Smart tips on buying chandeliers and other lighting fixtures for your house

When you're out buying one, don't be over-obsessed with utility; pick up a piece that has aesthetic appeal and gels with the living area or bedroom

When you're buying a chandelier, you aren't just buying a lighting fixture. "You are actually acquiring a jewel, an artwork, a sculpture," says Regis Mathieu, light designer and director at French brand Mathieu Lustrerie, and an authority on chandeliers. Mathieu, who has worked on the grand restoration of France's iconic Palace of Versailles and the residences of royal families in the Middle East and Asia, redefines the very concept of lighting. He says one must not look so much for utilitarian value, or how powerful the light is, but must explore the aethestic value of the item one has set