Today’s chandeliers simply drip with style.

The search for that perfect crowning glory to dining tables, foyers, and stairwells is well served in Vancouver by a glorious selection of modern chandeliers. Forget about the chunky, garishly baroque chandeliers from decades past. Today’s chandeliers are sleek, contemporary, sophisticated, and dripping with style.

If you want to make an instant statement, but without undertaking major renovations, then lighting is always your best bet. The immediate style impact, not to mention functionality, makes investing in a chandelier a shrewd move.

The crystal chandelier remains the classic, but there’s no need to immediately shy away from these glamorous gems. Although they have an ornate and ostentatious reputation, the modern crystal chandelier has become an elegant fixture worthy of any urban dwelling.

Chandeliers from Canada-based GLOW Lighting (www.glowlighting.com/) have been available at Industrial Revolution (2306 Granville Street) for just over a year and have been a hit from the beginning with both consumers and designers. Using small crystals (either Danube or Swarovski) to form a mesh-like covering, the crystals are suspended and draped over the bulb, so when lit it’s absolutely brilliant. These chandeliers are inherently sparkly, but also tidy, streamlined, and intense. The right colour or colour combination determines how demure or playful your chandelier is.

Sylvia Heron, a sales associate at Industrial Revolution, says “these chandeliers are the most popular lights we have at this time. They are selling faster than any other lights we have in our store. When these are up, everything else looks dull in comparison.” GLOW chandeliers start at $385, and are available in a variety of shapes and configurations.

For a unique interpretation of the modern chandelier, Omer Arbel, creative director of Vancouver-based Bocci (www.bocci.ca/) has created the 14 Series of hanging lights. These are suspended, glowing globes made from cast glass with frosted cores, which house 10-watt halogen lamps. They have a magical, ethereal glow, as if Tinker Bell was housed in each one, and when showcased in clusters, the impact is magical. Available for just over two years and with installations all over the world, they may be seen in Vancouver in the newly renovated Holt Renfrew and kitty-cornered at the Shore Club.

Arbel’s background in architecture shows in this chandelier’s clean yet highly analytical construction. The orb shape is deceptively simple, but creating a balanced, warm, and inviting light within requires absolute technical mastery. Bocci frequently works with professional designers and architects, but also has many private clients, to whom it offers both off-the-shelf and custom-made chandeliers. Premade fixtures start at $276 for a single-pendant chandelier, rising to $8,476 for a 24-pendant chandelier.

For those from the school of everything-old-is-new-again, Inform Interiors (50 Water Street) is a mecca for mid-20th-century modern design. The Bubble Lamp—airy, lofty, and effervescent—is one of the most recognizable silhouettes from the 1950s, with original pieces inducted into the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. With its classical white colour and lantern structure, this chandelier remains a classic today because of its simple lines, fun geometric shapes, and luminous glow. A saucer-shape version is available at Inform for $357.

Other retro-inspired modern chandeliers at Inform include the Dandelion, a pretty and whimsical pendant from the Netherlands in the shape of a dandelion flower made from laser-cut powder-coated steel ($2,943). Using graphic curves and retro lines, this chandelier looks like a suspended dandelion-fireworks display, with the blooms exploding outwards.

The Blossom has a very distinctive shape, based on the agave plant with its fleshy, bold leaves. This handmade chandelier consists of black or white porcelain petals, layered in an almost origamilike fashion to create a sculptural and graceful piece. It is substantial in body, yet still incredibly graceful and produces a calming light. The small white Blossom is $2,415; the small black Blossom is $2,654.

Finally, for those with deep pockets, the PH Artichoke is a stunning chandelier that actually looks like a stylized upside-down artichoke ($16,039). With 72 thin, metal, angular leaves, masterfully arranged to shield the light source, the final effect is a dramatic diffusion of light. First created in 1958, it retains its fresh, almost space-age look due to its simple cut and symmetrical design.