Niermann Weeks, headquartered in Millersville, Md., is the Readers' Choice Winner for a Luxist Award in the best of lighting category.

This family-owned and operated company was founded in 1978 by Joe Niermann and his wife, Eleanor McKay, both with extensive backgrounds in historic preservation. Niermann is the company's principal designer, while McKay is the company's chief executive officer. Their daughters are both involved with the business with Claire serving as vice president of operations and Eleanor in the role of vice president of merchandising.

Joe Niermann's design style is to extrapolate the traditional form within its historic constraints. The result is spectacular lighting that is a pure exercise in geometry.

Niermann Weeks' lighting is jewelry for the interior. Each piece radiates beauty from every angle and in every light.

More than 40% of the company's business is custom-designed to meet the special needs of professional architect and designer clients. Niermann Weeks features more than 600 standard designs with 500 finishes, available through to-the-trade designer showrooms in the United States and Canada.

Chandeliers range in size from a stately 20 feet tall chandelier suitable for display in the lobby of a hotel down to a more intimate 11 inch tall piece for a small boudoir or powder room. Prices vary from $1,500 for a standard design for a simple sconce to $36,000 for a larger piece. Customization increases the price. Each of its products are hand-crafted at the Niermann Weeks factory outside Annapolis, Md.

Nominations have been received and vetted for the best-of-breed in lighting, furniture, antiques resource, dishware and glassware. The Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards will be awarded based on your voting.

Each of finalists for the Readers' Choice for the Best in Lighting is a leader in the industry. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. Their creations are collected by connoisseurs and museums alike.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Glassware for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs.

Nominees for Readers' Choice for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics. Dishware created by each of these nominees are owned by the who's who of world leaders from the King of Saudi Arabia and the Queen of England to the President of the United States.

Readers' Choice nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of these categories. Readers' Choice Awards for Decor will be announced on October 31st.

Niermann Weeks, headquartered in Millersville, Md., is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the best of lighting category.

This family-owned and operated company was founded in 1978 by Joe Niermann and his wife, Eleanor McKay, both with extensive backgrounds in historic preservation. Niermann is the company's principal designer, while McKay is the company's chief executive officer. Their daughters are both involved with the business with Claire serving as vice president of operations and Eleanor in the role of vice president of merchandising.

Joe Niermann's design style is to extrapolate the traditional form within its historic constraints. The result is spectacular lighting that is a pure exercise in geometry.

Niermann Weeks' lighting is jewelry for the interior. Each piece radiates beauty from every angle and in every light.

More than 40% of the company's business is custom-designed to meet the special needs of professional architect and designer clients. Niermann Weeks features more than 600 standard designs with 500 finishes, available through to-the-trade designer showrooms in the United States and Canada.

Chandeliers range in size from a stately 20 feet tall chandelier suitable for display in the lobby of a hotel down to a more intimate 11 inch tall piece for a small boudoir or powder room. Prices vary from $1,500 for a standard design for a simple sconce to $36,000 for a larger piece. Customization increases the price. Each of its products are hand-crafted at the Niermann Weeks factory outside Annapolis, Md.

Niermann Weeks' chandeliers, sconces, lantern, lamps, and ceiling fixtures can be viewed on www.niermannweeks.com (including retail prices). Its products are available at major design centers in the United States, Canada, and London; on internet portals such as www.shopAD.net, and at many retail locations.

Bodner Chandeliers, nominated for a Luxist Award in lighting, are creations that one might expect from a true artist.

Award winning lighting artist and designer, Jessica Kay Bodner's creations include sculpted suspended "Beehive" forms (as seen above), wrought of spiraling steel, casts stellar light projecting shadows that spin abstract lines onto the surrounding surfaces, creating a double dimension of drawing.

The Ventura, Ca.-based artist is also known for her series of suspended galaxy forms. Orbs of light appear like stars or distant planets that float on spiraling tube steel, stellar light that has no beginning and no end emanates from these celestial forms.

Other commissioned works include large woven metal baskets, wrought iron forms reminiscent of archaeological subjects, illuminated flora and fauna sculptures forged in steel and large scale paintings and installations. Her work has been commissioned for public and private projects in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Europe and the Virgin Islands.

Notable installations and commissions by Bodner can be seen at the Landmarc Restaurant at the Time Warner Center in New York, N.Y., the Tohona Native American Museum at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tuscon, Az. and the Gansevooert South Hotel (as seen above) in South Beach, Miami.

Bodner can be purchased through Bloominglites. The company also offers customized work.

Schonbek has been nominated for the Luxist Awards in the lighting category.

Adolf Schonbek started it all as a young man in Bohemia in the year 1870 when he walked away from his family's glassworks business and struck out on his own. His chandeliers quickly grew in popularity, including commissions for Buckingham Palace and the White House. Years went by and the Schonbek name became famous for its crystal chandeliers, although eventually the European factories were lost to the Nazis and Communists and were relocated first to Montreal and later the United States.

Schonbek was acquired by Swarovski in 2007, melding Swarovski's exquisitely cut crystal with Schonbek's masterful chandelier design and manufacturing techniques. The resulting chandeliers are beautiful beyond measure and timeless in their appeal, and surprisingly at home among almost any decor or style. The Schonbek website has a decorating game that allows you to see how the entire feel of a room can be altered simply by changing the chandelier, and how they can enhance everything form an elegant architectural foyer to a cozy country bedroom.

If you're interested in seeing or buying Schonbek for yourself just send them an email and they'll connect you with a showroom near you.

Jean Perzel is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the best lighting category.

Jean Perzel was born in Bruck, Bavaria in 1892. He began painting glass as a young child and at age 16 toured around Europe learning new techniques and methods. In 1923, after many years of working and studying, Jean Perzel settled in France and began to specialize in modern interior lighting designs. Perzel is credited with being the first to design exceptionally modern lighting pieces, as well as being one of the very first to focus on the options and possibilities of electricity as well as the various effects that could be achieved with different glass treatments. He is perhaps most well known for his strikingly simple designs that are based in science and logic, and that stand the test of time without appearing old or dated.

In 1933 Jean Perzel began tutoring his nephew, François Raidt, in the fine arts of optics and lighting and eventually handed over the business to him 1951. Jean Perzel lighting, as it exists today, is under the management of François Raidt's son Oliver Raidt and offers a wide array of contemporary but timeless lighting options that hold true to the original influences of Perzel. Sconces, floor lamps, outdoor options, and even lighted pedestal tables make up their current offerings, all available in your choice of size and color/finish. Order a catalog here.

Nominated for a Luxist Award in the glassware and lighting categories is Baccarat, which has sold its creations to the royal families of France, Japan, Russia, Arabia, Morocco and even the White House, since it was established in France in 1764.

Since its founding, Baccarat has continued expanding its influence, inspired in roots stemming from an ingenious handcrafted work of the highest quality, throughout the world.

To this day, Baccarat crystal is still handcrafted in the village of Baccarat located in Lorraine in eastern France. The crystal pieces it creates are described as both divine and exhilarating. Yes, they are extravagant but always elegant.

Since 1824, Baccarat has been presenting magnificent crystal chandeliers. The Maharajah of Gwalior ordered a large chandelier, weighing about a ton to decorate his new Palace. A series of candelabras were created for the Czar Nicolas II's St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Baccarat's magnificent lighting includes crystal chandeliers, sconces, lamps, floor lamps, candleholders and candelabras. Each piece has ethereal qualities as it glistens with the incomparable luster of crystal.

There's nothing like the light that emits from Baccarat crystal, and perhaps nothing tastes better than when drunk from a Baccarat crystal glass.

I'm not sure just how long these items have been available but I honestly had no idea Swarovski carried a line of architectural lighting options. Whether you choose a single crystal for a more modern setting or an artsy array of crystals designed to dazzle the eye Swarovski has a variety of choices to suit your home decor. Glam up your home with wall-mounted, recessed ceiling, or hanging luminaires each showcasing a unique design and glittering glow. I wonder how much light the single cut crystal of the 'Octa' and 'Madison' actually gives off -- is it a fancy nightlight or contemporary mood lighting?

Bathroom lighting is a delicate thing because you want to be able see clearly while washing your face or tweezing something, but you also want to avoid that bright, cold atmosphere that can happen so easily in a small room full of porcelain and tile. I'm not sure that these illuminated mirrors from Alchemy are the answer to that dilemma for everyone, but if you have the right room and decor scheme these Full Moon Mirrors could provide just the right balance of light and luxe interest to your bathroom.

They have several designs available, including pure gold and platinum versions. Pricing upon request.

Via Trendir

Tracy Porter makes beautiful "jewelry for your ceiling."

In her video, which you can watch here, Tracy advises using a large chandelier to anchor an expansive room, then populating the rest of the room with smaller detail chandeliers. If you don't want to take Tracy's multiple chandeliers advice, a wall sconce is usually adequate and definitely the classic way to add additional light to a room where a large chandelier is the main focus.

Behold the John Pomp Infinity Chandelier.

John Pomp, a master of fine glass, lighting, and sculpture, utilized all three of his specialties to create this giant aquarium of light. Intrigued? You can see more of the Infinity Chandelier here on YouTube.

John Pomp runs a public access, educational, glassblowing facility in Brooklyn, New York called One Sixty Glass. He has designed an exclusive line for Tiffany & Co. and for Donna Karan, and created an installation at J. Crew's Rockefeller Center store in Manhattan.

The Atlantis Chandelier from Hudson Furniture is an elegant design from Barlas Baylar. The chandelier is a graceful cascade of nickel chain with a gloss nickel finish. The hanging down strands add just the right touch of modern chaos. The chandelier takes eight bulbs and is 42 inches tall. It is available by custom order and sells for $29,880.

[via Los Angeles Magazine]

As I was browsing a home magazine I was stopped by an ad for Sherle Wagner doorknobs, I mean, "hardware." They were so beautiful, I wanted to know more. So now I share ... Sherle Wagner International, headquartered in NYC but with eight U.S. showrooms and one in Kuwait, offers a number of home accessories in these categories: finishes, stones and patterns; bath fittings; bath fixtures; accessories; hardware; lighting; furniture; textiles; linens; and wall coverings. All Sherle Wagner products are originals, made by the company from the design inception stage to completion. The company uses "old world artisans and timeless techniques, so that every piece is a true original." And the staff is experienced in working with architects, designers and clients on projects of any scale. If you browse the catalog, be sure to check out all the categories on the lefthand nav bar; there was much more on the site than I noticed the first time around. No prices, however, but I'm going to guess on the high end.

We've covered light fixtures made of sunglasses before and although it's an idea that will never fit it with my home's decor I must say the concept is growing on me and I especially like this 'R&S' (Ray & Stevie) pendant light by J.P. Meulendijks. The design is incredibly simple, consisting simply of 18 "reservoir dogs" sunglasses arranged into a circle. The result is an interesting piece of art and, when you turn it on, fun sunglass-shaped shadows on the walls and ceiling. Available in both black and white the lamp goes for just over $200.

Via Haute*Nature

I'm not going to say that these Recycle Lights by Johanna Keimeyer are pretty because they really aren't (in my opinion), but that doesn't mean I don't like them. Inspired to re-purpose the ugly plastic bottles we all see laying all over the place to into something use-able again, Johanna Keimeyer took a trip through Europe that resulted in this unique collection of eclectic lights that incorporate bottles from water, soda, detergent, and numerous other products. They're especially interesting to me because they look so completely different when the inner bulb is illuminated versus when it isn't. Plus with all that melting and twisting they look really fun to put together!