Back to Mad, White Constellations in The Sky

I had been eyeing this baby in the window of Gracious Home for a month: the Crystorama Envogue Chandelier. . .

Whether it be a curse or a boon that I happen to live on the same block as the most exciting home store in Manhattan, I'll never know.  The New York School of Interior Design also happens to be on my street, but Back to A has had enough school. It's all about making mistakes and learning as you go along - when there isn't anyone to tell you "too much glue" or "what the hell are you smoking you can kiss your rental security deposit goodbye," a huge margin for error frees up quite peacefully. The obstacle with this incredible chandelier - and Back to A has always wanted a chandelier - was the cement ceiling. How in the world did one get around that?

Window Wishing

Enter Jose. Yes, I know I said we're all about the DIY, but part of every great DIY-er's tales of trials and tribulations is a fabulous, resourceful (I might even err on Renaissance man) Jose. Jose can build Ikea cabinets and table and closets. Jose can mount that flat screen TV you envision floating just-so in the middle of your wall. And best of all? Jose can hang a single hook and swag a chandelier chain along the wall so no ceiling mount is required. 

Jose the Great

Back to A believes strongly that renters should no longer be second-class citizens, reminded at every step of the way that their home is temporary. That is not a nice feeling. A home is a home, and we're in love with it all - the mess ups, the successes, the frayed edges, and everything in between. Because it's us. The apartment is The Story of Us. We think that's mad cool.

Back to the chandelier. . . for anyone who has a similar plight, never fear. You need to find yourself a Jose. I like to link and share on this blog, but I also like to be honest, and I will honestly inform you that Jose is a look, but don't touch Back to A secret. You have to find your own. He's too brilliant to be shared. Jose announced that a cement ceiling was indeed a challenge, but drilling a single hook was not the end of the world - once the hook was secure, the chandelier could be hung from the hook, then the wiring could be disguised as the chandelier's valence off to the side of the wall. . . and then plugged right into the regular 'ol socket beneath!

Who Says No Drilling Allowed? I Don't See Them

Yes, that's a rod I put up separating the entrance from the living portion of the apartment. Sometimes projects occur side-by-side; we'll get to that later. Pay it no heed - the focus here is on the hook, and once the hook was in, the chandelier was hung, the wiring was simply strung along the chain toward the side wall (to be hidden as will be discussed in an upcoming post) behind the entrance drapes.

Back to A Accepts A Little Help From Friends Is A DIY Necessity

And voila. (The incredible piece of art behind it is a gift from an artist and a beloved friend.

If You Dream It, It Can Come

I chose a white chandelier because we Cancer Moon Children tend to dig large, glistening, white orbs in the sky and I have always been a child of my sign in a way that rings almost eerie. Your ceiling is your sky. Hang any constellation you dream up and let the management companies hang themselves.

I think the only thing prettier than April showers are the hopeful buds of summer. For bears with a proclivity to hibernate, blossoming time hearkens.