Some of you are content to surround yourselves with the detritus of a life lived manly; a strange combination of mountain dew bottles, fast food cartons, particle board furniture, salvaged car parts and sports paraphernalia. Though you probably fit one stereotype or another, these days men are learning to enjoy a little style in life on all fronts, so maybe it’s time you trade out some of your ratty old shit and upgrade. If you want to have many leather-bound books, and your apartment to smell of rich mahogany, you should probably look at ways to class up your man cave without succumbing to the terrors of the satin throw pillow… the answer? Mandelier! Er, chandelier? Scrap metal and bike chain chandelier!
The Bike Chain Chandelier – Lord of Man Cave Manor
I can’t get over how awesome the idea of a reclaimed metal and bike chain chandelier is. There’s no man on the planet who’s willing to hang up a crystal monstrosity (unless it’s shaped like a gun), but who says you can’t make friends and influence people with an incredible lighting piece? Better yet, one that looks it could double as something that could be dismantled into a series of deadly flails for you and your bros at the first sign of the zombie apocalypse?
The bike chain chandelier is the brainchild of Caro Fontoura Alazaga, an artist working out of LA, and ranges anywhere from $150 for small hanging lamps, through the mid-hundreds, up to $4000 for the more ridiculously huge and intricate pieces. The powder coated metal conveys sturdiness and masculinity, and the small rust patches are perfectly additions of color without resorting to matching your china and a delightful table runner.
These can get pretty pricy, but they’re a drop in the bucket next to Austrian and leaded crystal or crazy modern stainless steel fixtures. I’d love to see someone attempt to put together their own version- let us know if you murder a bunch of helpless bikes and drill a hole through your hand. If you’re looking for a way to brighten and customize your dank and lifeless man cave, why not go the whole way, get a bike chain chandelier and turn it into your own man castle? Man manor, even- complete with mandelier.
