Paying Homage to the Dandelion

Our new Spring 2023 products are live and we have a nature-inspired family of lighting that we know will intrigue anyone who admires artisanship at its highest level. Paying homage to the Dandelion, we have a chandelier (shown above and below) and a pendant, and a table lamp and a floor lamp of the same name. Along with presenting images and a product description of these, we thought we’d point out what is so special about this flower that gets such a bad wrap from lawn enthusiasts!

Paying Homage to the Dandelion

Did you know the dandelion is the only flower that represents the three celestial bodies of the sun, moon, and stars? The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon, and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars. Like morning glories, the dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep. And every part of the dandelion is useful: the roots, leaves, and flowers are used for food, medicine, and dye for coloring.

The Dandelion Silver & Gold Pendant, shown with the table and floor lamps, is new in Spring 2023.

Up until the 1800’s people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva, and chamomile—practices that are the exact opposite of what we see today! The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves. Grass lovers certainly know that dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant and that dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind and that they travel like tiny parachutes, much to their chagrin. An amazing fact about these seeds is they are often carried as many as five miles from their origin!

Birds, insects, and butterflies consume both the nectar and/or the seed of the dandelion, and, unlike other flowers, dandelions do not need to be pollinated to form seed. Wine and root beer are two beverages that have been created with the dandelion as its foundation, and the flower’s root can be used as a substitute for coffee. Dandelions have been around for centuries—they were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years.

These flowers were also used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders; and tea made from the flower acts as a diuretic. Advocates see dandelions as the most successful plants that exist because they are masters of survival worldwide. Unfortunately, every year countries spend millions on lawn pesticides to have uniform lawns of non-native grasses, which obliterates the dandelion from those landscapes. In the U.S., we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep the grass lawns green, monies that would not be spent if natural plants were allowed to flourish. Isn’t it time we consider being kinder to the flower that inspired such a beautiful family of products?

Currey & Company Celebrates the Dandelion

This close-up of the Dandelion Silver & Gold Pendant illustrates how artisanal these pieces are.

The Dandelion family of lighting includes a chandelier, a pendant, a table lamp, and a floor lamp that are masterful compositions celebrating its namesake flower. The puff-balls that surround the bulbs are made of nails that are bent and welded together, a process that is extremely intensive. Made of wrought iron, the gold elements that include undulant rings, orb accents, and leaves are in a contemporary gold leaf finish, while the floral elements are in a mix of contemporary silver leaf and contemporary silver finishes. These special pieces expressively celebrate nature and bring a biophilic flair to a space. We’d like to thank our VP of Product Development Pam Bailey for pointing out to us what a remarkable flower the dandelion is!