Fiat Lux!

Welcome back to Day 2 of the tour. Today we reveal the foyer chandelier in its full glory.

The chandelier is 6' x 6' and comprises several hundred pounds of Austrian crystal. It has 64 candle lights, which have been fitted with warm LED lighting. We spent a lot of time ensuring the finished effect is as close to incandescent light as possible, not wanting to use tungsten bulbs due to their poor energy efficiency and increased rate of blowing (as you will see from the photos below, it would not be an easy task to change blown bulbs. Luckily thanks to long feather dusters, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it sparkling).

Above: The electrician putting together the frame of the chandelier and wiring up the candles.

Below: They built a scaffold in the foyer and then hoisted it up bit by bit to the right height. It is fixed by a large chain which is connected directly to the framing of the roof. One of the electricians put their full weight on it to make sure it would hold tight - not that we plan to swing from it.

They then completed the wiring and bulb fitting and crystal hanging. Not a job for those scared of heights...

They left some of the scaffolding in situ until I got back from Dubbo, just in case I wasn't happy with the height.

The finished fitting, with subtle up-lighting in the recesses of the dome - which makes a nice night light for the atrium.

The web of crystals viewed from below...

Please join us tomorrow when the tour will continue with a viewing of the bridal suite.

Round Like A Circle In A Spiral...

The dome for The Foyer, (which Peter wants to call 'The Great Hall', as he thinks 'Foyer' sounds too French) has arrived from Perth and has been installed by the builders. It is 2.5 metres in diametre measured from the outer cornice, and 1.8m at the dome aperture, which is required as that is the same diametre as the chandelier.

There is LED strip lighting going around the lip of the inside cornicing which can be lit separately to the chandelier, which may prove useful as a night light for guests, or for more subdued lighting if one does not want 64 bulbs glowing all the time.

At one time we did toy with the idea of having the dome glassed and open to the sky above, but that would have required a dramatic reconfiguration of the roof design...

I was very keen to have a coffered dome like the pantheon ceiling...

But alas could not find one the right size pret a porter, and the builders estimated it would take about three of them seven days to make one, which was not in the budget, so we had to stick to a more elegant design (the word 'simple' is banned in our household).

Painted domes are OK if you can commission a Michaelangelo or Antonio Verrio to paint them for you, otherwise you risk them looking iffy. These designs are quite well executed...

Hotel George V, Paris.

Capital Building, Washington DC.

Castle Howard, Yorkshire.

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The dome is centered over a circular design in the marble floor, similar to these examples...

Below: The foyer marble plan...

The statue of the Rape of the Sabines, unfortunately, has been put on hold. So, until then, we are thinking of putting a lovely urn on a plinth in the inner curvature of the staircase, which is a very Georgian idea. Below are two photos of the hall at Osterley Park, with urns inside...

We could use this urn:

Swinging from the Chandeliers...

We have bought our first chandelier! It is the largest of the chandeliers we plan to have at WBP and will hang in the foyer. It is 6 feet wide and 6 feet tall. It is a Maria Therese chandelier, made from Austrian crystal and gold plate, and has 64 lights (Happy Birthday Peter)!

Below: Actual Photo

We have also been researching the other sparkly things for around the manor house. We have found some possibilities...

Lighting in the lift:

 for the chandeliers in the ballroom and music room:

 paired with these wall scones...

In the informal entertainment area we shall have 3 of these chandeliers (same as ballroom, but a size smaller)...

with 3 of these sweet little modern chandeliers for above the bar:

For one of the drawing rooms...

  paired with sconces

Then we might have two of these gold empire-styled chandeliers for the dining room:

or these 

with 2 candelabras for the side board:

Billiard Room:

Powder Room sconces for either side of the mirrors:

We have chosen traditional Georgian hanging lanterns for the hallways (which we will have gilded):

Dressing Room:

Above Kitchen Island:

We are still on the look out, as apart from the first one, which is winging its way to NZ, we are not 100% sure about these choices. As always, it is a compromise between budget and desire. And one huge problem is that we can not buy anything from the USA, as it does not meet NZ's code of  building compliance or safety standards (which is a real shame, as there is a lot of really neat lighting we have found on US websites).  If anyone knows of any good British or European websites, do please let us know. 

In the meantime, here are some more inspirational sparklers...