22 Sep Soldering and chandeliers – all in a day’s work for Dernier & Hamlyn

Dernier & Hamlyn’s Director of Sales gave a behind the scenes glimpse of its Barwell factory in an interview with Hotel Designs magazine this month.

Michael Mulhall leads on strategic direction and business development, while overseeing the company’s growing engineering, design and manufacturing facilities.

When asked by Hotel Designs’ Pauline Brettell what was currently happening in the factory, he said: “As ever it’s an eclectic mix. We have some chandeliers our team made around 40 years ago that are having their wiring updated and some broken elements repaired before they go back to a beautiful, listed building. Our studio team are working on some renders of lighting for reproduction art deco pendants and wall lights for a new hotel. And there is an awful lot of soldering and welding going on for a restaurant’s task lighting for their bedrooms and meeting rooms.”

Dernier & Hamlyn was founded in 1888 and designs, makes, refurbishes, restores and installs bespoke lighting for luxury homes, hotels, restaurants, superyachts and heritage buildings.

When asked what the company was focusing on from a business perspective, Michael said: “We are quite a way down the route of venturing into complementary areas of lighting that is bringing challenges but also different opportunities which is very exciting. And, like many others, we are striving to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This makes moral and business sense, but also the more we can help our clients with their aspirations in this area the better. For example, where it makes economic and aesthetic sense, we encourage them to repurpose existing lighting rather than throw it away and manufacture from new. There has been a big shift on reusing materials and products differently.”

Click here to read the interview in full.