

Perforated steel rings underneath five bands of handspun aluminum support a rich diffusion of light within Alvar Aalto's Beehive pendant light, but if you’re looking to brighten a more modest room, perhaps a minimalist solution is what you’re after. A careful approach to lighting can transform your room into a peaceful and cozy nook, ideal for napping, reading or working.įor midsize spaces, a wall light or sconce can pull the room together and get the lighting job done. While LEDs have earned a bad reputation for their perceived harsh bluish lights and a loss of brightness over their life span, the right design choices can help harness their lighting potential and create the perfect mood. Brass, on the other hand, can introduce an alluring, warm glow. Certain materials, like glass, can complement naturally lit settings without stealing the show.

These fixtures can easily illuminate an entire space, while their elevated position prevents them from creating glare or straining one’s eyes. Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. An Art Deco–styled homage to Sputnik from Murano glass artisans Giovanni Dalla Fina (note: there is more than one lighting fixture that shares its name with the iconic mid-century-era satellite - see Gino Sarfatti’s design too), with handcrafted decorative elements supported by a chrome frame, is just one stunning example of the elaborate engineering that can be incorporated into every component of a chandelier.Ĭhandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged. Don’t mistake this for simplicity, however. The key difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant incorporates only a single bulb into its design.
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While gas lighting during the late 18th century represented an upgrade for chandeliers - and gas lamps would long inspire Danish architect and pioneering modernist lighting designer Poul Henningsen - it would eventually be replaced with the familiar electric lighting of today. Things have thankfully changed since then, and antique and vintage chandeliers and pendant lights are popular in many interiors today. For those wealthy enough to afford them for their homes in the medieval period, a chandelier's suspended lights likely exuded imminent danger, as lit candles served as the light source for fixtures of the era. Chandeliers - simple in form, inspired by candelabras and originally made of wood or iron - first made an appearance in early churches.
