Cassiopeia Chandelier

The female-owned Andrea Claire Studio is making innovative strides to create eco-conscious, modern lighting that is sustainable, sculptural and wholly unique in design. 

The studio was founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, New York, by American architect and artist Andrea Claire. She was inspired to create her lighting line after years of working with famed architect Frank Gehry, architecture and design firm The Rockwell Group, and the late acclaimed installation artist Vito Acconci. 

Driven by a love of art and architecture and an eco-conscious ethos, Andrea Claire Studio uses renewable materials such as mouth-blown glass, bamboo veneer and hand-cast porcelain in their chandeliers and pendant lights, wall sconces and floor lamps. 

Claire, an avid surfer, draws inspiration from the ocean in many of her lighting fixtures. The Pisces lighting collection, for example, came to fruition after she observed the movement of glowing kelp blades in the deep blue depths of the sea off the coast of Malibu. The line’s individual pieces are named after iconic surfboard designers — the Hilbers chandelier is named for Brian Hilbers, the McTavish chandelier is named for Australian surfboard guru Bob McTavish, and the Malcolm and Jacob sconces honor the Campbell Brothers Surfboards brand.

The influence of modernist Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncusi is also evident in the studio’s Sublimation-Thorn collection, which comprises glass shades, ellipses, stone blocks, thorns and spheres. Claire’s own inventive “polyhedron” geometric shape also features in pieces such as the Cassiopeia, Galaxy and Sunflower mobile chandeliers.

Since its inception, Andrea Claire Studio has amassed an A-list clientele, including MGM and Rosewood hotels and renowned interior designers such as Jean-Louis Deniot, Nicole Hollis and Elizabeth Bolognino, to name a few. 

In 2017, Andrea Claire Studio expanded to the West Coast, opening a design and production studio in Los Angeles, California.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Andrea Claire Studio contemporary lighting. 

Chandeliers — simple in form, inspired by candelabras and originally made of wood or iron — first made an appearance in early churches. 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. Things have thankfully changed since then, and antique and vintage chandeliers and pendant lights are popular in many interiors today.

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.

The key difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant incorporates only a single bulb into its design. Don’t mistake this for simplicity, however. 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.

Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged. Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. These fixtures can easily illuminate an entire space, while their elevated position prevents them from creating glare or straining one’s eyes. Certain materials, like glass, can complement naturally lit settings without stealing the show. Brass, on the other hand, can introduce an alluring, warm glow. 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. A careful approach to lighting can transform your room into a peaceful and cozy nook, ideal for napping, reading or working.

For midsize spaces, a wall light or sconce can pull the room together and get the lighting job done. 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. The mid-century modern furniture designer Charlotte Perriand devised her CP-1 wall lamps in the 1960s, in which a repositioning of sheet-metal plates can redirect light as needed.

The versatility and variability of these lighting staples mean that, when it comes to finding something like the perfect chandelier, you’ll never be left hanging. From the whimsical — like the work of Beau & Bien’s Sylvie Maréchal, frequently inspired by her dreams — to the classic beauty of Paul Ferrante's fixtures, there is a style for every room. With designs for pendant lights and chandeliers across eras, colors and materials, you’ll never run out of options to explore on 1stDibs.