Lighting a luxury villa in Prague: six rooms, one crystal signature

Where does a project like this begin?

With measurement, not with choosing a chandelier. Before the first design existed, every position intended for a light fitting was measured precisely — ceiling height and build-up, the location of electrical outlets, load-bearing capacity, the slopes of the loft. Those measurements determined the fixing points, which have to be prepared before a fitting is even ordered.

Only then did the lighting design take shape. Some fittings were selected from the ArtCrystal collections; others were designed specifically for this interior — the almost three-metre fitting above the kitchen run, for instance, or the large chandelier above the dining table, whose proportions follow the footprint of the tabletop. For each room the client received several visualisations and solution variants across different price levels; at ArtCrystal, visualisation is free.

The final step was installation by ArtCrystal Tomeš's own experienced technicians. It was precisely this preparation that allowed every chandelier to get the right height, the right anchoring and the right relationship to the architecture around it — from the main fitting in the living room to the details in the bathroom and hallway.

How large should a chandelier in a living room be?

For the living room we chose the crystal chandelier EL1022402PB — a large cut-crystal piece measuring almost a metre across. Every component is made of genuine Bohemian cut crystal. Its classic silhouette, high brilliance and sheer presence let it hold its own even in a room with full-height windows.

The two things that decide the choice of a living-room chandelier are the room's dimensions and the ceiling height. Every fitting therefore comes with a configurator that indicates, based on room size and ceiling height, whether it suits your interior. Even under a 2.8-metre ceiling a large crystal chandelier fits comfortably — provided the drop length is chosen correctly.

Read more in our complete guide to choosing a crystal chandelier.

Which bedroom light works when it should be modern but not cold?

For the bedroom we chose the designer chandelier EL2081203 — a twelve-arm fitting with smooth, radially shaped arms and pronounced pointed pendants of Bohemian crystal. Cut geometric lines decorate the bobeches beneath the bulbs and the central elements, revealing themselves fully only once the light is switched on. In terms of dimensions, the chandelier suits larger rooms with a standard ceiling height.

This type of fitting answers a request we hear constantly from owners of newly built homes: crystal, yes — an ornate chandelier, no. The smooth arms keep the clean line of a modern interior, while the crystal stays concentrated in the details, where it works hardest with the light.

→ Similar fittings: Modern crystal chandeliers

How do you combine crystal and marble in a bathroom?

By using fittings from a single collection. The marble-clad bathroom received the designer chandelier EL208803 above the bath, paired with two EN208203 wall lights from the same range.

The loft bathroom opens onto a view across the city and its spires. The crystal chandelier, with its glass arms and pointed pendants, creates the atmosphere, while recessed spots and an LED strip above the bath handle the practical light.

Polished marble reflects the light of the wall fittings and the windows, visually brightening the entire space. Their position therefore had to be measured exactly before anything was drilled into the exotic stone. Installation was carried out by the ArtCrystal team, experienced in unconventional interiors and demanding fits.

→ Wall lights

What do you do when no catalogue chandelier fits your dining table or kitchen run?

You have one designed to measure. That is exactly how both fittings for the kitchen and dining room came about — built around the dimensions and character of this particular interior, rather than the other way round.

Above the kitchen run hangs a fitting measuring 280 × 30 cm. From a polished metal base fall cut pendants of varying lengths, finished with rectangular prisms that break the light into the full spectrum.

The fitting above the dining table measures 160 × 90 cm and carries 24 bulbs. It copies the footprint of the table: wide from the side, narrow from the head.

Bespoke manufacture is a standard part of what ArtCrystal offers: dimensions, shape, the number of pendants and the finish of the metal parts can all be adjusted.

And how long does a bespoke fitting take to make?

•  Simpler modifications to existing models: 3–4 weeks
•  More complex changes and full bespoke manufacture: 8–10 weeks

What holds the whole house together?

The hallway. The ceiling fittings there are built from the same cut pendants as the fitting above the kitchen run, only on a circular base instead of an elongated one. Walking from the kitchen into the hallway, the shape changes — the signature does not. The same play of light repeats across the ceilings: a detail most people notice only the second time around.

 → Similar fittings: Crystal ceiling lights · Modern lighting

Frequently asked questions

• • • Will a large crystal chandelier fit under a 2.8-metre ceiling?

Yes. The living room of this villa holds a chandelier almost a metre in diameter. Its overall height can be adjusted through the chain length. The lower edge should stay at least 213 cm above the floor — with a 2.8 m ceiling that leaves 67 cm. The constraint is the height of the fitting, not its diameter.

• • • Will you make a fitting to match my table or kitchen run exactly?

Yes. The dining fitting in this villa is 160 × 90 cm with 24 bulbs; the one above the kitchen run is 280 × 30 cm. ArtCrystal fittings are made to order in the Czech Republic, and dimensions, the number of pendants and the finish of the metal parts can all be adapted. Modifying a catalogue model takes 3 to 4 weeks; a design from scratch, 8 to 10 weeks.

• • • Does lighting need to be resolved during construction?

Ideally, yes. In this villa the design was preceded by measurements of ceilings, outlets and load-bearing capacity, so the fixing points were ready in time and nothing had to be cut open during installation. If the interior is already finished it can still be done — the choice simply narrows to what the existing outlet and ceiling will carry.

• • • Where can I see fittings like these in person?

At the ArtCrystal showroom in Jablonec nad Nisou, the historic centre of Czech glassmaking — JBX Palace, Palackého 3145/41, 590 m² and more than 250 chandeliers in furnished settings, Mon–Fri 8:00–16:00.

In Prague, at the gallery in the OD Máj Národní department store, Národní 63, second floor, daily 10:00–22:00, where a crystal sky of 142 fittings hangs above the food hall. Delivery across Europe is free of charge.

• • • I want the lighting coordinated throughout my house. Can you handle both design and installation?

Yes. ArtCrystal Tomeš designs lighting for entire interiors — from the entrance through to the bathrooms. We prepare a visualisation within photographs of your own space free of charge, present several variants at different price levels, manufacture the fittings in the Czech Republic and install them with our own technicians.

Send us photographs of your interior – visualising the fittings in your space costs nothing.