Chandeliers

British Designer Clive Christian has always been ahead of his time.

In the 1970s he was creating glamorous open plan kitchens with glittering chandeliers to make the ultimate party rooms.

Fifty years on, with an OBE awarded by the Queen for his services to British luxury design, he has now created his own collection of chandeliers.

His daughter, Victoria, who has been working for her father for two decades, says he continues to be ‘more focused on living a life beautifully’ than anyone else she has met.

“My father is meticulous but really appreciates life in every form. From a Sunday roast to building a log fire, a sunset and great company, he gets great happiness from simple pleasures.

“He is a natural designer but alongside that he has a gift for combining glamour with comfort. That is what makes him happy.

“He started in the 1970s when he bought his first home, a late Victorian manor house in Cheshire, opening up the rooms and making the kitchen very much the centre of the home.

“He continues to make a home full of love. Life can run away when people are busy so he embraces the fact this work is often the backdrop to family occasions in a lovely home.

“In a way, it’s a legacy, his designs can be passed down the generations.”

After specialising in glamorous kitchens, panelled interiors and the Clive Christian perfume house which revived a 19th century perfumery, Clive has created The Officer, two chandelier collections – The Masterpiece and The Four Seasons.

Victoria explained: “Finding the right chandelier for a room is like finding the right piece of jewellery to accentuate a dress, when you get it right it is magical.

“My father says the best chandelier ‘doesn’t ask any questions, it all just fits and then highlights, accentuates and illuminates everything else perfectly’.”

The Masterpiece collection features the most expensive chandeliers in the world, priced at £2.15 million. The 24-arm Masterpiece is studded with 24,000 natural white diamonds in solid gold flames atop a Wedgwood Jasperware blue candle. The Four Seasons collection takes its cue from nature with oak leaf-shaped droplets using the finest crystal.

Victoria said: “The chandeliers, like all of my father’s designs, are timeless and elegant. His attention to detail means the metal infrastructure is invisible, so all that can be seen is the crystal.

“Many clients come to us and say ‘I have always wanted to have Clive Christian designs in my home but I have never had a house where I felt it was right’.

“But when the moment comes they want it to be perfect; from a ballroom in Northern France to drapery in a Hong Kong palace or a very British panelled dining room in London, they know it will feel grand but comfortable and not trying to be a fashion.

“That is the appeal; they know my father wants to make every property sing to its best.”

Top tips

• When investing in a top chandelier it is imperative to measure the ceiling height to ensure there is enough space for the chandelier to sit perfectly within a room.
• The strength of the ceiling beams must be considered because of the weight.

Insuring your chandelier

It’s very important to protect your chandelier, just as you would a piece of art. Relying on a standard home insurance policy could leave you without essential cover or potentially underinsured.

As experienced private client insurance brokers, at Aston Lark we have specialists who understand how to properly insure beautiful expensive items. When it comes to chandeliers we recommend you:

• Use a professional electrician with proven experience hanging chandeliers or a chandelier supplier who offers a fitting service
• Have your chandelier professionally valued every 3 to 5 years to avoid being under insured
• Insure your chandelier under the Fine Art or Collectibles section of your home insurance policy. You will benefit from additional cover like depreciation in value if it is damaged and possibly avoid a policy excess, as some insurers do not impose an excess under this part of the insurance policy
• Check the credentials of any home cleaning company to ensure that they are adequately insured for any damage they cause during cleaning
• Consider where it will be installed and what risk of damage there is (such as smoke from a fireplace or children playing), as for any valuable piece of art

To talk to us about the insurance you have in place, or to book an appointment for when your insurance is due to renew, call us on 020 8181 3169 or visit us at https://www.astonlark.com/abode2

No hard sell, just good old-fashioned advice.

Clive Christian is open by appointment only, visit TheOfficer.com