You don't often think of a large decorative chandelier as being a bona-fide gadget. But the hanging veins on Denise Hachinger's Kronleuchter—or crown light—raise and lower at your beckoning to focus the light or cast an ambient glow in the room. More »

The problem with most light fittings is that they're only about style: they're the preserve of hipsters and interior designers. If you want something a little more geeky, why not make your own test tube chandelier? More »

Look closely at that blue blob up above and you'll realize it's made up of 500 butterflies, each one meticulously cut from photovoltaic cells. The hundreds of insects collect the sun's rays as they flutter around a giant glass bulb that turns into a churning mass of light after dusk. The Virtue of Blue chandelier is a stunning work of art by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven that draws connections between the beauty and power of nature and the importance of sustainable energy... or, you know, just something trippy to stare at while you sip a few cocktails at the Blain|Southern gallery in London.

Solar-powered butterfly chandelier is a fluttering mass of art and light originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Or at least I thought it was supposed to be a jellyfish. Turns out it's a chandelier that also serves as a commentary on the passage of time. I think I'll keep believing it's the former. More »

No, that's not a sentinel hanging from this family's ceiling. It's one hundred petri dishes attached to 15,000 feet of fiber optics...perhaps pausing for a moment before reaching down to strike at those dining below? More »

Things I thought of while viewing the solar eclipse-inspired Nissyoku lamp: GLaDOS, a glowing tennis ball and, oh yeah, a solar eclipse:

The designer says that unlike those fleeting solar eclipses we see in the sky, this lamp lasts for up to 10 years.

It's also capable of morphing from one simple shape to the next, and can be suspended from the ceiling, a la a chandelier, or placed on a table, where it will neither burn out your eyes nor damage your table.

The light source, sadly, is not fusion or even fission, but a 5W LED in each of the two panels. [Igendesign via Design Blog]

There are lamps that excite me and there are lamps that I couldn't care less about. Then there's this chandelier designed by Robert Kaindl, glass artisan extraordinary, which looks like it would stab me if given the opportunity.

For once, I'm scared to turn on the lights. [Design Milk]