It has been a while since our last post. As the house moves towards completion the finishing touches is what most people comment on. Now you really can’t see the house has been built using sandbags – the walls look like any other wall you would find in a conventional house. So should we have bought ordinary lights, doors, kitchen and bathroom cupboards, our house would certainly have lost some of it’s special character, and definitely some of it’s intent, which was to do it naturally, and to keep our footprint light and green. But here enters my mom, steadfast and stubborn, and even though she would say I’m the visionary, she kept saying: “normal lights will not fit in my house” and “that man thinks I will not have wooden cupboards he’s got to think again, it can be done” and so on and so on. I kept nodding, admiring her determination, whilst my mom described her imaginary “natural lights” and insisted that she started making and buying lights before the house exterior has been completed. This meant she could purchase it over time and she can get exactly what she wants.
And here enters our angels Lumin and Chris. Perfectly sent with their abundant artistic hands, minds and hearts and a complete appreciation and understanding of my mom’s dream. One by one they crafted each light and mirror fitting in our house – with care, patience, creativity, and soul. From the start we never felt that they were service providers that treated us as their clients, we were friends. And having had many experiences of how cold the building world can be, they not only created our lights, but really brought so much warmth and character to our house.
So herewith follows a little tour of each light. We first noticed Chris’s fishes made from driftwood at our friend’s dentist practice. Stunningly made from driftwood collected on their daily excursions on the beach, and the fish’s head made by Lumin in her pottery studio. Could we not turn this into a light? The fish sits above the staircase and looks magnificent.
My mom sourced two sneezewood poles, originally used for fencing, with the holes and even some of the original wire still in tact from a generous farmer. Could we not turn those into lights? Chris made lights out of these hanging from the ceiling which took quite a bit of time on the technical side of things.
To cast light on the kitchen counter, Lumin suggested we take one of the frames we used to build the house, and fill it with recycled wine glass bottoms, that she fired in her pottery oven as glass panes. The effect is magnificent and the only showpiece of the frames used to build the house.
To light the working area over the stove, Lumin and Chris sourced enamel lids from scrap yards and made a lovely piece of it, that now hangs over the stove in the kitchen.
For one of the bedrooms, Chris and Lumin combined a mixture of driftwood with glass and pottery pieces to make an unusual and unique chandelier. During the day, the sun hits the crosses and casts beautiful light reflections on the walls.
Using bits of glass picked up from the beach, and a whole collection of “lost keys” Lumin made a glass fitting for the bathroom.
A simple light for the guest toilet, that fits with the wooden theme.
This light was made to fit the mirror, all made by Chris.
Handmade mirrors from driftwood and old railway sleepers.
Chris made a lovely piece for the hallway, using driftwood and mounting it on swiveling metal rods. The three pieces swivel individually, casting light in different directions through the hallway.
Lumin and Chris can be contacted as per details below. Expect a warm and hearty engagement.
Lumin James Originals: 072 514 8658
Just Naturally Driftwood Creations (Chris): 074 129 5012
Sandbag house in Jeffreys Bay 