The Hotel Californian is part of a much larger project, The Entrada de Santa Barbara. Handelman Studios provided over 350 fixtures with over 100 different styles installed on 5 different buildings, several courtyards and the Hotel. We were tasked with interpreting designs sent by the Specifier, creating a submittal package detailing each designs material weights, measurements, finish and glass choices, and engineering each design to pass UL codes. These complex jobs require expert communication, organization and a skilled team of artisans. We have the experience and skills to make this happen.
We frequently get requests to modify our existing designs as well as fabricate new designs specified by the Site Designer. We are able to make these changes and produce small numbers of custom designs that fit perfectly into the scale and design of the job.
There is a great amount of detail and engineering that goes into these modified designs. Changing designs or creating new sizes to accommodate projects is not a common practice for most manufactures. The reason is that most manufactured products are made from tooled parts and assembled into the finished item. The set-up used to create those parts are very expensive. Changing the size, or design configuration would be a big expense especially if there were a limited amount of light fixtures involved that would not allow the manufacture to recuperate the set up expenses. Our products do not involve tooled parts. We hand-make every product including the parts that make up the finished item. It takes more time and skill to create products this way, but has the advantage greater flexibility, and allows us to make smaller production runs that will satisfy the individual customers needs. Not only does this require more skill, but it also requires a sophisticated process to maintain control of the production and communication.
This process yields several benefits to both the customer and the Studio. The customer does not have to make any compromises or spend lots of time searching for manufactured products that do not quite work. Our team of talented artisans get to expand their skills by practicing new techniques and Handelman Studios adds to its catalog of available products. Here are some examples of new products created while working on the Entrada de Santa Barbara.
The Anika Pendant was used in several locations. In the Colonnade it shows off the ceiling detail and compliments the architecture. Its unique faceted surface is highlighted by contrasting textured glass. It was also used in the Hotel Californian entry. The Moorish style is both exotic and stylish.
The large outdoor lanterns provide both texture and compliment the architecture, while creating a bit of whimsey. Notice Zoro in the sunset. The Corner installation was favored in the 1920’s buildings and still looks good today. On a job like this, over 100 hours were required just in communicating with the various people involved. The time to fabricate these complicated fixtures required hundreds more hours. We are one of the few manufactures that are capable of taking on these kinds of jobs. At Steven Handelman Studios we take great pride in making products that are unique, handmade, and have special meaning to their owners. Iberia and Diamonde were also used.
