Words by: Helena Madden, Photography by Sarah Button, Hugo Landa Garcia, and Jason Varney,
When Robert Ogden and Natalie Page designed the Elsa system in 2023, they began with a practical question. “How could we hang multiple pendants while making only one connection in the ceiling?” says Page. When Ogden was flipping through product catalogs and magazines from the 1960s, he saw light fixtures with triangular armatures and three fixed pendants. Those vintage designs inspired the creative duo to give designers the freedom to make a chandelier of their own to meet the needs of any project.
That creative discretion is something that Laura Brophy, an interior designer based in Los Angeles, loves about Elsa. For one project, she needed a light fixture that would add a bit of drama to an entryway, without feeling overwhelming. More importantly, there was only one electrical source available, so there were some logistical challenges to contend with as well. She specified a quintet framework in brass, with elegant Stella shades wrapped in leather. “It’s a great statement chandelier, and it works in a lot of different styles,” she says. “It has a presence to it that’s really special.”
Photo by Hugo Landa Garcia
Now, Lostine is taking Elsa a step further with the introduction of the Lighting Atelier - a new software lets you visualize exactly what the final product will look like before it even enters production. Elsa is incredibly customizable, with many different shade options; you can even specify the number of pendants. Every tweak you make to the design—say you’d prefer the Edmund shade rather than the Lawrence—will be instantly rendered in the software.
Photo by Jason Varney
Elsa is a chameleon, after all—your different renderings will look like completely different light fixtures. For example, Brophy has an Elsa chandelier installed above each of the workstations in her studio. She chose the same finishes and pendants for each—a delicate leather with five lights—for a uniform look. However, because she uses so many different iterations of Elsa for different clients, they often don’t even recognize it. “We spec it for clients, and they don’t realize that we also have it in our studio, because we’re switching out the finishes,” she says.
Photo by Sarah Button
Another possible scenario: Page and Ogden recommend the three-arm version for a living room, with the Stella pendants. “When illuminated, the patterns that project onto the wall and ceiling create a warm and intimate atmosphere,” they say. That interpretation of light is something that Brophy loves as well: “You have this detail in the leather where the light shines through… and I just think that’s really beautiful.”
Photo by Hugo Landa Garcia
The new virtual lighting workshop adds another layer of freedom and customization to a system that has already proven to be quite flexible and adaptable. Elsa’s slender rods and beautiful finishes feel both timeless and vintage all at once; it’s a bit midcentury, while still feeling elegant and of the moment. Brophy has learned how to integrate it seamlessly into many different contexts, something that will be easier than ever now with the new software: “It’s a great light for projects where you need a ‘wow’ moment, but you also need to keep it simple.”
