Even a century-old lighting company (140 years, to be exact) knows it’s hip to be square. Schonbek, which specializes in glittering, scintillating, splendorous Ur-chandeliers—the type of chandeliers one thinks of when one considers the very word chandelier (the type of chandelier that graces illustrious institutions like the White House and Buckingham Palace)—is introducing Riviera for 2013.
A gleaming box of stainless steel or brushed stainless steel containing a myriad of clear dangling crystals (Swarovski Elements or Spectra), Riviera proves that square can still be glamorous—as glamorous as the Hollywood vamps of yesteryear with their ruby red lips and luscious falls of hair.
Available in eight sizes, including rectangular and two-tiered versions, Riviera may be a chandelier to save marriages. Offering a true compromise between traditional chandeliers and modern luminaires, Riviera features clean geometry and resplendent crystals. And while they shine in glorious prismatic beauty, the crystals are rectangular, resembling chiseled little icicles or beveled gems.