Chandeliers & Decorative Suspended Lighting

Because of the wide range of chandeliers we offer we've created subcategories to make it easier to find you idea ceiling suspended lighting.
A chandelier is a branched lighting fixture, often ornate, hung from the ceiling. Many modern suspended ceiling lights have components in common with chandeliers but do not fall easily in a chandelier category.

Art Deco Chandeliers

Chandeliers with influence from the Art Deco period of 1925 until 1939.

Flemish Chandeliers

Flemish chandeliers are also called Dutch ball chandeliers because of the heavy ball at the bottom.

Ultra Modern Chandeliers

Any chandelier in the ultra modern section is going to be something unusual. Take a look at our collection.

Modern - Glass Shades

A collection of beautiful modern chandeliers and pendants with glass shades to suit all budgets.

Modern - Cloth Shades

Modern chandeliers and pendants with cloth and fabric shades. Many have unusual and striking designs.

Chandeliers - Murano glass

Glass chandeliers from the island of Murano, Venice. Fantastic styles in wonderful colours.

Chandeliers - Brass

Brass chandeliers originally made as an alternative to gold but now very valued in their own right.

Chandeliers - Crystal

Cut crystal drops refract the light to create a shimmering kaleidoscopic effect of immense glamour.

Chandeliers - Ornate

Chandeliers with petals, scrolls, beading and decorative features.

Chandeliers – Ironwork

Wrought-iron and rustic finish chandeliers in various finishes and styles.

Modern - Bare Lamps

Modern pendants and chandeliers with a modern twist. Many have unusual and striking designs.

Chandeliers are heavier than any other ceiling light fixture and some of them might require special attachments to the ceiling or may not require any support and can directly be plugged to an electrical box. The earliest chandeliers were used in medieval churches to brighten up large halls and were generally made up of wooden cross on which candles were placed, from the 15th century more complex form of chandeliers with crown or designs had become popular and by the early18th century brass chandeliers with long curved arms were seen the homes of wealthy merchants.

Chandelier Glossary

Adam style
A neoclassical style, light, airy and elegant chandelier - usually English.

Arm
The light-bearing part of a chandelier also sometimes know as a branch.

Arm Plate
The metal or wooden block placed on the stem, into which the arms slot.

Bag
A bag of crystal drops formed by strings hanging from a circular frame and looped back into the centre underneath, associated especially with early American crystal and regency style crystal chandeliers.

Baluster
A turned wood or moulded stem forming the axis of a chandelier, with alternating narrow and bulbous parts of varying widths.

Bead
A glass drop with a hole drilled right through.

Bobeche
A dish fitted just below the candle nozzle, designed to catch drips of wax. Also know as a drip pan.

Branch
Another name for the light-bearing part of a chandelier also know as an arm.

Candelabra
Not to be confused with chandeliers, candelabras are candlesticks, usually branched, designed to stand on tables, or if large, the floor.

Candlebeam
A cross made form two wooden beams with one or more cups and prickets at each end for securing candles.

Candle nozzle
The small cup into which the end of the candle is slotted

Canopy
An inverted shallow dish at the top of a chandelier from which festoons of beads are often suspended, lending a flourish to the top of the fitting.

Cage
An arrangement where the central stem supporting arms and decorations is replaced by a metal structure leaving the centre clear for candles and further embellishments.

Corona
Another term for crown-style chandelier

Crown
A circular chandelier reminiscent of a crown, usually of gilded metal or brass, and often with upstanding decorative elements.

Crystal
Glass with a lead content that gives it special qualities of clarity, resonance and softness – making it especially suitable for cutting. Also know as lead crystal.

Drip Pan
The dish fitted just below the candle nozzle, designed to catch drips of wax. Know also as a bobeche.

Drop
A small piece of glass usually cut into one of many shapes and drilled at one end so that it can be hung from the chandelier with a brass pin. A chain drop is drilled at both ends so that a series can be hung together to form a necklace or festoon.

Dutch
Also known as Flemish, a style of brass chandelier with a bulbous baluster and arms curving down around a low hung ball.

Festoon
An arrangement of glass drops or beads draped and hung across or down a glass chandelier, or sometimes a piece of solid glass shaped into a swag. Also known as a garland.

Finial
The final flourish at the very bottom of the stem. Some Venetian glass chandeliers have little finials hanging from glass rings on the arms.

Hoop
A circular metal support for arms, usually on a regency-styles or other chandelier with glass pieces. Also know as a ring

Moulded
The process by which a glass piece is shaped by being blown into a mould (rather than being cut)

Neoclassical Style Chandelier
Glass chandelier featuring many delicate arms, spires and strings of beads.

Prism
A straight, many sided drop

Regency Style Chandelier
A larger chandelier with a multitude of drops. Above a hoop rise strings of beads that diminish in size and attach at the top to form a canopy. A bag, with concentric rings of pointed glass, forms a waterfall beneath. The stem is usually completely hidden.

Soda Glass
A type of glass used typically in Venetian glass chandeliers. Soda glass remains “plastic” for longer when heated, and can therefore be shaped into elegancy curving leaves and flowers.

Spire
A tall spike of glass, round in section or flat sided. To which arms and decorative elements may be attached, made form wood, metal or glass.

Tent
A tent shaped structure on the upper part of a glass chandelier where necklaces of drops attach at the top to a canopy and at the bottom to a larger ring.

Venetian
A glass from the island of Murano, Venice but usually used to describe any chandelier in Venetian style.

Waterfall
Concentric rings of icicle drops suspended beneath the hoop or plate. Resources

LIGHTING

Lighting fixtures come in a wide variety of styles for various functions. The most important functions are as a holder for the lighting source, to provide directed lighting and to avoid visual glare. Some are very plain and functional, while some are pieces of art in themselves. Nearly any material can be used, so long as it can tolerate the excess heat and is in keeping with safety codes.

An important property of lighting fixtures is the luminous efficacy or wall-plug efficiency, meaning the amount of usable light emanating from the fixture per used energy, usually measured in lumen per watt. A fixture using replaceable light sources can also have it's efficiency quoted as the percentage of light passed from the "bulb" to the surroundings. The more transparent the lighting fixture is, the higher efficacy. Shading the light will normally decrease efficacy but increase the directionality and the visual comfort probability.

Lighting is classified by intended use as general, localized, or task lighting, depending largely on the distribution of the light produced by the fixture.
• Task lighting is mainly functional and is usually the most concentrated, for purposes such as reading or inspection of materials. For example, reading poor-quality reproductions may require task lighting levels up to 1500 lux (150 footcandles), and some inspection tasks or surgical procedures require even higher levels.
• Accent lighting is mainly decorative, intended to highlight pictures, plants, or other elements of interior design or landscaping.
• General lighting fills in between the two and is intended for general illumination of an area. Indoors, this would be a basic lamp on a table or floor, or a fixture on the ceiling. Outdoors, general lighting for a parking lot may be as low as 10-20 lux (1-2 footcandles) since pedestrians and motorists already used to the dark will need little light for crossing the area.

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Just as moonlight can introduce an air of magic and mystery to your garden, so carefully applied artificial outdoor lighting can produce equally beautiful effects. Night outdoor lighting in your garden extends your enjoyment of its natural panorama and a little outdoor lighting, if it is well positioned, can have an extraordinary impact given the extreme contrasts. So your decision about where to position outdoor lighting and what sources to use are critical.

Outdoor lighting is complicated by the changing seasons. Using outdoor lighting in your garden in December will involve a different set of aesthetic criteria from those which apply in August - unless of course your garden is full of evergreens.

BATHROOM LIGHTING

Bathroom lighting is important and should be considered at the start of the project. You will need bright targeted bathroom lighting for shaving or applying makeup. This can take the form of wall or ceiling mounted bathroom lighting spotlights, a mirror, or mirrored bathroom cabinet with integrated bathroom lighting. For relaxing in the bath you may require your bathroom lighting on dimmer switch postioned outside the room. For bathroom lighting as with all electrical installations, safety regulations must be observed, so only choose bathroom lighting fittings that have been specifically designed for use in the wet atmosphere of the bathroom.

KITCHEN LIGHTING

Ambient kitchen lighting is general kitchen lighting which should be used for your whole kitchen area. You may wish to use a single pendant (or a group of say three) over your kitchen breakfast bar or table to create an ambient kitchen lighting mood. Not only will the kitchen lights be practical but there are many stunning designs which can bring together the whole design of your kitchen.

Task kitchen lighting is more focused kitchen lighting. You will want to use task kitchen lighting over your sink, cooker or other food preparation areas so that you can see what you are doing. You may want to consider kitchen downlights, track kitchen lighting, under cabinet kitchen lighting. Accent kitchen lighting is used to highlight features of your kitchen - cabinets, cooker alcoves, or art work for example. Kitchen downlights or wall kitchen lights can be used plus there are many different shelf kitchen lights which can add a real wow factor to your kitchen. Use under cabinet kitchen lighting, kitchen island lighting, pendant kitchen lighting, side by side other types of contemporary kitchen lighting. You may be surprised at how much you can change the look and feel of your kitchen by simply changing the type of kitchen lighting that you use! Whether you’ve spent the money on a brand new kitchen with new units and appliances or simply updated an existing kitchen isn’t it worth investing in new kitchen lighting to show it off?

RECESSED LIGHTING

Recessed lighting uses fixtures that are installed into a hollow opening in a ceiling. When installed it appears to have light shining from a hole in the ceiling, concentrating the light in a downward direction as a broad floodlight or narrow spotlight. There are two parts to recessed lighting, the trim and housing. The trim is the visible portion of recessed lighting. It is the insert that is seen when looking up into the fixture, and also includes the thin lining around the edge of the light. The recessed lightinghousing is the fixture itself that is installed inside the ceiling and contains the lamp holder.

These are the fitting to have in your home. Ideal for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom whether you choose fixed recessed lighting or adjustable recessed lighting to highlight a favourite piece of art. Low voltage recessed lighting, despite what an electrician might tell you, are the better option. Low voltage recessed lighting may cost slightly more at the outset (a transformer will be required) but will be more cost effective (longer lamp life) and produce less heat. Low voltage recessed lighting also has the added benefit of wide beam angle lamps to give you a better spread of light.

TRACK LIGHTING

Track lighting is a method of lighting where track lighting fixtures are attached anywhere on a continuous track lighting device which contains electrical conductors. This is as opposed to the routing of electrical wiring to individual light positions. Track lighting can be mounted to ceilings or walls, lengthwise down beams, or crosswise across rafters or joists. Track lighting can also be hung with rods from especially high places like vaulted ceilings.

PENDANT LIGHTING

Pendant lighting is not to be mistaken for chandelier lighting,which casts a softer more ambient light. Pendant lighting is usually hung from a single sconce on the ceiling from which sprouts a single chain or metal tube. The pendant lighting lamp shade itself is the 'pendant' that dangles at the end.

Pendant lighting is considerably more practical than other types of lighting, which is why you often see pendant lighting in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and other places that need to be well lit.

PICTURE LIGHTING

Most people will have seen artwork lit in a gallery or museum, but will not have understood how picture lighting, good or otherwise, affects the presentation. Many people purchase artwork but never include picture lighting in the artwork installation process - it is definitely worth the effort. Proper picture lighting will bring out fine distinction and effects in the artwork that might not have been noticed before. Picture lighting will also tend to bring out the colour and, in terms of importance in the design of a room or environment, the piece of artwork will make much more of a statement.

Artwork needs to be protected from picture light damage but the most damage will always come from DAYLIGHT! But if your artwork is protected against the fading effects of sunlight you should also ensure that any artificial picture light does not damage your artwork too. Try only to picture light the art when you are likely to view it and keep the picture light off at other times. Incandescent picture lighting is less harmful than fluorescent picture lighting, but a standard bulb gives a very imbalanced picture light, with too much light coming from the red end of the spectrum which can over emphasise warm colours while muting blue, green and violet colours. Do not consider using “daylight” lamps as these are for colour matching, not colour rendering. In museums, the debate is still in progress as to the status of halogen lighting. Museums pieces have their own special needs and rules. Contact us if you require more information on this matter.

LINKS

LIGHTING...Bathroom Lighting-Ceiling Lighting-Wall Lighting-Outdoor Lighting-Track Lighting-Lighting for tables-Kitchen Lighting-Lighting Home The Open Directory
Lighting Styles @ RIBA Product Selector

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