With a funky form such as this Knappa Pendant Lamp, you can't settle for just one. Suspended at various heights, these modern marvels seem to float like jellyfish amid a gently rolling sea. Available from Ikea Systems B.V., the inexpensive jellies fold flat for easy shipping.

With a name like the Nut Pendant Lamp, you'd expect a somewhat unsophisticated fixture. Instead, this compact beauty is a graceful and sophisticated accent. Available through Design Within Reach, the knot-shaped pendant comprises a cherry veneer over a polyester film backing.

Say hello to the modern chandelier. Hidden fiber optics illuminate the fixture's acrylic rods, producing both background light and spotlights. This contemporary Kristall Chandelier is at home in just about any progressive booth - or George Jetson's living room.

Little more than plastic strips folded and formed around a kiwi-shaped frame, this striking fixture screams style and sophistication. Featuring bright-white light emanating through its stark-white exterior, the Cerebro pendant lamp is an intelligent accent for almost any environment.

What's cooler than puffy, cloud-like light fixtures? Puffy, cloud-like light fixtures that expand and compress like real cumulonimbus. Stopping traffic at a skyward glance, these active Nuvola fixtures from Studio Italia Design make even the most jaded attendees stop and say "ahhh."

In reality, these functional fixtures are nothing but lamp shades suspended over a faux retail-store display. But given their dramatic size, contemporary shape, and black-and-white floral motif, the simple but stunning fixtures offer an urbane commentary on the importance of scale.