New York City’s Flatiron District—which was once referred to as the “Ladies’ Mile,” thanks to its numerous high-end department stores—has, in recent years, become something of a mecca for upscale home furnishing outposts. Big brand flagships occupy entire city blocks, while smaller boutiques are nestled into cramped spaces on unassuming side streets. For casual buyers, the result is an overwhelming shopping experience, marked by endless mid-century lighting fixtures and a myriad of minimalist sofas that all eventually begin to look the same.
At the tail end of a recent furniture shopping excursion, my legs had gone numb and my eyes were glazed over; I’d officially reached décor-buying burnout. That is, until a curiously beautiful chandelier caught my eye in a window on 19th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway. I wandered into Modani, a sophisticated modern furniture showroom, and discovered that the object of my affection was the Waverly Chandelier. The fixture is comprised of dangling crystal drops on a flat metal base—beautiful and statement-making, but not overtly garish. I snapped a photo before leaving the showroom empty-handed, but the chandelier’s been on my mind ever since—and now my home seems bare without it. I’m planning another furniture shopping jaunt this weekend, though I’ll most likely make only one stop: to buy myself the chandelier.
