22" Turtleback Chandelier

We have been working on a suite of chandelier fixtures for an East Coast client. The largest of the three is a 22" Turtleback shade. Irwin is seen soldering the band of turtleback tiles into position on the shade. We will show the completed suite of fixtures in a future posting.

20" Acorn Shade

Large geometric shades are always impressive, and perfectly combine simplicity and detail without the lushness of their floral counterparts. The 20" Acorn shade is a perfect example of how a large shade can be entrancing, yet remain simple.

We recently completed a 20" Acorn shade for a client in Louisiana. The beginning of the process employed to create a geometric shade is slightly different from a floral. When we create a geometric shade, the pieces are cut and fit row by row, beginning at the top of the shade. The challenge to cutting a geometric shade is to keep the rows lined up both horizontally and vertically on the three dimensional surface of the form.

Once the geometric portion of the shade is cut and fit on the form, the decorative band is laid out and the entire lamp is foiled by hand in preparation for the soldering. Checking to make sure that the lines remain very straight, the shade is soldered, cleaned and patinated.

In the photo at the top of this posting, the completed lamp is shown on the highly detailed Decorated Library base. Upon receiving the shade, our client wrote to tell us, "Just got the shade in...LOVE IT!"

Glass and Lamps

We often get asked how we get our sheet glass to the studio. After the sheets of glass are picked, they are shipped to Century Studios by truck in wooden crates with lots of padding. The crates of glass can be very heavy, but we have a basic system involving a two wheeler and a couple of boards to safely get the crate from the street, through the showroom, and into our work area for unpacking. Bill is shown uncrating our most recent case of 25 sheets of hand made art glass. Some of this glass is already being incorporated into shades we are working on.

We rarely get asked to create a matched pair of shades, but a local client commissioned us to make a pair of 16" Geometric Cones on Small Stick Bases to be used on matching bedside tables. The shades delighted our client who was anxious to take them home and set them up.

So Many Projects!

Before we give a recap of the various projects we have been working on, please note that:

CENTURY STUDIOS
WILL BE CLOSED
THURSDAY APRIL 7
through
WEDNESDAY APRIL 13

Spring is always a busy time of year at Century Studios, and spring 2011 is no exception! We have recently completed and begun many different projects. An out of state client commissioned a 12 Light Lily Table Lamp with Blue Lustre shades. After receiving the lamp, the client wrote, "It's a blue Favrile lover's dream, and is the crown of my collection."

For a local client, we completed a 22" Drophead Dragonfly shade mentioned in our March 9, 2011 posting. This stunning shade has a background glass that shifts from red at the top, through fiery orange tones and down to greenish glass towards the bottom. The dragonfly bodies were created in green ripple glass, while the wings were a sunny yellow with ruby red streaking.


Large shades tend to take up every surface in the work space, and this shade at one point occupied our two light tables, the cutting table and our layout table! As we finalized our color selections, the light tables began to free up and soon the lamp was cut and fit to the pattern so the foiling could begin.

22" shades always take a bit of time at every step along the way. Soldering on a large shade will occupy Irwin for more than a week, especially when there are filigrees to be positioned on the dragonfly wings.

The completed shade delighted our clients. Shown on the impressive Turtleback Base, the shade was installed in our client's dining room as a chandelier fixture.






While Irwin was soldering the Dragonfly, Bill was busy drawing window cartoons and laying out a 22" Peony Shade for the showroom. The 22" Peony is cut and fit, but is patiently sitting off to the side as we work on commission orders. We are looking forward to foiling and finishing up this large floral shade soon.