Sometimes you see a place on the internet and it stays with you for a long time afterward. That's how I felt when I came across fashion designer Hogan McLaughlin's New York loft apartment online a few months ago – I knew I wanted to talk to someone about it.
Some kind of anomaly in the center. In the apartment's palette of rich and luxurious yet neutral colors is a spectacular lime green Murano glass tiered chandelier. It's an explosive statement piece.
This Murano glass chandelier in itself is a design classic, but now I see it in a new light and see it everywhere I look. It's undoubtedly the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon – now that this lighting fixture has caught my eye, I can't help but spot it, can I? However, I have reason to believe that this lighting trend isn't just in my head.
According to 1stDib's annual trends report, in which the company surveys its renowned interior designers, Murano glass pendants and chandeliers are on the rise in the online marketplace and the majority of respondents expect them to be the most popular iconic vintage in 2025. will be a lamp. This beats other design classics such as the Noguchi Akari lamp (last year's crowning champion).
To find out more about what these Murano fixtures say about the current decorating mood, I spoke to Hogan about this bright green wonder and also a Murano glass expert to help you find exactly what you're looking for to drive this trend home.
(Image credit: Hogan McLaughlin)
Hogen tells me that the vibrancy of the green was a happy accident. The apartment Hogan shares with his partner Bill Crisafi has a lofty, industrial vibe that the couple wanted to tone down, and they already knew they loved the handcrafted look of Murano glass because they had previously seen a Murano glass sconce in an old condo owned, so they started paying attention to larger, multi-tiered chandeliers.
“We try to be very conscious of colors when designing our rooms, as our taste mostly leans towards neutral and earthy tones,” the fashion designer tells me. We originally had clear or amber glass in mind, but when we saw this we knew green was the way to go. Strangely enough, that wasn't the color we ordered. “We bought the chandelier in olive green, but the company accidentally sent it to us in this absinthe green glass. They were very accommodating and corrected the error, but also let us keep what they had already sent, so we are now able to swap out the glass whenever we feel like a little change. The longer we sat with it the more we fell in love with the absinthe color and it always gets people talking when Bill thinks it looks like the Emerald City turned upside down and I think it looks like Minas Morgul from “The Lord of the Rings”.
Yes, it's been a big year for decorating with green – everything from Brat Summer to Wicked has made different, bolder hues than usual a defining mood of the moment. And it feels special Right in this tiered chandelier format. “I think it brings both gentleness and boldness,” Hogan says. “It adds energy to the space, but at the same time somehow organically fits in with the plants and greenery. It feels like it has its own line of dripping vines growing from the ceiling.”
There is something both timeless and decidedly modern about this style of tiered chandelier, especially when contrasted with a more familiar classic silhouette. It is a combination of material and form (and in this case color) in an exciting and dynamic way.
Why is Murano glass trendy?
(Image credit: Hogan McLaughlin)
You can find standard glass chandeliers in similar styles to Murano chandeliers (in fact, Soho Home's green Chiara chandelier almost matches Hogan's living room lighting, albeit with ombre glass), so these poetically shaped fixtures could be a catalyst in reviving this Materials is not just about their design. Murano glass not only has a level of prestige that makes it desirable to the higher end of the market, but also a special, inimitable quality that sets it apart.
If you're unfamiliar, Murano glass refers to glass made on Murano, an island just outside Venice in Italy. “Glass has been made and developed here since the 13th century,” says Lina Laurin, founder of Studio Laurin, a retailer specializing in Murano glass chandeliers. “The tradition is strong and Murano glass is still handcrafted by glassmakers for many generations with the skills and professionalism that have been passed down for centuries. The level of craftsmanship is a central aspect of Murano glass, ensuring its high quality and special shine.”
It has a clear structure that can help you identify the real offer. Because it is handmade, it has irregularities and some roughness and you can see bubbles in the glass across the layers. It has a depth and feel that conveys an idea of the human touch and adds a sense of soul to the resulting lighting, vases and more.
However, this provenance often comes with a price that reflects their prestige: Murano glass chandeliers sell for thousands upon thousands of dollars.
What different types of Murano glass chandeliers are there?
Murano chandeliers come in a variety of shapes, but it's these tiered styles that are currently capturing our collective imagination. However, there are a few different tiered designs you should know about that can help you find exactly the style you're looking for.
Hogan, for example, is a style called Tronchi, with its delicate, flower-shaped tubes. Below, our Murano expert Lina Laurin outlines the silhouettes you need to know about.
1. POLYHEDRON
The Poliedri is a flat glass chandelier with angular, jewel-like polyhedra. “The Poliedri prism was presented by Venini at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels,” explains Lina, “designed by Ignazio Gardella, Paolo Venini and Enrico Peresutti.”
“The same prism was used for the famous Cascade CHANDELIER that Venini created together with Carlo Scarpa and presented at the Turin Expo “Italia '61,” adds Lina.
2. PROTOCOLS
“The mid-century modernist Tronchi chandelier with tubular prisms was designed by Tony Zuccheri for Venini in the 1960s,” says Lina. Often seen in colorful designs, these long glass tubes have a subtle flower shape.
3. MURANO PETAL
With its flared glass petals, this style of chandelier is pretty and elegant.
“The 'Murano Petal' was introduced to the market in the 1960s by a group of glass workers in Murano who called themselves La Murrina,” explains Lina. “However, it took decades for the La Murrina trademark to be registered worldwide.”
4. DROP
“The 'Murano Drop' prism has been made by various glassmakers since the 1970s,” Lina tells me. Like oversized raindrops, they give the chandelier a soft, flowing look.
No matter what style of tiered chandeliers you're interested in, they share a design language that I predict we'll see more of next year than ever before. Don't think of it as a fleeting trend, though – these timeless designs have been popular for decades, and there's no doubt they'll stay that way well into the future.