This ‘living’ chandelier can clean the air in your home

You may already be aware that keeping certain kinds of plants in your home can help purify your air. Spider plants and aloe vera, among others, have been proven to filter out allergens and other indoor pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde. Fewer particles in your home can lead to better sleep and overall improved air quality for you and your family. However, for those of us who lack a green thumb, another high-tech solution could become an option.

London-based Italian inventor Julian Melchiorri recently debuted the world’s first living and breathing chandelier at Britain’s Victoria & Albert Museum. The work of art not only lights up a room, but purports to clean your air in much the same way that plants do. And you don’t even have to remember to water it or give it plant food!

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Entitled “Exhale,” the 30-year-old designer’s one-of-a-kind light fixture can reportedly absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air, thanks to its creator’s artificial leaf technology that mimics the photosynthesis process of a real plant.

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A marvel of futuristic green design, the chandelier is comprised of 70 “petals” that are filled with algae. These microorganisms are activated by a combination of daylight and LEDs, and are sustained by a drip-feed of nutrients. The chandelier can reportedly be used either indoors or outdoors, and gives off a warm, greenish glow. Plus it’s gorgeous. The work even won an award at the museum’s London Design Festival.

While only a prototype at the moment, Melchiorri hopes that light fixtures like Exhale will someday populate large buildings, helping them to eliminate emissions so that there’s cleaner air for everyone to breathe.

For now, while we wait for visionaries like him to revolutionize the world, we’ll just have to make do with houseplants to keep our air as clean as possible.