Everyone has a mental image of what a chandelier should look like. Decorative, and often ornate, they are suspended light fittings that usually hang from a ceiling with branched supports for a number of lights sources. Often the light is refracted with cut glass making the effect ephemeral. As the chandelier catches even the slightest air movement, the cause can be to make the light seem to twinkle. But contemporarily designed chandeliers don’t have to look like they have drawn inspiration from the pages of a Cinderella picture book. They can make modern design statements that work in even the most up-to-date of rooms.

Chandeliers date back to medieval times, and there is something to be said for a traditional looking one, if it is chosen to complement the right sort of décor. Conversely, they can look out of place in a more modern home. Most traditional looking chandeliers will hark back to the 19th century when the improved production of lead crystal led to a huge surge in the popularity and size.

As chandeliers became ever more fancy and large, so their use to create a statement in a room developed. They still have this function today, so don’t be put off installing one just because they have been around for a long time. Go for a trendy look, with a modern chandelier instead.

Cut glass makes a traditional chandelier. Suspended fittings looks great with tear drop glassware that itself is also suspended within the design. Nonetheless, a contemporary chandelier can have new take on the classic design. Square and rectangular shaped glazing instantly achieves a more contemporary feel.

A group of square suspended lighting elements can also sit in an right-angled arrangement, which improves the look. This is particularly effective if the chandelier is placed over a rectangular object, such as a dining table. Cuboid forms will also fill a long thin space, like a corridor effectively, if used with regular spacing.

Bubble Glass Beauty.

An on-trend look for chandeliers, that will compliment many a modern home, is the bubble glass chandelier. Bubble effect glazing creates a cluster like look. With multiple light sources, bubble chandeliers often create a warm and diffuse light, perfect for reception hallways and rooms with high ceilings that otherwise might feel cold. These type of chandelier look great with a traditional suspended look, but also work when arranged in a star-burst arrangement.

Fill The Space.

Suspended light fittings are perfect when you want to bring the light to the correct height. Because they offer you the opportunity to adjust their position, suspended chandeliers are perfect for stairwells when you want to have the fitting half-way down, between floors. If you have turned staircase, or a spiral one, lighting it with spotlights or wall fittings never seems to do the job, so go for a suspended chandelier instead.

Bold Bowls.

Bowl shaped chandeliers are often reminiscent of 1930s designs, so they don’t always work with contemporary décor. However, modern designs have breathed new life into the suspended bowl light fittings. Less ornate than most chandeliers, a bowl can work in rooms with lower ceilings, where a highly decorated chandelier would be overkill.

Contemporary Color.

White light is what most fittings are designed to give out. However, there is nothing wrong with a chandelier that throws a little colored light around the room. Colored glazing can create a great look in a room that compliments the décor, particularly if separate light fittings are used to add to the effect. And remember that a colored chandelier is much more of a visual feature during the day, when it is turned off, too.

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