Glass Block Chandelier
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Early 2000s Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century American Industrial Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Vintage 1970s German Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1960s Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Vintage 1960s Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1950s German Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Nickel
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Crystal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s German Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s Austrian Chandeliers and Pendants
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Nickel
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s Mexican Chandeliers and Pendants
Vintage 1960s Austrian Chandeliers and Pendants
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Austrian Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal, Brass
Glass Block Chandelier For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Glass Block Chandelier?
Finding the Right Chandeliers-pendant-lights for You
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 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, 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. (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.)
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 natural world-inspired designs of the Art Nouveau era 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 — shop a collection today that includes antique Art Deco chandeliers, Stilnovo chandeliers, Baccarat chandeliers and more.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024The difference between a glass chandelier and a crystal chandelier is in the materials used to produce the light fixtures. Glass chandeliers are made of glass, a hard, brittle material made by melting together a combination of substances, such as sand, soda ash and limestone. When you add lead to these ingredients, you get crystal, a heavier material that can produce a reflective, sparkling effect when cut. Shop a diverse assortment of glass and crystal chandeliers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 13, 2024What the glass part of a chandelier is called depends on the design of the fixture. Some chandeliers have glass covers that fit over their individual lights. These glass covers are shades. Faceted-cut glass accents on chandeliers are generally called crystals. Ones that hang down from a chandelier are pendalogues, and ones that form chains that drape over a chandelier frame are festoons or swags. On 1stDibs, explore a diverse assortment of glass and crystal chandeliers.
Read More
This Paavo Tynell Chandelier Is a Radiant Bouquet
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Ettore Sottsass Captures a Shooting Star in This Rare 1970s Floor Lamp
Before founding the Memphis Group, Sottsass bent the rules of lighting design with the wonderfully wavy Cometa.
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Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
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With a High-Tech Flagship and Cool Collabs, Lladró Is Breaking the Mold for Porcelain Production
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Christopher Tennant’s Lamps and Dioramas Evoke Sunny Days and Seaside Locales
The former magazine editor blends elements of the Far East and America’s eastern shores, bringing wit and delight to his handmade, upcycled designs.
Paavo Tynell’s Snowflake Chandelier Warms Up Any Room
This circa 1950 piece by the legendary Finnish lighting designer spent the past several decades in a family's home in Michigan.
NASA Parachutes Inspired Lighting Designer Bec Brittain’s New Collection
In "Paraciphers," now on view at Emma Scully Gallery in New York, Brittain introduces works that were more than a decade in the making.