Wednesday, March 9, 2016

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.

12 comments:

  1. Does it lower to change the bulbs, or will a spiderman have the joy of fixing that? It certainly looks the business, and recreating a warm white, (yellow) with LED is my preferred choice. If you have it on a dimmer that helps create the right ambience too. The size you specify certainly highlights the height of the hall.

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    1. Unfortunately it does not lower, so we will have to employ a spiderman to change the bulbs. But this necessity should be infrequent, and we can hook the chandelier to the balcony on either side to deal with this. The bulbs are actually quite expensive. They were $20 each for non-dimmable bulbs, and over twice as much for dimmable ones (unlike traditional tungsten bulbs, one must use special LED bulbs when used in combination with a dimmer switch), so we decided a combination of separately controlled dome, chandelier and sconce lighting would be a good alternative in the first instance. We can always change our mind about the dimmer down the track.

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  2. Hello Lord Cowell,
    Firstly, Congratulations on your first wedding being a success! I am happy it went well. The pictures in your last post, as well as these of the chandelier, are gorgeous. You did such a great job creating a very beautiful manor. The finishes you chose are all perfect. I can't wait to discover more.
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Thank you Giac. No one will ever know how much effort went into making the decisions when they look at a wall colour or a fixture, but hopefully they will get an overwhelming feeling of the space being 'right', even if they don't know why.

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  3. yes -these huge fixtures are always such a job! So glad you went for the warm light -i'm seeing MUCH too much of the cold 'blue' light lately.

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    1. Yes, we picked up the wrong coloured LED bulbs for the billiard lighting above the billiard table, and the ambiance of the room suddenly went from cosy post dinner entertainment to hospital waiting room. Needless to say that was changed the very next day!

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  4. This is so thrilling to see your beautiful manor since yesterday. I have enjoyed this beautiful work done by you and I love it passionately!
    Oh now I have to wait till tomorrow to see more. It will take months to see this grand home!
    Jx

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    1. Thank you Jackie. I do look forward to you coming to stay one weekend so we can show you around and entertain you. I hope your shift to Auckland goes well. DLCx

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  5. Every time I see a huge chandelier, I cannot help myself. I think of this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFuYIi5-igc

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  6. Stunning! I'm so excited to see the rest of the tour.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting again. I hope all is well up in QLD. Whenever you're next back in Hamilton do drop by.

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