In March 2011, on their makeshift scaffold inside Rolling Hills Country Club, electricians began their task: to piece together — one arm at a time — a 325-pound, Swarovski crystal chandelier. When they finished four days later, the stunning fixture with 49 lights commanded attention inside the ballroom. It stretched more than six feet wide and five feet high.
Jaima Graham, interior designer with Y Factor Studio charged with revamping the country club’s style, found the piece from manufacturer James R. Moder. She also ordered six matching chandeliers, each between 31-37 inches. They adorned the ceiling near the grand fixture like offspring surrounding their mother.
The grand yet domestic setting works in a family club offering a swim team and junior golf program. The idea, says Julie Chandler, club operations manager, was to appeal to a youthful crowd while staying faithful to their 1955-built facility.
Graham met the challenge. The previous dark red curtains and red and green carpet in the ballroom were changed to more subtle tones of blues and neutral hues. The color change was for the frequent wedding receptions held in the room. Chandler wanted the color scheme to complement any bridal party.
Other changes aren’t as visually striking; some were for efficiency. The new ballroom chairs, made of classy paragon vinyl, are stackable. The drapes, dubbed “bowtie pleat” for their resemblance to a sideways bowtie, are fire retardant, and the solution-dyed nylon carpet keeps the floor stain-free. An exotic mahogany door now separates the ballroom from the cocktail lounge, allowing the club to house multiple events simultaneously. The lounge itself had some new features: wainscoting replaced half of the stone wall that dominated the room.
Chandler credits Graham for the renovation. “I came to Jaima and said ‘This is what we’re having problems with,’” Chandler says. “And she said, ‘Not only can I fix it and make it look better, but I can make it functional.’"
