from Andrew Schonbek
Schonbek Wins 10th Annual Arts Award
Schonbek Announces Winners of Room Design Contest at Dallas Show
Schonbek announced the winners of its Room Design Contest at the international Dallas lighting market in January. Salespeople who sold the winners their chandeliers were flown into Dallas and awarded $500 at a special awards ceremony in the Schonbek showroom.
The contest, offering a first prize of $10,000 and five additional awards of $1,000 each, invited owners of Schonbek crystal chandeliers to send photos of how their chandeliers were displayed.
Schonbek’s purpose in designing the contest was to discover beautiful homes containing Schonbek crystal chandeliers that could be photographed and featured in promotional materials. The photography is now underway.
The contest was judged by Andrew Schonbek; Eileen Schonbek Beer, creative director of Schonbek; Peter Hunsiger, publisher of Architectural Digest; Ben Lloyd, interior designer (formerly interior design editor of Metropolitan Home); Denis Caldora, interior designer; and Charles Burch, president of Burch & Company, Inc., Schonbek’s advertising agency.
Grand Prize ($10,000): Linda and Mark
(last name withheld at homeowners’ request) of Warren, New Jersey
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| Grand prize winner. Room designs by Kevin Maher of Hollywood. |
Linda and Mark are art collectors whose favorite artists span many cultures and centuries. A lithograph by Salvador Dali, a 500-year-old stone carving from an Asian temple, a Greco-Roman-style Canova sculpture — all live harmoniously in rooms that achieve a “new classicism,” in the words of the interior designer. Room design is by Kevin Maher of Hollywood.
There is an all-crystal “Olde World” chandelier in the living room and a “La Scala” cast-arm chandelier in the bedroom.
The chandeliers were sold by Howard Astrin of House of Lights in Greenbrook, New Jersey. “Mark wanted the Schonbeks the minute he saw them,” said Howard Astrin. “‘What’s your best price?’ and ‘How soon can you deliver?’ were his only questions!”
Best Foyer ($1,000): April and Al Masini, Honolulu, Hawaii
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| Masini residence, Honolulu. Room design by April Masini. |
“We’ve been inside the most beautiful houses in the world,” said April Masini. “And we choose to have thirteen Schonbeks in our home. That says something about Schonbek.”
The palatial rooms of this Mediterranean-style home show the design influence of Louis XIV and Louis XV.
April Masini points out that, “There is nothing in the house that can be bought.” Everything is custom, from the hand-painted French drapes (only the White House has something similar) to the Schonbek chandeliers.
“I like Schonbek,” said April Masini, “because I can combine the crown of one design and the gallery of another, specify a 24-karat gold frame, name any size I want — and they’ll make it for me.”
April Masini worked closely with Yoomi Song of American Nu-Lite in Los Angeles on the designs of her Schonbek chandeliers. Yoomi gets rave reviews from this customer. The Masinis flew Yoomi Song and her staff into Hawaii to oversee the installation of their many chandeliers — and will bring them back once a year to clean the crystal.
Best Use of Multiple Chandeliers ($1,000):
Jeri and Doug Wise, Frankfort, Kentucky
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| Wise residence, Kentucky. Photography by Walt Roycraft. Room design by Donna Cope. |
In the living and dining area, two crystal chandeliers of majestic dimensions (“Versailles” by Schonbek) emphasize the two-story-high ceiling. Six “Versailles” wall sconces make an event of the long, open, second-story corridor.
“You have to have a special home to support Schonbek
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| Nancy Wells of Kentucky Lighting & Supply Company . |
The sheer size of the house (15,000 square feet) was a challenge, according to interior designer Donna Cope.
Lighting consultant Nancy Wells of Kentucky Lighting & Supply Company in Lexington, KY did the lighting layouts and blueprints and recommended the Schonbek chandeliers. It was she who told the Wises about the Room Design Contest.
Best Dining Room ($1,000):
Nancy and Ray Bearden, Austin, Texas
The Beardens have a passion for crystal, and their dining room reflects this. Unusual examples of crystal glassware, brought back from their travels in England, Germany and the south of France, are displayed against a mirrored wall. A crystal ball embellishes the wrought iron base of the dining table of thick beveled glass.
And at the heart of the room is a contemporary Schonbek chandelier called “Equinoxe,” a complex mosaic of crystal composed of traditional eight-point star shapes. “I was hesitant to put a crystal chandelier in this house,” said Nancy Bearden, “because we didn’t want anything baroque. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill chandelier. It looks like a piece of art. It makes a statement.”
Metalwork and columns create an entry into the room in tones of pewter, silver and gold. To quote the designer, Alfred Villamil, “The slick edge of metal against crystal was the look we wanted.”
The Bearden residence is not new to the limelight. It was recently the cover story in Austin Home & Living.
The Beardens purchased their Schonbek at Austin Discount Lighting.
Best Display of Custom Chandelier ($1,000):
Gregory and Susan Glazer Burt, Des Moines, Iowa
This home is noteworthy for its unusual collection of contemporary art. There is a remarkable sense of fun that comes from bright colors, flowing interior spaces and exuberant custom furnishings.
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| Janet Albright of Albright Lighting in Des Moines. |
The Schonbek had to be custom-made to mammoth scale to complement the enormous round entryway.
Janet Albright, buyer/manager with Albright Lighting in Des Moines, still recalls the agony of meeting her delivery date for a party with a guest list of 350. “We made it. And the next day, many of the guests stopped by our store asking to see our Schonbek collection!”
Best Great Room ($1,000):
R.M. (name withheld at homeowner’s request),
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
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| Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Room design by Camille Waldron, ASID. |
Interior designer Camille Waldron, ASID, in Franklin Lakes NJ, attributes the success of these interiors to the fact that she started work before the house was built. She does in-depth interviews with homeowners to “search their souls” before architectural elements are finalized.
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| Moshe Toledo of DAC Lighting in New York City. The contest winner spoke highly of his salesmanship. |
Moshe Toledo, the man whose father sold R.M.’s mother her lamps, sold R.M. a Schonbek crystal chandelier. “We spent a lot of time,” said Toledo, “looking at different chandeliers and examining the differences in the quality of the crystal. The more knowledge you share with the customer the better. After all, we want him to come back. Someday maybe my daughter will be selling to his daughter.”