This Mid-Century Modern Light Transformed My Living Room, and It Can Give Yours a Facelift, Too

I often joke that it’s immediately apparent what design styles I’m loving at the moment based on my latest saves on Pinterest, and honestly, it’s fun to look back at my boards and see how my aesthetic has slowly evolved over time. That said, if you were to scroll through my pins from the past several years, you would notice that a few things have remained constant — particularly my love of Serge Mouille-style chandeliers.

Even if you don’t know these light fixtures by name, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve seen one before. In fact, a 2019 New York Magazine article referred to them as “the chandelier in every renovated brownstone in Brooklyn,” which, based on the many real estate listings I’ve combed through, is pretty darn accurate. Featuring spindly arms, oftentimes stretching halfway across the ceiling, these black metal chandeliers have been a popular choice among contemporary designers for a long time. While an actual Serge Mouille fixture will set you back a whopping $7,000, don’t worry — there are plenty of affordable replicas on the market.

After years of swooning over these eye-catching fixtures, I placed an order online and booked a TaskRabbit to handle the installation process. With so many replica pieces on the market, I made sure to look closely at pricing and read reviews before landing on my top pick. The winner? A Bed Bath & Beyond gem that, at just under $350, still felt like a splurge to me but wasn’t a multi-thousand dollar kind of splurge.

Having lived with this light fixture in my apartment for the past year, I can honestly say that it’s majorly elevated my apartment. I love how eye-catching the fixture is from the moment I walk in the front door, and I always get compliments on it from other design-savvy individuals (who can often see it in the background of our Zoom meetings). Though I plan to move apartments soon, it will be easy for me to bring my Serge replica with me.

I may not live in a Brooklyn brownstone just yet, but with a chandelier that steals the show, I feel like I’m at least one tenth of the way there.