Any interior designer worth their salt will tell you that it is unwise to follow current design trends. What’s fashionable one month could be written off as a major fashion faux pas the next. Even if a particular Adirondack chair or hand-woven area rug is featured in all of the design magazines, it doesn’t mean you’re going to like it. It seems too that we’re only ever shown one or two pieces that have the design world by storm. Why not give the consumer a choice? What if we don’t like the featured design?
Like clothing, furniture and tech, lighting fixtures have their own trends too. But this article isn’t going to focus on just one; you’re going to get a selection so you can choose the design elements that best fit you and your tastes.
Stripped Down Retro Fixtures
Designers often work from the same design catalog. They note what worked in designs of yesteryear and try to merge the success of the original design with contemporary standards. Nostalgia has taken the public by storm, with people gravitating towards the funky faux fur textures and muted earthen tones of the 1970s. Though not willing to turn the clock quite all the way back, today’s design enthusiasts prefer ornament-free, metal light fixtures that are more vibrant and rich in their varied color tones. Angular, geometrical fixtures with little to no ornamentation rich in color can transcend trends and continue look good in your living room no matter the decade.
Mixing Golds and Metallics
This takes us to the second trend of 2017, bringing out the metallic tones of the steel, wrought-iron and aluminum fixtures. Rather than covering up the natural sheen and luster of the metals, designers are trying to bring them out and elevate the artistry of the light fixture. By mixing and matching metals, people are given the option to spice up their interiors in general. Rather than sticking with one theme, designers and design aficionados can change up a space by replacing the white ceramic lamp with an aluminum one without throwing off the mood of the room. Contemporary lighting like the metal fixtures created by today’s designers has fused simplicity with ostentation.
The Edison Bulb
By now you’ve noticed that the general theme of 2017’s lighting trends is simplification. It is form follows function taken the extreme. This can be seen in the use of the Edison bulb. Typically hanging down uncovered from the ceiling, the bulb, a replication of the original light bulb created by the Edison Electric Light Co. more than a century ago. Loved by designers and home dwellers for emitting a warm amber glow, the Edison bulb brings a spark of romance to the interior ordinary bulbs just can’t do.
Industrial Linearity
Contemporary lighting fixtures of 2017 are all about lines. What matters most about an interior space is the feeling it evokes when in use. Is the space inviting or sterile? The clean lines of contemporary light fixtures takes the attention away from the four walls of the space and brings it to the people and things inhabiting the room. Interior spaces are supposed to bring people close together, by removing distraction, lighting designers are working to bring you and your guests closer together.
Geometrical Perfection
Though simplicity in design is much sought after, users still want their interiors to feel fun and inspiring. Simple yet sophisticated, geometrical light fixture designs are making a splash in the design world, adding an artistic voice to the space and warming up the room. Light fixtures can be sculptural. The geometric fixtures in today’s market showcase this and demonstrate the importance of individuality and fun.
What is most important is decorating your space to your taste. With the selection you have above, that should be easy enough to do.