Interesting Facts About Chandeliers

There's no doubt chandeliers are among the most elegant lighting fixtures you can use to adorn your home. Hung from the ceiling, the right one completely transforms a space and anchors its whole design. And if you're new to them, there are a few genuinely interesting facts worth knowing.

Where chandeliers came from

Chandeliers originated in medieval times. During the 14th century, long before electricity, they held candles rather than bulbs — which made them notoriously difficult to keep lit. They were used mainly as decorative elements in wealthy homes rather than as practical light sources, a status symbol as much as a fixture.

The world's largest is almost beyond belief

Some chandeliers are grander than anything you'd picture. The world's largest, known as Reflective Flow, hangs in an office building in Qatar and features roughly 165,000 LEDs — enough light to fill a sizeable stadium. It's a reminder of just how far the form has come from a handful of candles.

A fixture long tied to wealth

For centuries chandeliers were the preserve of royalty and the wealthy — suspended in castles and palaces, prized for the way they filled a grand room with light. Louis XIV, the French Sun King, kept a vast collection at Versailles. The Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul is home to one of the most exquisite examples in the world: it weighs roughly 4,000 pounds and carries 750 lamps.

More than crystal

Crystal may be the material most associated with chandeliers, but it's far from the only one. Today the best pieces are made from genuine materials chosen for how they handle light — hand-cut crystal, natural marble and travertine, solid brass, and polished steel. That's the standard we hold to at Morsale: real materials, never resin dressed up to look like stone or plated plastic pretending to be metal.

Chandeliers add definition to entryways, living rooms, hallways, staircases, and dining rooms alike. Depending on your ceiling height and the room, there's almost always a design that fits. You'll find our full range of modern chandeliers — including our crystal and marble collections — ready to explore.