Former entertainment lawyer Michael McHale had an artistic epiphany while searching for a chandelier for his Brooklyn Heights apartment and finding nothing to his liking. “Beauty is all around us—in hardware stores, in basements, everywhere,” he says. “It just has to be harnessed in the right way.” So he found distressed brass pipes and fittings with the patina of years of use (reclaimed from building sites), dressed them up with a dazzling array of fine European crystals, and added low-wattage refrigerator bulbs for a soft glow. The result? Simply stunning.
Each handmade chandelier can be customized for length, size, and finish on the brass: natural patina, black steel, nickel-plating, powder coating, or gold-leaf gilding. They each take four to eight weeks to craft and start at $850 (as shown, $11,195). The chandeliers can be adapted for outdoor use; sconces and lamps also are available. Visit michaelmchaledesigns.com.
