Chaplin's Mansion Gets $100k Lighting Upgrade
An extensive lighting system brings Hollywood glory back to Charlie Chaplin's former home.
There is something about the glamour of Hollywood pastand not just the jazzy backdrop of the 50s and 60s Rat Pack, the glitz of deco-era stars and styles. Go back further, near the beginning, when celluloid was burned in black and white, and there was no soundtrack save the accompanying music. Even the tinny notes compiled an unabashed tone, full of action, hope and the promise of something lively to come.
It was the days of Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and plenty of notorious off-screen escapadesand it was a time when the homes that sprang up in the surrounding hills celebrated the exuberant spirit of an entertainment industry at its birth.
Only shards of that period remain today, and one of them is a home called Moorcrest, a 3,000-square-foot Moorish-style mansion located beneath the famous Hollywood sign and sprouting onion domes, a glass dome, two prayer rooms on parapets, a fountain room and more. It was built in 1921 and rented for several years by silent-film star Charlie Chaplin. Later, Mary Astor of The Maltese Falcon fame purchased the home. And still later it fell into silent disrepair.
The present owners appreciate the home's history but insisted on a technological makeover. Primarily, they wanted a lighting control system capable of great flexibility and programming. There were a lot of pendants and chandeliers, all of Moroccan style, says lighting designer Neil Splonskowski of Neil Splonskowski Lighting Design in Redondo Beach, CA. They look pretty, but they don't make a lot of light.
Splonskowski needed to highlight the art, fountains, stairs and a home theater, so an entire rewiring through the plaster and lath walls had to be done by electricians. Splonskowski added recessed Cooper Iris housings to make the light sources disappear and painted recessed cans to match the artwork on the ceilings. All the ceilings have intricate painting, so if you have a can in that, the trim has to match, he says.
To see more of Charlie Chaplin's home, including an equipment list and photos, check out
http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...hting_upgrade/
An extensive lighting system brings Hollywood glory back to Charlie Chaplin's former home.
There is something about the glamour of Hollywood pastand not just the jazzy backdrop of the 50s and 60s Rat Pack, the glitz of deco-era stars and styles. Go back further, near the beginning, when celluloid was burned in black and white, and there was no soundtrack save the accompanying music. Even the tinny notes compiled an unabashed tone, full of action, hope and the promise of something lively to come.
It was the days of Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and plenty of notorious off-screen escapadesand it was a time when the homes that sprang up in the surrounding hills celebrated the exuberant spirit of an entertainment industry at its birth.
Only shards of that period remain today, and one of them is a home called Moorcrest, a 3,000-square-foot Moorish-style mansion located beneath the famous Hollywood sign and sprouting onion domes, a glass dome, two prayer rooms on parapets, a fountain room and more. It was built in 1921 and rented for several years by silent-film star Charlie Chaplin. Later, Mary Astor of The Maltese Falcon fame purchased the home. And still later it fell into silent disrepair.
The present owners appreciate the home's history but insisted on a technological makeover. Primarily, they wanted a lighting control system capable of great flexibility and programming. There were a lot of pendants and chandeliers, all of Moroccan style, says lighting designer Neil Splonskowski of Neil Splonskowski Lighting Design in Redondo Beach, CA. They look pretty, but they don't make a lot of light.
Splonskowski needed to highlight the art, fountains, stairs and a home theater, so an entire rewiring through the plaster and lath walls had to be done by electricians. Splonskowski added recessed Cooper Iris housings to make the light sources disappear and painted recessed cans to match the artwork on the ceilings. All the ceilings have intricate painting, so if you have a can in that, the trim has to match, he says.
To see more of Charlie Chaplin's home, including an equipment list and photos, check out
http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...hting_upgrade/
