Chandelier with glass leaves uses algae to serve as an air purifier

I’m not a chandelier kind of person so I will probably never be on the lookout for anything like that for my house. But whenever I see something that’s pretty interesting or looks elegant or unique, I would stop and admire it and sometimes maybe even figure out what materials they used for it. To be honest though, I would rather look at “natural” things like flowers, trees, sunlight, etc. But what if there was something that combines the two and is also helping the environment?

Designer: Julian Melchiorri

This is what we get with the “living” chandelier Exhale, which not only lights up your space but also is able to purify the air around you. The design engineer and biotechnologist who created this was also responsible for the first synthetic biological leaf and so he also was inspired by that for his latest design. He received the Emerging Talent Award during the London Design Week where the chandelier was also on display.

Exhale is made up of 70 glass leaves that contain green algae. This is the component that lets the chandelier absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This way, it’s not just decorative but also serves as your air purifier while doing its main purpose of lighting up your room. The algae actually filters through the light so you get a green glow kind of aesthetic lighting. The entire thing is also modular so you can arrange it the way you want or need it to look.

It should be able to work both inside and outdoors, although for the latter, you probably don’t need the lighting function except at night. But if you just need it for air purifying purposes, you can just place it where you will need the air to be better.