Champagne Challenge

I had never come across hollow stemmed champagne glasses until someone asked me to make a chandelier from their collection. It's quite a large collection so I don't know how their existence had passed me by - clearly I have lots more to learn, that's good.

My main task was how to make the chandelier not look just like a load of glasses. As I'm sure I've mentioned here before I'm not a fan of wacky upcycling that screams at you about what it used to be. The other task was to work out how to join them to a frame in a satisfactory way aesthetically. They are much bigger than the components I'm used to working with.

So here's the finished piece which is just under a metre long. All the stems are held by spring clips so they can be easily taken out for transportation and cleaning and then just slotted back in. I prefer this way of joining things than a permanent way, it allows flexibility in handling and repair. I never try to disguise the hardware in my chandeliers - I love all the little clasps, hooks, nut's and bolts, my style is very much like that of old Meccano.

The clients took a risk in commissioning something new to me because it meant they didn't know exactly what they'd be getting. I did some drawings to show them but really the possibility was in my mind and not easy to put on paper. So much can change once I start drilling holes and assembling. I'm happy to say they are very pleased with their chandelier and we shall soon be installing it in their conservatory.