Lighting has the power to change the mood of your entire house. With ever-changing style trends and some technological advances, the way we light our homes has become very dynamic. From industrial and minimalistic to organic and nature-inspired, it’s easier than ever to find a fixture that you love to incorporate into your home.
Why is lighting important?
For a while in the lighting industry, consumers were choosing the inexpensive floor and table lamps over more pricey mounted fixtures. Just like all trends, though, mounted fixtures have made a huge resurgence lately, giving designers and consumers alike a plethora of stylish options to accentuate their spaces. Longer-lasting bulbs, and perhaps the convenience that ceiling-mounted lights bring, have all advanced this movement away from the table and floor.
Consumers have also realized that an investment in lighting is one of the most cost-effective ways to refresh your home and reinvigorate it. With a $400 chandelier or a few $100 pendants, you can alter the whole look and feel of a room. It is one of the most simple and straightforward ways to update a space.
What’s trending now?
Six major trends are going on right now in the lighting industry. These all follow other major design patterns, so it’s easy to find one that will speak to you and your personal style.
- Vintage and Artisanal – It’s all about upcycling and making the old new again with this trend. Many fixtures incorporate blown glass, mirrored surfaces, and painted finishes, while others go a more artistic route with organic, non-traditional shapes inspired by the environment. It’s all about reusing antique elements in a unique way.
- Minimal and Industrial – It’s safe to say that the industrial trend is going to be around for quite some time. Fixtures in this category are sometimes referred to as “French Industrial,” meaning that they were inspired by mid-century French factory pieces. Industrial fixtures often cross over into the minimalistic realm, as well, with pieces deconstructed down to just bulbs and wire. French or not, this type of lighting is great because it blends in well with practically any design aesthetic.
- Oversized and Dramatic – You don’t have to own a mansion to make a statement piece work in your home. Many lighting manufacturers are producing oversized pendants to serve simply as focal points for a normal-sized dining room tables. Oversized fixtures can add drama to almost any space, and often steal elements from other trends – like industrial or artisanal – to complete their look.
- Bronzes and Coppers – Remember when you switched out all those old brass lamps for more modern nickel ones? Thanks in large part to the fashion industry, that brass is back in style again. Golds, coppers, bronzes and rubbed bronzes are everywhere now. In a nod to the eighties and nineties, mixed metal pieces have also started to make a comeback! Brass pairs well with ever-popular nautical elements, copper goes well with blues and greens, and rubbed bronze can give your room a vintage feel. A metallic pop can work well in almost any space.
- Retro-inspired and Geometric – If it feels like manufacturers are taking inspiration from all the biggest trendsetting decades and throwing them into lighting fixtures right now – you’re right. The fifties, sixties, and seventies have been revived with the metals of the eighties and nineties. Prismatic glass, fabric shades, and geometric designs are back in full force. Old is cool again.
- Malleable and Customizable – We can thank technology for this trend. Manufacturers have the ability now to create malleable shapes that consumers can form to their liking. On some products, consumers can even choose the color of the light based on their mood or the occasion. Fixtures in this category tend to be more minimalistic or nature-inspired, but the level of customization is what counts.
How do I incorporate my favorites?
Once you have fallen in love with a particular style, here are some things to consider:
- What is the color of the room? What will work with that color?
- How much light do I need? How big is the room, and how much natural light does it get?
- What function do I need the fixture to serve? Do I need it to read or cook, or is it merely decorative?
- What form do I want/need? Do I want a chandelier, pendants, recessed lights, or a more specialized lighting feature?
If you struggle to answer these questions yourself, it may be worth it to hire an interior designer to guide you through the buying process. Experienced designers will be able to combine your personal taste with current trends to energize your home. Not all lighting elements are necessarily trendy – like recessed lighting – but sometimes they may be the best choice.
If you want to purchase on your own, one easy way to approach fixtures is to think of your home as a series of lighting zones. Each zone serves its individual purpose – you may eat dinner in one zone and watch TV in another. Once you have figured out the needs of each area, you can then determine which fixtures will meet those needs. Recessed lighting is great, but can create a lot of glare – so it may not be a good choice for your family room. On the other hand, pendants can be hung at different levels, or even mismatched, to light your kitchen island and create a focal point.
New lighting fixtures can be an asset to any home. They can serve as striking centerpieces or delicate decorations thanks to the way lighting manufacturers stay on top of current design trends. Find a piece that inspires you and see how it can transform your space today.
