I recently found myself in a glittering palace of crystal admiring chandeliers whose designs had been created for Marie Antoinette and Napoleon themselves.
My inspiration is water and the project is in Jinan (China), which is famous for its natural springs and the large reservoirs and waterways which connect the city, a bit like Amsterdam.
The light feature I have in mind must evoke water; it’s the key feature in the lobby of a new 5-star hotel which is on the drawing board in my studio.
So I go to the source. The Czech Republic is where the best crystal comes from and many of the most incredible chandeliers for casinos to palaces come from factories there.
The Preciosa showroom in Prague is large and prestigious and filled with breathtaking chandeliers from the very traditional to the high tech. And this is where I find the answer. A mechanical device that sits in the ceiling plate of the light feature and keeps nearly three thousand cut glass pieces gently undulating as the cascade and reflect into a water-filled vessel below.
Its’ a glittering waterfall of perpetual movement…and it’s perfect!
