Lighting is often overlooked in home design—considered a practical necessity rather than a key element of style. But in reality, the right lighting does so much more than illuminate a space. It sets the mood, enhances your décor, and adds layers of personality and artistry to any room.
A Mass of Glass Globes
Chandeliers used to be rather predictable in general shape, but now that different types of ceiling installations the range of options is oh-so-much wider! This fixture by Embassy Interiors of Poland is a mass of oversize dimpled glass globes, that are suspended at different heights from the metal plate on the ceiling. This type of fixture is ideal for a tall entryway, a large dining area or room with a higher ceiling.
Outdoor Accessory Lighting
As we turn our outdoor spaces into extensions of the interior rooms, accent lighting can help create the right mood outside too. The Ropy Table Lamp from Royal Botania Outdoor is a perfect accent on a coffee table or side table. It has a solar LED but is also rechargeable via USB, which means you’re not tethered to an outlet and can take this cute little lamp anywhere outdoors. It is made from coated aluminum and polyolefin fiber.
Wall Lighting as Art
Wall lighting provides not only some mood illumination but is also a spectacular wall art addition. This arrangement consists of several pieces of the Folia fixture from Crystal St. Louis, which make a marvelous statement. The piece was inspired by the forests surrounding the manufacturing facility in Moselle, France. The woods are represented by the hand crafted base and the crystal shared are adorned with geometric and organic carvings that honor the leaves.
Modern Geometric Pendants
Adding a modern edge to décor is easy with geometric pendants like these from CVL. This grouping is from the company’s the Calé(e) collection of geometric patterns that play on a visual imbalance of simple forms. The arrangement is completely customizable and the cluster of pendants can be as big or small as desired. A variety of metal finishes are available but the round disc is always rendered in the black finish.
One-of-a-Kind Vintage
With vintage glassware as the base and inspiration, these Glass Droplet fixtures from Studio Kalff are unique creations. The combination of old and new creates a completely fresh looking pendant and transforms the function and form of the original objects. Each one is hand-made and composed of the varying elements. The fusion of the more detailed pieces with minimalist orbs and capsules create versatile pieces for almost any style of home.
Portable and Versatile
Although designed for the outdoors, Fermob’s lamps can go anywhere because these models are cordless and USB rechargeable. This collection shows the round MOOON! Lamp along with the different sizes of the Balad Lamp.
The Balad is a modern interpretation of a handheld lantern while the MOOON! is fresh take on the 19th century Parisian street lamp. It also has two light temperature settings and is dimmable. In both cases, the lamps have aluminum frames and a polyethylene diffuser. As stylish as these are, they can go inside or out.
Large and Theatrical
Lighting fixtures that are large and dramatic are ideal for tall spaces like an entryway or a living space with a soaring cathedral ceiling. Modern designs like the Linea from Brand Van Egmond are as much art piece as they are a functional fixture.
Like a whirl in the air, the Linea floats in the open space, displaying light and metal elements. Linear sections appear to be randomly placed yet create a beautiful, cohesive and proportional suspension light fixture that adds a sense of theatricality to the room.
Day to Night Style
Understated wall art by day and striking sconce by night. The Bahia from Foscarini has a soft look that is stylish at any time of day, reminiscent of the sun or moon. Changing shadows and depth of light that varies create a glowing light fixture that is ideal for literally any room in the home. The luminescence from the all-white piece casts a magical and diffuse glow across the wall, much like the moon itself.
Organic Shapes
Inspired by the undulating movement of sand on the ocean floor, the Mytilus is a powerful shape that conveys a sense of movement. Designed by Arturo Alvarez, these pendants are part of a larger collection, all crafted from painted stainless steel mesh, that consists of organic forms that are ceiling pendants or wall lights.
The interplay of light and shadow through the mesh brings to mind the waves and constant motion of the water and the sands, both alive and mysterious. Stylish as a single pendant, a grouping of the large and medium sizes creates an artistic array and focal point in the space.
Customizable Linear Elements
Among the many advances that LED technology has allowed is the customized modularity of lighting fixtures like the Halo Wall Sconce from Vibia of Barcelona. The linear sections can easily be styled into arrangements both big and small.
Each stick has A double methacrylate cover, which gives it a more diffused lighting quality while the LED technology is hidden. The aluminum-base fixture was designed by Martin Azùa and is part of a larger Halo collection. The beauty of the wall sconce is that imagination is the only limit to how it can be arranged.
Painted Metal Designs
Simple rounds become the basis for the uber-stylish Timeo pendant lights from Masiero of Italy. Designer Omri Revesz transforms painted metal elements into fixtures that are modern but have almost a moth-like appearance as if they are glowing beings ready to take flight.
The small pendants are part of the larger Timeo family of light fixtures, which encompasses medium and large pendants with an entirely different — but still drama-filled — look. The artful pieces are ideal for a range of decor styles from modern to transitional.
Innovative Floor and Table Designs
Definitely out the ordinary when it comes to contemporary table and floor lamps, the Papilio from Masieri is a customizable design. The name is derived from the Latin term for butterfly because it was inspired by the movement of butterfly wings.
The number of shades and Murano glass globes in the painted metal fixture is an individual choice and the shades can be positioned however you like — pointing upward or down. Created by Armando Bruno and Alberto Torres, the Papilio is a contemporary floor lamp that is also a fresh design addition to a room. The matching table lamp has a smaller profile but just as much style.
Funny Lighting Fixtures
To keep home design from getting too serious, it a good idea to add a little whimsy to keep the mood light and these funny lamps from Seletti are just the ticket. For a smaller touch, choose one of these cute little white mice — named Step, Lop and Mac — carrying their own lights.
They’re funny lighting fixtures designed by Marcantonio that will definitely get attention from family and friends! For something a little bolder, the bug mischievous monkey can sit on a shelf or hang from the wall, offering up a bulb to light your way. Designed by Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, the monkey also comes in a model suitable for outdoor use.
Modern Chandelier Concept
Today’s modern chandelier designs challenge the notions you probably have about chandeliers. More modular and sleek that the traditional kind, fixtures like the Interweave from Artemide combine lighting and other electronic elements like sensors and speakers.
The flexible system has two sizes of cylinders that contain light sources and are also connected by a flexible LED fixture that runs among them like a visible current. Designer Pallavi Dean created the fixture, highlighting the cylinders with multiple cuts. the arrangement is completely customizable and controlled via the Artemide App or Alexa voice control. This new type of design is a creative combination of functions in the most stylish way.
Big and Bold
Big and bold lighting fixtures are a fabulous option in an open plan space because they don’t overwhelm the decor. Adriani & Rossi’s Plissè Vogue Lamp is a great example of how the right piece adds drama.
The expansive fabric shade is large yet light in feeling, punctuated by a Murano glass globe at its center. Here the lamp is done in a neutral tone, but it is also available in dark gray and bordeaux. When using a statement pendant lamp fixture in the middle of the room, it’s not necessary to have a lot of detail cluttering up the space.
Artful Industrial Style
Inspired by the melting watches in paintings by Salvador Dalì, the namesake pendant light design from Tosca Design for Tonin has the same surrealist vibe. The Dalì pendant features fused glass that looks like it is melting over the solid oak wood supports that have a recessed LED light inside.
The light fixture, which also comes in a table model, is suspended by a genuine leather strap. While the combination of materials gives it an industrial vibe, it is still very refined and modern lighting fixture.
