PEOPLE
Glittering Prizes

"I was switched on to chandeliers by my mother," says Eva Galambos, fashion designer and owner of parlour X boutique in Paddington, Sydney. "We lived in a very '70's house and one of my earliest memories is of the emerald shaggy wool carpet, the orange velvet lounge, the flock wallpaper and these massive, dangly crystal chandeliers - so '70s, so bright and beautiful." 
    Her mother took advantage of frequent trips to Europe to augment her collection of crystalware. Czechoslovakia was a favourite shopping destination. "My mother loved Prague, reminisces Eva, "and wandering around the city's crystal shops, buying vases, wine glasses and chandeliers."
    Growing up, Eva hated those chandeliers. "But my mother always told me one day I'd come to love them, and she was right," she amits. " I translated my mother's hobby into a love of crystals and I have a great collection of semi-precious stones. Anyone who knows me knows that I'll never leave home without some in my pocket or bag." she laughs.
    It was when Eva hit her early 20s and bought her first house that her mother's prediction came true. "The house came with two amazing '70s chandeliers and I thought , 'No, I just can't get rid of them.' That was the start of my collection. Now they are in my office and the staffroom at Parlour X."
    Most of the chandeliers in her collection have been gifts. "I have three at home - two crystal and a paper one from Dedece - which were all gifts. In the shop there are about five." Her favourite , she says, is the italian 1960s chandelier with serrated glass that hangs in the stairwell of the shop.
    "When we got revamped the shop about a year ago, we used lots of mirror, glass and silver metallic finishes, including a stairwell with glass banisters.' The chandelier was the finishing touch she needed. "I saw it at Ken Neale's antique shop in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and thought, 'That's it!"
    Eva's trips to Paris every year fuel her chandelier addiction and may lead to her next purchase. "I love buying vintage items and having them restored."