There is nothing like the dusk light in New Orleans.  Especially in the fall, which is the best time to visit…..

…..Equally mouth-watering is to glimpse the glow of chandeliers through the windows…..

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I had the rare opportunity to go chandelier shopping for my Uncle Chips and Aunt Janet’s’ new second home, a historic shotgun house.

Something for the dining room, which is just in the foreground below.  It would help visually anchor that part of the room.  Some drapes would help that out, too.

But since I was staying just off of Magazine Street, home to a world class stretch of antique shops, I endeavored to find the perfect chandelier first…..

First stop:  Balzac Antiques.  This stunning beauty of a French antique  in the foreground caught my eye…..

It was a little too small.  Would somebody please put that in a foyer – or perhaps a dreamy master bath…..?

Next stop:  mac MAISON, ltd.  Influenced by my recent forays into “Moroccan” style interiors, I gravitated towards these exotic little lanterns.  Very vogue to hang two or three over a table, at varying heights…..

…..but I feared they would get “lost” at the end of that long room.  We needed something that would visually anchor and define that dining room….

Next stop:  Julie Neill Designs – which my New Orleans native client told me was all the rage down there.  This chandelier was fun, breezy and coastal…..

Maybe too breezy and coastal for this particular house…..(love it, though…..)

However, while there, I happened upon a crazy deal on some drapes, so I ran them by my Aunt Janet, just in case…..

You could hang them the way they did at Julie Neill, below…..

…..with a wrought iron curving rod…..

To my delight, Aunt Janet agreed it was a no brainer!

Final Stop:  Passages Antiques…..

…..I knew this was The One as soon as I saw it.  Aunt Janet agreed!  Just the right size to anchor the room, dreamy and whimsical.  But in a “French Provincial” way that befits the space it’s going in.  A 19th century antique from Provence.

And somewhere along the way, we needed to find a cool tablecloth…..

This one’s not for sale, but something like this would be great.

And below, you can see a glimpse of the dining room with its drapes- and chandelier-to-be…..

Some day it will help to create that romantic dusk-like glow that New Orleans is so famous for…..