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: