antler lamps may use a combination of being glued, drilled and screwed together, with the holes closed up for a natural look. High end lamps will almost always include rawhide lamp shades.

Each antler is somewhat varied than any other, so each antler lamp is a unique treasure and is great for rustic lighting. Enhance western decor in your home and compliment your rustic home furnishings with the beautiful, rustic antler lamps.

craig chambers is the director of mission del rey and offers free information online about choosing antler lamps for rustic decorating. for more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com

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