Dazzled by the lights

10 of our favourite Chandeliers

This week at Nulty we’ve been looking at a wonderful part of the lighting design world: some of our favourite chandeliers. A loose definition of a chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light.

Originating from the French word “chandelle,” chandelier literally means “candle holder,” and when they first appeared that was all they did. The first known chandeliers came about during the 14th century and were a simple design: two wood beams forming a cross with a spike at the end of each to hold a candle. As materials and production techniques improved over time, so did the ornate nature of the chandelier. Ranging from the original wood to metal, crystal and glass, chandeliers quickly evolved into art and symbols of status – not only by their presence, but by their design and intricacy as well.

Making a statement, grandeur and elegance are all attributes of a chandelier and a modern day chandelier can encompass all of these qualities. For example, Pixel Cloud at Allen and Overy by Jason Bruges Studio may not look like a traditional chandelier but it does have all the qualities of one.

A lighting designer can really let their imagination loose when designing a chandelier as they’re about making a statement – creating an attraction that blows people away and gets them talking. The possibilities are endless – the more conceptual the better!

We’ve listed 10 of our favourites below. Which one do you like the most?

Globe Corinthia Hotel Favourite Chandeliers Lighting Design Nulty