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Layered background mural and light fixture/sculpture make a strong focal point in this Portland residence's entry. The front door is 10' tall, providing a sense of scale in this photo.
The light fixture is 3 stories tall, extending from the ceiling of the entry, down through a stairwell to a planter in the lower level entertainment room. Materials include cherry wood, tree bark imported from Portugal and 200 low-voltage bulbs.
Planter in the entertainment room has its own layered mural and wood sculpture. The small glass window opens onto the stairwell allowing the artwork "islands" to flow through to join the stairwell mural.

"Sailing Across The Universe”  

The moment had arrived. The client explained that he and his family had waited to finish the Entry of their newly-built home because it was an important central focal point. It had to support the strong sense of individuality that had been instrumental in the successes attained by himself and his family. Many ideas were considered, but none presented a solution that met their expectations. The best suggestion so far, had been to hang replicas of birds from wires suspended near the ceiling of the entry, as if they were flying through the space. But, no one was very excited about this idea. Frankly, as a man of achievement, the client wasn’t going to be satisfied with any proposal that was commonplace and predictable. He offered me the challenge.

The resulting artwork celebrated this adventurous, independent thinking. A 32’ three-story-tall wood sculpture/light fixture extends down into the stairwell that leads to a lower level Entertainment Room. Both the Library (at the top level) and the Kitchen open onto the Entry. The sculpture is made of cherry wood and tree bark panels imported from Portugal, and includes 200 low-voltage light bulbs. As a backdrop, layered artwork wraps around all of the upper walls and incorporates hidden low-voltage bulbs for very subtle indirect lighting of the Entry when the main light fixture is turned off. The wall layers and integrated planters were built and finished first. Then, the sculpture was shipped to the site in about a dozen sub-assemblies and installed. The 10’ tall front door gives a sense of scale in the top photo.

Shown here is a portion of the large indoor planter at the lower level Entertainment Room. The small "islands" on the art wall extend through the glass into the stairwell.

Before and After photos show the light fixture above the custom dining table. The client was understandably disappointed in the original light fixture shown here. Using some of the original electrical components, I was able to upgrade the light fixture to this design. Cherry wood and tree bark match the other artwork throughout the house.

After finishing the project described above, the client expressed dissatisfaction with a custom light fixture he had previously installed above his dining table (In the photo on the left, one of the frosted glass lamps had been removed so I could take it with me as a sample for the new design). He asked me to create something totally new using the existing electrical hardware. The materials selection of cherry wood and tree bark, with the addition of chrome-plated steel, related the new light fixture to the artwork throughout the rest of the house. The client was thrilled.

Copyright Richard Houston 2004 - 2010. All rights reserved.