Built in 1927, the Ahwahnee Hotel’s public rooms are castle-like in their proportions. Illuminated during the day by sunlight that enters through their large windows, by night, the dining room, great lounge, and other spaces are lit by original forged chandeliers, sconces, and other lamps fabricated by Phoenix Day Lighting in San Francisco – a company that still exists today.
Inspired by the lines and proportions of those massive chandeliers – as well as by photographs we discovered in the National Park Service archive – Richard Kollath designed a series of new floor and table lamps, fabricated to his specifications by Phoenix Day.
One day, looking up while standing directly beneath a small chandelier, Richard had another idea: he would adapt its design for the glass-top side tables that now populate the hotel’s public spaces and guest rooms – another new/old item embodied with a specific sense of place.
