Andromeda Murano Nastro, a fiery ball detailed with red, hand-blown glass swirls, is a conversation piece; (above) chandeliers with suspended glass globules, like Klove Studio’s Rose Bud, are hotsellers; Pic by Rasbehari Das

Wondering how to transform a dull room into one that oozes glamour? Try splurging on a contemporary chandelier for that instant makeover. Check out the Andromeda Murano Nastro chandelier that is a huge ball of red, hand-blown glass swirls. This baby will wipe more than Rs 14 lakh off your bank balance. Or, look at Klove Studio’s earring-inspired Fakhtai Jhumka, made of hand-blown glass, brass and silver leafing. If ultra-chic is what you’re after, Kundalini’s Dew chandelier, with its glass drops and chrome canopy, may just be the thing.

Modern chandeliers blend the idea of an opulent light source with a host of unconventional designs, colours and finishes. “Making a contemporary chandelier is about creating a statement piece,” says Prateek Jain, the co-owner of Delhi’s Klove Studio.

Chandeliers now aren’t just the stuff of elegant living or dining areas but have moved into the den, bedroom and even the bathroom. “Bathrooms are now designed to spell luxury. One of my current projects is a Calcutta home with a 1,000-sq ft bathroom where I’ve put a chandelier that blends classical and contemporary styles,” says lighting architect Tejas Doshi, who has clients like tycoons L.N. Mittal and Vijay Mallya.

The mantra, though, is to pick a chandelier appropriate to the size of the room. Doshi, for instance, settles on medium-sized ones with a two-and-a-half feet diameter for bedrooms. Moreover, the middle of the room isn’t the obvious place to fix chandeliers any more, for they are ably highlighting corners too.

According to Jain, the chandelier started making a comeback when people got tired of the minimal look towards the mid-2000s and began hunting for conversation pieces. “For some, that meant adding a piece of sculpture, for others, fixing a chandelier,” he says.

(From top) Lladro’s Magic Forest is nature-inspired and plays with elements like fine porcelain leaves; chandeliers with geometric shapes, like Schonbek’s Refrax ‘wave’, fit in perfectly with contemporary interiors

But the chandelier’s makeover has also contributed to its surge in popularity. Contemporary ones are available in a range of shapes and colours. The Geometrix line of Schonbek, a part of the Swarovski group. It not only plays with uncommon shapes like the sphere, rectangular bar and the ‘wave’, but also with colours like tamarind green and vintage rose. “The youth prefers chandeliers in geometric shapes,” says Hemanth Kumar, area manager — India, Swarovski Lighting Business. Prices are on request.

Klove Studio’s designs are also high on colour, with pink, red, amber and metallic hues like platinum and gold. Amit Gupta, director, Vis-à-Vis, a company which is the sole distributor of brands like the Italian Kundalini in India, has watched trends in chandelier designs change over the years.

It went from the traditional to the Scandinavian style that was all about clean lines and no-fuss designs after which it has now gravitated towards fusion. Gupta says: “In fusion, form — over which function had earlier predominated — has re-gained prominence.”

Geometric and abstract designs in materials like metal and hand-blown glass rule the roost, with foreign brands offering Indian customers a variety of such chandeliers. Take a look at Kundalini’s Dew with multiple glass drops. Also, Italian brand MM Lampadari’s hand-crafted Medusa has 81 spheres in a combination of glass and metal. Both of these can be customised according to the client’s demand. Kundalini products are available at the Delhi and Mumbai stores of Vis-à-Vis, while MM Lampadari lights are available on request at NOVO Lighting Solutions, Chennai.

Kundalini’s Dew features a multitude of glass drops and can be customised as per requirement

“Since most people now opt for contemporary home decor, they look for chandeliers with clean lines to complement the look,” says Jain. Chandeliers with suspended glass globules, like the Rose Bud, are in great demand at Klove Studio. The designers here are inspired by everything from nature to jewellery — the jewellery-inspired Basra collection is priced upwards of Rs 1 lakh.

However, there’s another segment that incorporates traditional elements like flowers and fairies into its designs. Lladro’s ultra expensive Niagara and Magic Forest designs have porcelain fairies and leaves suspended by optical fibre. And while the former costs a whopping Rs 33 lakh, the price of Magic Forest is on request. Also in the floral vein are MM Lampadari’s Firework, a cluster of glass flowers, and Italian brand AV Mazzega’s Zante with a bunch of inverted glass tulips. Both are available on request at NOVO.

The chandelier no longer implies a Victorian relic. It’s smart and snazzy in its new avatar, and those looking to make it the focal point of a room are sure to be spoilt for choice.