The marriage of wood and glass: Chandelier-Sugarberry
I decided to build a chandelier for over the dining room table at the townhouse. I was motivated by the wood and stained glass chandeliers we had seen at the Green and Green designed Gamble House in Pasadena and other Green and Green inspired fixtures. However, I wanted more of a mission style. It turned into a very big project with a lot of woodworking with lots of dados/slots for the glass panels to fit into (to block light leaks). Then there was a lot of wiring to get the lighting correct and finally the glass work. The design ended up with four lanterns at the corners to provide both atmosphere lighting for the room (outside panels of the lanterns) and illumination for the display shelves on each face of the chandelier (inside panels of the lanterns). I did the woodworking at the lake over the summer of 2025 and the glass work that fall with the project finally finished by Thanksgiving.
Here I'm fitting the glass panels into the dados in the top and the posts that will connect the top and bottom. Assembly is up-side down at this point.
This shows the light socket in a lantern with the phenolic plate for fire prevention and hole for electrical and hooks to hang by chains at the four corners. You can also see the slots where the glass slides into posts. Similar slots capture the glass at top and bottom. All the labels are because slight variations in fabrication meant each piece only fit where it was trimmed to fit.
Tube type LED bulb being wired into lantern. Viewed from bottom
Bottom being fit and attached. All sixteen panels had to be aligned at once and there is no give to glass. Once aligned a screw at each post holds the bottom on. Assembly still up-side down in this view.
Test of the lanterns after shelves and wood panels that enclose the central light have been installed. I'd originally planed to cut and solder the trees on the outside faces of each lantern. However the glass had a subtle vertical pattern that reminded me of the woods lit by moonlight and I decided the "ghost" trees would be an interesting look.
Looking up at the chandelier showing the central panel and the clear textured glass in the bottom of each lantern that illuminate the table. The rather dramatic colors are somewhat washed out in this pick. You'll have to come see it.
Chandelier in place with a fence on top that conceals all the wiring for the two remote controlled dimmers that control the lanterns and the center panel.
View from the side and down to see the "ghost" trees and the center panel