Michael McHale Designs
DCL
When does a home décor item become "heirloom" worthy? Inventor Saul Griffiths says,
"An object with 'heirloom design' is something that will not only last through your lifetime and into the next generation, but that you also desire to keep that long because it's beautiful, functional, and timeless."
A few years ago, I visited a friend's parents mid-century apartment in a posh section of NYC, and couldn't take my eyes off the 1960's bright bluish purple Murano glass chandelier. It hung in the dining room like a shrine to that era. Actually, the whole house was iconic with its metallic wallpaper, shag rugs, Eames furniture and pop art. My friend said the chandelier had hung there "forever" and it was an heirloom that she would keep and pass on to the next generation.
I've had a minor obsession with chandeliers ever since that day. Ornate chandeliers dripping with gold and crystals couldn't be any further from my design aesthetic than getting a new couch and covering it with plastic. Nonetheless, my unrequited attraction to these dramatic glittering crystals of light has set me on a course to find a sustainable "heirloom-quality" alternative.
What would be a sustainable and unpretentious design solution? A petite, reclaimed (by me) chandelier that was made from recycled materials could replace a cheap IKEA paper shade hanging pendant.
This led me on a quest to find, or make, a light fixture that one day my kids would covet (to be fair-one for each kid). I came up with a green design set of criteria: The chandelier had to be handmade from recycled materials, smallish, non-traditional (no ugly drippings or curlicues of brass), inexpensive, would work with CFL's, and it had to illuminate with whimsy.
After years of lusting after some expensive beauties that have popped into my Inbox from design sites, none hit me like the ones presented in the recent newsletter form+function newsletter. The handmade chandeliers from Michael McHale Designs are both aggressively durable looking in an industrial-chic way, and they shimmer like fine jewelry in the way chandeliers should. Also, they use CFL's that I can easily find in my local hardware store.
McHale's chandeliers are handmade sculptures that use materials such as distressed brass and black steel pipes and fittings. Each displays various patinas of years of use, as the pipes have been re-claimed from various building sites. The company has used recovered materials from Katrina building sites, as well as from local sites in NYC. Hanging from the fixtures are random crystals that can be rearranged and swapped to change the look of the piece. No two chandeliers are alike. To purchase one of these fabulous chandeliers, contact Michael McHale.
These chandeliers have provided the inspirational seed for making a beautiful industrial-inspired heirloom quality chandelier. I've started to collect crystals from my local second-hand shop, and I'm making the rounds of lighting stores looking for cast-off crystals. The leftover piping will come complements of a past plumbing fiasco.
Sound like something you'd like to try? Make sure to check out my next post, All That Glitters Can Be From Recycled Materials, with 10 inspired projects that explore the DIY possibilities of making chandeliers from recycled items.
