Client: Helen Johnson- Leipold

Overview

This project consisted of two pieces for the clients' kitchen, including an 8 foot chandelier mounted over their kitchen table and a matching cabinet piece which was mounted in a kitchen cabinet display. The chandelier measured 68″ x 11″ at its base with a horizontal span of 8 feet and vertical span of 3 feet. The cabinet piece has a base dimension of 68″ x 11″ as well. Both were created with solid glass in yellow, orange and red tones. The chandelier has a lighting component with a mounted keypad offering various types of lighting options for the client.

Goals

The client specified the color scheme and overall dimensions of the space. Both pieces had to integrate with her existing decor of reds and oranges and fill the space without protruding or being a hazard to guests. The challenges were numerous to ensure safe installation of both pieces which weighed over 350 pounds each. The chandelier had to function as a dominant piece, both lit, and unlit in the context of the kitchen, and the cabinet piece needed to be engineered to fit within a confined space while filling it completely.

Process

All engineering, designing, lighting, production and execution was done by myself, however I had to work closely with the client's team to ensure proper preparation for installation. Because the cabinet piece weighed 350 pounds, the client's team reinforced the cabinet through the use of a welded frame which ran the span of the cabinet horizontally and extended to vertical bracers bolted to the ceiling. I also had to coordinate with the client's electrician to pre-install some of the electrical components to ensure a seamless installation of the chandelier. I engineered the chandelier to break down into 13 parts so installation was possible. Together, the parts equaled almost 400 pounds so direct installation of such a heavy piece was impossible, necessitating a design approach in which the individual parts could be assembled and re-assembled for transportation and installation.