The chandelier is easily one of the most ostentatious lighting fixtures; even modern and retrofuturistic variations tend to have some element of over-the-top showiness to them. Well, no more: Lobmeyr—a Viennese glass company that dates back to 1823—recently invited Thomas Feichtner to challenge the status quo and "reinterpret their traditionally opulent chandeliers in a less-is-more style."

Each "One Crystal Chandelier" consists of a curved tube with an LED at the end, pointed upward to illuminate a single crystal, alluding to the traditional chandelier as a point of departure, transcending their decorative nature to achieve a more understated aesthetic.The design... consciously breaks with the historically more formal and representative role that crystal chandeliers have played. It is not powerful opulence, but rather a fascinating simplicity that dominates this work. And it is the use of LED technology that makes it possible to take this approach to its logical conclusion. The concept becomes particularly clear within the context of the producer's history and in light of the way it contrasts with traditional chandelier designs. One Crystal Chandelier is an affordable lighting element for a design-loving but no less traditional public--an "entry-level" chandelier which can be expanded by adding further crystals as one sees fit.

If his exhibition at the Salone, "One to Five," was a bit more on the conceptual side, Feichtner's new "One Crystal Chandelier" is decidedly more practical, at least to the extent that it makes a traditionally decadent light fixture available to all.