Lit Up: 7 Cool Chandeliers at Charlotte Restaurants

The Good Food folks came up with the idea for their silverware pendant lights while visiting São Paulo tapas restaurants. They then armed local welder Cesar Vinalay with a ton of silverware and their vision. He put the pieces together, and the electrician took it from there.

The twig chandeliers here evoke the restaurant’s namesake—a Greek god- dess who turns into a bird—and its farm-to-table fare. Made by Deanna Wish Designs, they are visible from the street and especially draw attention in the evening.

Designing on a budget forces you to get creative—and that’s exactly what owner Kurt Hogan and crew did with his brewpub’s copper chandelier. After cutting leftover copper pipes into different lengths, they realized they still needed light to shine through the sides. The fix? They took the pipes out to a firing range and peppered them with bullet holes. (Don’t try this at home, kids.) The result? A chandelier made from brew-house scraps that looks like a million bucks.

The drum chandelier at this hot dog joint pays homage to The Drum, a restaurant that resided in the same space for more than fifty years, in hopes of capturing some of its former mojo. Cofounder Jonathan Luther sketched the design and collaborated with a welder friend to create the finished fixture.

The oversize Venetian-style glass chandelier at this Hearst Plaza purveyor of Spanish tapas gives the space a warm feeling that matches its convivial atmosphere. Made of Murano glass, the chandelier was shipped from Italy in one piece, and carefully brought into the restaurant … after the doorframe was removed.

Design competes with deliciousness at this upscale Italian eatery designed by Atlanta-based firm The Johnson Studio. Oversize orange fixtures by Lukas Lighting were fabricated with polished stainless steel frames and custom-colored orange acrylic to match the restaurant’s contemporary look, providing light and serving as sculptural art.