Lighting Trends 2021 - What to Look Out for in the New Year

Lighting as art 

Lighting design has come a long way over the years. No longer are lights simply a boring, practical item to be stuck to the ceiling for a purely functional benefit. Today, lighting fixtures come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and designs to suit virtually any interior design style. Whether you’re after something minimal or vibrant, there’s a style out there for you. 

For avid artists or designers, lighting can even be considered an art piece on its own. From decorative lampshades to delicate pendant lights to sculptured lights, there are many choices on the market if you want to use lighting fixtures to brighten up the design of your home. 

Some artistic lighting trends in 2021 include: 

• Using hanging lights as a design focal point 
• Sculptural lamps 
• Floor lamps 
• Playing with colour and pattern 
• Playing with contrast  

Natural light 

If you’re lucky enough to have a home with plenty of natural light, make use of it! Natural light is a wonderful way to brighten the home while also saving on electricity, and is set to be a top lighting trend in 2021. Not only does natural light look great, but it also can improve mood by bringing a little of the outdoors in. 

If you’re able to brighten your home with natural light during the day, you’ll be less reliant on powerful ceiling lights and can instead use artificial lighting to just add small amounts of light where you need it or to add mood to the space. 

Alongside natural light, you can consider using the following to accent the space: 

• Table lamps to help with reading, desk work or any other up-close work. 
• Pendant lights to add an interesting design element to your home while providing gentle light. 
• Adding a dimmer switch to the lights in your home, so you can increase and decrease the brightness depending on the time of day. 

Home office lighting 

It’s no secret that more of us are now working at home than ever before. What was once a temporary solution for many workplaces is now looking to be indefinite, so you may want to consider revamping your home office in 2021. Depending on the space you have available, this may involve upgrading from working at the dining table to an actual desk or investing in a more ergonomic setup. 

No matter what you choose, it’s important to consider how lighting factors in. The last thing you want to do is be straining your eyes for long hours in a dim room, which won’t be ideal for your productivity or health! 

Working from home also gives you a chance to upgrade from the typical fluorescent tubes that most offices have installed. At home, you have the flexibility of lighting your space to suit you and your needs. 

Some trendy ways you can light your home office in 2021 include: 

• Installing lights that suit the design of your home so it doesn’t look like a workspace when everything is shut down at the end of the day. 
• Having a small desk light to help with close-up work, especially as it gets closer to the end of the workday and natural lighting starts to decrease. 
• Including accent lighting to highlight the more homely parts of your space, such as lamps or downlights to show off artworks. This is especially helpful if you’re working from a communal area and want to create space between work and the home. 

Brass fixtures 

Brass lighting fixtures are predicted to be one of the top lighting trends of 2021. Their classic, timeless yet modern look suits most interior design styles and they blend in beautifully with many colour schemes. Depending on your preferences, brass can give either a bold or minimal effect, or even somewhere in between. 

Brass creates a warm, comfortable atmosphere in any space due to its softness compared with silver, gold and other metals. 

There are many brass lighting fixtures available in 2021 to suit a wide range of design preferences and budgets. These include: 

• Lamps 
• Pendant lights 
• Wall lights 
• Ceiling lights 
• Decorative lights 

Sustainability 

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly popular consideration amongst homeowners, especially when it comes to electricity usage. Renovating a house is a great opportunity to take stock of what’s working well in your home when it comes to sustainability, and what can be improved. Many people recognise the importance of lighting when it comes to optimising energy consumption in their homes. 

There are many ways you can consider sustainability including: 

• Replacing your globes with LED or other energy-saving bulbs 
• Choosing sustainable materials for lighting fixtures 
• Reusing existing fixtures, if they’re safe to use and in good condition 
• Shopping second hand or vintage for items such as light shades