Cassandras predicting doom for design whimsy in the face of the global financial mess may prove to be as mistaken as those premature eulogists of irony. Exhibit A: Kurrency, a conceptual line of chandeliers from Stuart Karten Design. The Los Angeles firm with the DWR-looking logo suggests that instead of stowing your dollars under your mattress or with your teetering-on-the-edge-of-insolvency bank (you’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life, right?), you should keep them in plain sight, hanging by the hundreds from its new light fixture.

Kurrency, which looks like an inverted wedding cake, comes in a variety of denominations and currencies, from euros to pesos. For even more impact, financial buzzwords such as Greed, Safety Net, and Stratification (huh?) are projected below. Karten is quoted in the press release as saying, “In today’s economy, there is perhaps nothing so beautiful as cold hard cash.”

Sure, it might sound crass, it’s the best argument I’ve heard in a while for the intrinsic value of design. More photos after the jump.