Open Stairwell, California, USA

An open two-story stairwell in a modern family home: dark wood treads, a glass railing with black posts, white walls and tall windows that bring daylight down to the entry. Sneakers on the bottom step and a backpack on the newel post are a reminder that this is a staircase people actually use every day.

An open stairwell is a large vertical void, and a regular pendant hung at the top leaves most of it empty. A long chandelier that drops through the full height of the space fills that void, lights the stairs on every level and turns the stairwell into the most memorable part of the house.

The Levens chandelier does this with a polished round canopy and cascading crystal strands arranged in a spiral. During the day the crystals catch the light from the windows; in the evening, with the other lights off, it becomes a column of warm sparkle that is visible from the entry, from the stairs and from the upstairs landing.

The result is a staircase that feels light and dramatic at the same time, without any heavy decoration.