Cheval Three Quays, the newly opened residential riverside development next to The Tower of London, demanded an eye catching entrance that would welcome people staying at its 159 studios, apartments and penthouses offering unrivalled views across the Thames and the City of London. To achieve this, Forme UK, who led on interior design at Three Quays, wanted a unique light fitting for the reception area that would make playful reference to the river outside and would empathise with the development’s high quality, luxury feel. Bespoke lighting specialist Dernier & Hamlyn was chosen for this complex task and produced a polished stainless steel, chrome and brass work of art that features 348 solid brass rods of differing lengths, from which hang custom made clear solid glass balls looking like water falling from the ceiling.The fitting uses LED lamps, not only to reduce energy consumption, but for their longevity which will mean that they rarely have to be changed, which could have caused inconvenience to guests and staff working on the reception, which is manned around the clock.
Behind the visual beauty of the light fitting were significant engineering challenges that had to be overcome in order to design and manufacture panels that could be effectively and safely installed. The chrome panels are framed in brass and are not only an integral part of the fitting’s design but also house the wiring and provide a base for the hundreds of rods to be fixed.
Jeremy Quantrill, Dernier & Hamlyn’s joint managing director says: “This was a really interesting and enjoyable project that was also demanding in lots of ways. Reception lighting was a vital design feature and also, of course, a practical necessity. Our team was involved throughout the process from initial concept scoping to final production and the interior architects benefited from having easy access to our factory so that they could monitor progress first hand throughout the project.”
