Conversations with David Mayne

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Mayne. 

David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After leaving thirty years within the high-end wholesale furniture/lighting industry I decided to take what was a hobby and turn it into a profession. I had always been interested in collecting antique and vintage lighting. One day I realized just how much I had amassed and began teaching myself how to rewire a few chandeliers. I was fortunate to have met a person who was winding down her career in the antique lighting and salvage business here in Denver. I asked if I could tag along with her to see how she restored lighting. Soon after Sharron became my mentor and dear friend. This 14-year-old path has lead me to many incredible projects and restorations. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I opened my first shop in 2008 just as the Wall Street and banking debacle started. That certainly played against my three-year plan of cash reserves. However, I got through it and here we are. There have been other struggles but the good far exceeds the bad. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
There is the obvious technical side to restoring the electrical portion of any given light fixture. That aside, there is the important esthetic of balance and symmetry. In addition to my restoration work, I provide a great deal bespoke lighting and in particular, lamp making. I have converted many beautiful objects into table lamps, like acanthus capitals, Asian vases, antique carved wood fragments, etc. Balance and symmetry play a very important role in this and proportions are everything when it comes to lamp making. Having been in the high-end home furnishings industry, I learned the craft of beautiful finishes, textures, and patinas. I am grateful to have this human capital from which I draw on to create these one-of-a-kind lamps. I also do a great deal of crystal chandelier restorations. I restored the chandelier in the Palm Room of the Boettcher mansion (governor’s mansion) and hope one day to restore the chandelier in the front drawing-room which came from the post-Grant whitehouse (pending a benefactor.) I was fortunate enough to have restored all of the period lighting within the Phipps mansion in 2017 including two silver-plated bronze chandeliers by E F Caldwell. I’ve done work for the Grant-Humphreys Mansion, Molly Brown House, Byers-Evans House, Healy House in Leadville, the Wheeler opera house in Aspen and much more. My pride is my craft. There are only a handful of true old-world craftspeople in Denver and I seem to have fallen into that consortium. 

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My late father was an architect in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His love for great architectural structures and design was instilled in me at an early age. My aunt, his sister, educated me on her passions which included art, theater, and anything French and Italian. My dear friend and mentor Sharon Nunnally to this day is my sounding board. She has served on numerous landmark committees and knows Denver’s historic preservation community like the back of her hand. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@tablem.com
• Website: www.tablem.com
• Instagram: table.m.lighting