I was hired by Sylvania Lighting/ Ledvance to research and present lighting trend as it applied to mass market sconces and pendants for retailer Lowes.  This presentation is the 3rd of three consecutive years of presenting trend for this client.    

OVERVIEW:

As is the case with home interiors in general, lighting trends shift slowly and build and morph over time.  The two largest traditional categories, Lantern Light and Industrial Elements reflect industrial and even Steam Punk qualities whereas the more contemporary categories, Hemisphere and Geometric Marvels, are still leaning heavily on mid century design.  I’m seeing a few micro trends that show signs of a 70’s come back as well!

Continuations on last year’s trends are not dramatic but show steady growth.  Finishes and materials are one way they are growing and changing subtly.  One sweeping change across styles is an increased appearance of warmer metal tones such as brass and bronze.  Copper is present, but still a bit of an outlier.  An interesting addition for 2020 becomes the playful use of oxidation methods to give new color and texture to traditional shapes.  We are seeing beautiful use of copper greens in brands like Charles Edwards and Urban Electric Co., as well as Dowsing and Reynold’s tarnished copper drawer pulls.  Dowsing and Reynolds is even going so far as to offer rusty hardware such as a fully rusted hook it sells on it’s website for £4.99!  Kohler offers a more controlled take on oxidation with it’s addition of a new proprietary “ombre” coloration method.  Other notable textures are the natural pebbled finish of cast brass which looks to be very important in industrial silhouettes.  Rocky Mountain Hardware has introduced a collection of metal textures including wood grain, woven and others that could influence lighting hardware in the near future.

LANTERN LIGHT:

Classic 19th and 20th century shapes reminiscent of oil or candle lanterns in a wide variety of metal finishes come into play with this group.  Candlesticks and faceted enclosures are the key elements of this look.  Aesthetics can range from super traditional as shown by Charles and Edwards (upper left), sleek and modern like Barbara Barry, Kichler and Urban Electric Co. (upper right) or even Bohemian with Urban Electric Co’s oxidized pendant (bottom left).  Chandeliers pendants, sconces and table lamps work particularly well for this trend.  Metal finishes range from traditional polished brass to dark antiqued pewter, brushed nickel and the beautiful range of blue/green oxidizations of copper.     

INDUSTRIAL ELEMENTS:

Factory lighting is still an important look in 2020 but has moved away from “modern” to a more “traditional” feel.  The biggest updates to this group are an increased interest in authentic materials in their most natural form, and use of utilitarian elements like knurling (Buster & Punch upper right), spigot handles and pressure dials (Barn Light Co. and Unitary upper left).  There is a lack of painted and enameled surfaces and instead we are seeing metals that show their manufacturing processes such as the pebbled surface of cast brass, surface patterning of galvanized steel and natural patinas of copper and pewter.  Silhouettes range from exposed bulb pendants with and without cages to domed factory lights, fixtures constructed from pipe fittings (Barn Light Co. and Unitary upper left) and even neon lettering.  Another material which has snuck into this trend is cast concrete.  This construction material has been increasing in popularity for lamp bases (Magnolia Home bottom right) but is also being used in the sleek designs of simple pendants (Foscarini bottom right).  Air bubbles and imperfections are important concrete details for the industrial aesthetic.     

HEMISPHERE:

Globe and orb shapes continue to be popular, and the look is shifting to include a division in color and glass usually right through the equator, or truncation or opening of the bottom quarter to expose the bulb.  Brushed warm metal tones and matte black are now dominating this group, whereas the last few years we’ve seen mostly highly reflective chrome.  Brushed brass epitomizes this look (Thomas O’Brien upper left, Allied Maker & Rejuvenation bottom right), but it also looks fresh in matte black (FLOS bottom left) and patinas like antique pewter and aged bronze (Allied Maker, upper right).  A unique take is also Stilnova’s (bottom center) chrome dipped globe, which would also be great to see in gold dipped to match the warm metals of this group.       

GEOMETRIC MARVELS:       

Cage lighting gets a bold and contemporary update.  A history lesson into the great lighting designs of the 40’s and 50’s informs this group.  Though some silhouettes are still just bare wire forms, (Ligne Roset and Dowsing & Reynolds bottom left) paper, fabric, plastic and fiberglass skins are being stretched over internal architectures to create voluminous pendants which can be clustered for even greater impact.  One of the founding fathers of American Modernism, George Nelson, and his sphere, cigar and saucer-shaped pieces (top left & top right) are again available through Herman Miller.  A “designer’s designer” Nelson’s striking pieces hung in the 1960’s home of Charles & Ray Eames and are currently owned by designers Michael Kor’s and Jonathan Adler to name a few.  Other important architectural pieces in this group are Danish designer Poul Henningsen’s Artichoke and UFO-shaped PH5 pendants (center top and center).

MICRO TRENDS:   

As always, the 4 top trends do not exist on their own.  Many other themes and threads run through lighting design at the moment.  Two interesting standout are highlighted below:

SOFT SCULPT:

This group is epitomized by emerging lighting designer Katie Stout and her sculptural ceramic creations.  Much of her body of work consists of whimsical nudes and colorful shelving systems that almost don’t look functional.  Her work is highly awarded and coveted.  Her blue lamp (center left) feels more mass market than most and sits right along a trend of hand-made ceramic lighting pieces, many of which exist in subdued, dusty pastels.

70’s GLOSS:

This group features high-gloss plastics and ceramics in saturated colors of the 70’s.  Other-worldly parascope-like creatures and spacecraft-like shapes pull this micro trend together.