Right now, it seems, lighting choice for the home are more about style and less about illumination. Truly, it appears that, based on recent sales, more and more consumers are looking for lighting options that add to the décor, not just make it glow. From the ultra-traditional to the most fashionable contemporary among us, lighting choices are taking off in a new direction. Consumers do not pick up any lamp now; rather, they choose the perfect addition to the room's decorative elements.
Material-wise, designers are becoming much more open to the mediums they use. Combining the delicate silk shades with industrious wrought iron, or brushed nickel topped with floral patterns, seems to be the newest trend in lighting. The mixture of design elements allows consumers to show their own style and unique tastes through the luminary selections in their homes. This mixture of design elements is quite popular, as the typical genres are combining, making the lines of distinction between, say, traditional and contemporary, much less defined.
Nonetheless, the same genres of design are tending to lead the pack, with traditional lighting at the forefront of the market. However, the traditional style is less ostentatious and more about creating that classic look in a cleaner style. Contemporary is huge, too, but not as eclectic or harsh as it once was perceived to be. And of course, there is still the category of casual elegant lighting, which is nowhere near as lackluster, but is rather now moving toward a more refined and graceful appearance.
Not surprisingly, as focus on living “greener” has become the mainstream ideal, consumers are demanding–and receiving–energy-efficient lighting options for home interiors. From compatibility with energy-saving bulbs to materials manufactured with the least amount of negative environmental impact possible, lighting designers and manufacturers are responding with eco-friendly fixtures for environmentally-conscious consumers. There does not need to be a compromise on style, either. To be certain, some of the most desirable fixtures are also the most visually appealing.
All in all, lighting trends are moving in a direction more indicative of creating an elegance, a softness, to all décor, regardless of the genre. Quality is of utmost importance, from the materials used to the energy that will be consumed. Appearance, too, seems to be factoring into lighting choices among consumers, who are focusing on the decorative impressions that the lighting fixtures can have on a room. A lamp is no longer just a lamp, but a point of interest in the room. Fixtures that flow with the décor and appear to be made “just for” the room are what consumers want, and lighting designers are giving it to them.
