The Redfern Chandelier, our first new design for 2012
I have always loved this design, as it reminds me of a flower bud unfurled and also reminds me of a successful trip antiquing almost twenty years ago. Joe found this chandelier’s inspiration but he had not yet absorbed my flower-mania, so he walked away from his drawings and the prototype chandelier. I rescued the drawings from oblivion and tucked them away safely, even though he recycled the prototype. It must be great to be creative enough to discard ideas and move on.
Fast forward to the winter of 2011, when my daughters Eleanor and Claire formally joined him in the design process at Niermann Weeks. They loved the idea of this fixture, tweaked it even more, and presto – the Redfern Chandelier!
Our little jewel takes its name from the character Christine Redfern, played by the famous actress Jane Birkin (of the famous Birkin Bag by Hermes). Ms. Birkin played this role in the film Evil Under the Sun (1982), to which my family can recite all the dialog in tandem with the film. Here she is in character, in a photo copyrighted by Universal Picture although I found the photo at www.cineclap.free.fr.
Her character pretends to be clumsy, clingy, and unattractive until the very end of the film, when she blossoms in a spectacular black and white outfit. Sadly Hercule Poirot figures out their crime and has Mr. and Mrs. Redfern hauled off to jail in their gorgeous clothes. What a difference a designer makes!
For me that film provides a parable of our Redfern Chandelier, which Joe ignored as mousy but my daughters have let bloom in its Parisian Gold finish. Now, please don’t make it go to jail, but welcome it into your home as you would these narcissus blooms from my dining room.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Eleanor
Websites for more information:
www.agathachriustie.com, the author’s official website
www.janebirkin.net/UK, the actor’s official website
www.hermes.com, to view the Birkin Bag
www.universalpictures.com, for more information about the film Evil Under the Sun (1982)
