Chandeliers have long been a fixture at events—typically decorating grand ballrooms at charity fund-raisers and even showing up in tents to create a grand sense of occasion. Today, organizers are putting a new spin on the ceiling-mounted lights by employing unusual items like champagne flutes, umbrellas, and tennis shoes to craft artful, eye-catching installations. Here's a look at some unique chandeliers made from surprising objects seen at recent events.
5. Champagne Flutes
In May, Sheraton Social Hour—a wine program developed by Sheraton and Wine Spectator magazine—dressed up the entry hall of Rockefeller Center's 620 Loft & Garden with a large lighting structure, comprised of 125 Riedel champagne flutes. To give the illusion of bubbling champagne, New York-based design studio We Came in Peace filled each glass with tinted resin that held the light bulb in place, and topped it off with a layer of micro glass beads for a foam-like effect.
Photo: Courtesy of We Came in Peace
1. Bicycle Wheels
For the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball in May, Event Creative looked to play up the event's "Tour de Nature" theme by crafting chandeliers from bicycle wheels. Also inspired by the museum's exhibit called "Bikes! The Green Revolution," the structures were made to complement the black-and-white decor in the dinner tent.
Photo: Steve Becker/beckermedia.com
2. Rental Items
For the 2008 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards gala, designer David Stark incorporated reusable rentals like coffee pots, napkins, and forks, into every element of the decor. Seat-cushions, silver tea sets, and umbrellas made from brightly colored tablecloths hung from the ceiling.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash
3. Aluminum Cans
For Z100's Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in December, presenting sponsor Coca-Cola incorporated subtle branding into the Hammerstein Ballroom's decor with a unique chandelier made of the brand's red, aluminum cans.
Photo: Jeeyun Lee/BizBash
4. Sneakers
At the Adidas-hosted private event during the N.B.A.'s All-Star Weekend, Night Vision Entertainment incorporated the footwear brand's white-on-white Adidas Superstar shoes into a spiral-like chandelier. To hang the footwear, producers attached suspension cords to laces that were tied around the bottom of the shoes.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez for BizBash
6. Script Pages
In May, the Steppenwolf Gala at the Blackhawk on Halstead in Chicago had modern decor that
incorporated pages of script into decorative elements such as round chandeliers with scrunched up pages of text.
incorporated pages of script into decorative elements such as round chandeliers with scrunched up pages of text.
Photo: Kyle Flubacker
7. Plastic Bags
On July 28, the Watermill Center's annual benefit in the Hamptons showcased an abstract chandelier in the dinner tent, a piece created by artists Angelos Tsourapas and Vassilis Zidianakis of Atopos CVC that consisted of plastic recycling bags and pink fabric streamers.
Photo: Joe Schildhorn/BFAnyc.com
8. Umbrellas
For the 25th anniversary of the Teddy Bear Affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Children's Aid Foundation looked to replicate elements of the four seasons. In the spring area, clear umbrellas and glittering beads hung from the ceiling and the sound of falling rain played in the background.
Photo: Carla Warrilow/BizBash
9. Hats
For a speakeasy-inspired wedding, Seattle-based boutique design studio Matthew Parker Events, devised lighting fixtures made of hats from a party supply store, decorative ribbon, corded wire, and filament bulbs.
Photo: Yvonne Wong
10. Coffee Cans
At the third annual Marfa Film Festival in Texas in 2010, the Café Bustelo filling station—designed by We Came in Peace—was marked by the coffee brand's traditional yellow, aluminum cans and signature heart logo. For lighting, the designers crafted flower-shaped pieces from cans that hung from the ceiling.
Photo: Courtesy of We Came in Peace
11. Liquor Bottles
For its XO Cafe Noir party in November, PatrĂłn Spirits Company tapped designer Abel McCallister Designs to create four chandeliers, each made of empty liquor bottles and embellished, black lampshades.
Photo: Angel Tagudin
12. Cellophane
For Bloomberg's White House Correspondents Association dinner after-party in 2007, Los Angeles designer Thomas Ford constructed a 20- by 20-foot lighting fixture. The piece, which was made up of more than 9,000 strands of knotted cellophane, reflected the pink and blue light from above.
Photo: imagelinkphoto.com
13. Ping-Pong Balls
At the Central Park Conservancy's 12th annual Halloween ball in 2007, the dining tent was decorated with an ornate chandelier made from 5,000 ping-pong balls.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
14. Candy
For CTV's Christmas party in December 2007, organizers installed a hanging centerpiece that was made entirely of brightly colored strings of candy.
Photo: Gary Beechey
