Ornamental metalwork, on the lighter side

Lifting a wrought iron fixture of this  size

by using only two fingers would have been

absolutely impossible.

What does one do if a room requires a three-tier, 10' chandelier, but the ceiling simply won't support the weight of a heavy wrought iron piece?

Ever considered aluminum?

"Of course not, Coca-Cola cans are made of aluminum, and I don't want a Cola can hanging off my ceiling"

Fair enough, but lets give aluminum a second look.  It's super light, relatively speaking, and we have the capability to make it look exactly like a  wrought iron.  Better?

"Really?  How?"

By the way we manipulate the metal and the finish, of course.  Aluminum is actually more expensive then steel, and a lot harder to work with, but it can be manipulated to look just like steel and the finish is the cherry on the top.

Below is a photo of two chandeliers; one is made of wrought iron and the other one is aluminum.  Can you tell which one is made of what material?  Here's a hint... the larger one... oh wait, that was a bit more then just a hint, wasn't it?  As you can see, the chandelier bares absolutely no resemblance to a Cola can.

By the way, aluminum is also an excellent choice for outdoor furniture.  We can create lightweight pieces which are easy to move around, and even better... they won't ever rust!  Why? Because aluminum does not rust.  We have even custom designed and made huge aluminum gates, especially for historical areas, where the columns can't be removed and rebuilt.

Still can't quite believe that the chandelier in question is made out of aluminum?
Here is a photo of it before we put the finish on the fixture.

Before I go, let me also show you how you can go form a very simple design to a more fancy one; the simple design being the lantern I'm holding in the first photo, and the fancier one being the last phto on this page.  A lot of times a home may need fancy fixtures in the front of the property, but the back can be simplified; this keeps the fixtures consistant, but at the same time saves you money.

Hope to see you soon...

Izabela

Your personal ornamental metalwork and lighting designer

at Potter Art Metal Studios in Dallas, TX.