When I first start designing a custom metalwork, I think about rhythm. Good design to me has a rhythm to it. Visually, it’s what holds the work you’re creating together. Then there is the bigger picture of how the piece fits into the space. Is it part of the rhythm of the room? Or, is it the soloist who plays off the visual rhythm set down by other things in the room.

The need may be a dining room light in a many windowed room with tremendous views. Does the view inspire something grand or something subtle? Something with curve to break up strong lines or something that reinforces the linear nature of the room?

Today’s design trends are very fluid. The spareness of the modern looks appeals to many, but may not be practical for some home situations. Some homes are massive in scale and require bold accents lest they get lost in the space. The rhythm of this chandelier is the circle with the layered square panels playing off the circle.

The solo is when the lights are on, but it’s subtle. The rhythm is also the large wood rafters and purlins and the granite stone walls that the steel color is set against in the room. Line and curve; stone, wood and steel; color and shape.

Other situations need a little texture to set off a clean modern line. House jewelry if you will. This mirror frame detail suggests a worn antiquity placed inside the modern frame. The two set each other off.

I really enjoy the process of trying to bring something into play that is unexpected; a surprise; a client saying “Oh!. That is so COOL!”