Keeping up with the most influential lighting trends for 2024 and gaining a greater understanding of the impact of choosing the right lighting can go a long way to elevating the interiors of every room in your home.
The field of sensory interior design trends is fast-growing and it’s not surprising when you consider how many of us use our homes for work, rest and play we strive to create a stress-free home and expect the rooms to be truly multi-functional. Finessing the lighting in each room is a great way to get the best from your interior scheme and feel good in the process.
All too often common lighting mistakes can unintentionally alter the look and feel of a room in an instant because light can have such a huge effect on our physical and mental well-being. Let's take a look at what key lighting trends designers are shining a spotlight on for the year ahead...
Lighting Trends 2024: 10 styles to consider for your home
Gone are the days of ‘the big light’ when we solely relied upon a single lightbulb, that felt as bright as the sun’s rays, dangling down from a piece of flex in the centre of the ceiling. If next year’s lighting trends are anything to go by we'll be embracing layered lighting to make rooms feel cosy, the impact of nature and how to use lighting to emphasise our home’s architectural features.
Guiding us through the latest lighting trends we have a panel of experts who, between them, have decades of experience and are masters of their craft.
1. Nature as a muse
“The interior industry has noticed a shift towards an even stronger focus on bringing elements from the great outdoors into the home. At lumière, this has been particularly noticeable with the emergence of lighting designs mirroring nature," explains Melissa Bandtock the founder of Lumière, a decorative lighting consultation business offering lighting styling advice and lighting consultations to commercial and residential clients globally.
If you’re wondering how you can incorporate this lighting trend into your home, the key to success is to use materials sourced from nature, like wood (as seen in the image by QUU Design), rattan, and natural stone. This approach to lighting is ideal for supporting the Japandi design trend, from Japandi kitchen ideas to Japandi bedrooms.
“We encourage even the most industrial room sets to incorporate natural stones to soften any harsh lines and add warmth to a cold integrated lighting scheme," Melissa shares.
In addition to materials, playing with the shape of your lighting is a great way to give a nod to this lighting trend. “We are now seeing an increased demand in statement pieces inspired by nature from some of the world’s leading designers such as Barbara Barry’s Lotus Lamp,” advises Melissa.
“Artisanal designers have now become household names in the luxury interiors industry with the rising popularity in collections inspired by their favourite elements of nature such as Julie Neill’s Butterfly chandelier.”
Lumière is a decorative lighting consultation business offering high-end pieces from globally recognised designers. Lumière's catalogue boasts over 3000 lights, so it's fair to say that Melissa has her finger on the lighting industry's pulse.
2. Brass metallics
“For several years, brass was seen as an outdated metal, but today, adding brass details such as brass wall lights instantly adds a hint of AERIN LAUDER elegance and glamour to a room, Melissa explains.
Using brass in your interior design is a great way to make a home look expensive on a budget, so adopting this lighting trend is a sure-fire way to create a luxe look for your living room lighting for example or even your kitchen lighting as seen in the image above by lightsandlamps.com.
“In addition, homeowners are becoming more aware of the health benefits of carefully planned lighting. We suggest that adding a brass table lamp like the Kate Spade Bow lamp to a bedside table or a sideboard can create an instant burst of sunshine in even a north-facing room,” says Melissa.
"Curiousa create beautiful hand-made ceramic and free-blown glass lighting and chandeliers that last, bringing joy for generations to come, celebrating and nurturing traditional British craft and skills."
3. Sustainable and eco-friendly solutions
Sustainability in interior design is getting a lot of focus, particularly among kitchen trends and flooring trends, and rightly so. Fast interiors are out, instead, consumers are taking more time than ever to understand the construction process, material sources and environmental impact of the products they are buying.
The Soho Lighting Company are doing great work developing eco-friendly lighting solutions. For example, their Linen Collection, “Inspired by the subtle folds of draped cloth,” is made with recycled plastics”.
The Soho Lighting Company say that “the Linen Collection is sustainable in its production, making this an environmentally conscious choice,” and the judges at Decorex 2023 agreed as they awarded it their award for the best sustainable product at this year’s show.
Consumers can buy into this trend without buying anything at all. Repairing vintage lighting is a sustainable and eco-friendly way to prevent waste and add character and charm to your interior scheme.
4. Portable and rechargeable lamps
Convenience is at the heart of this next lighting trend as it solves the age-old problem of needing to be close to an electrical socket. “The rise in the popularity of indoor/ outdoor living has seen the emergence of portable rechargeable lamps which are easy to carry outdoors or place in an outdoor kitchen or garden room, says Melissa.
This looks to be a hot trend for 2024, with many lighting designers following suit. British lighting brand Original BTC launched their Blossom portable light (pictured) at Decorex 2023 and Melissa has noticed this trend with designers across the board, “Up until now, designs have been limited but at a recent trade show in the USA, we discovered that even designers such as Ralph Lauren have created a smaller, portable version of some of their most iconic lamp designs.”
5. Architectural lighting
This lighting trend for 2024 is all about accentuating the bones of the space you are working with. “Striking architectural features have become a popular design trend we have seen more of while carrying out building site consultations,” says Melissa “To highlight these unique features, we are recommending decorative lighting which accentuates the natural shape of a room and creates a captivating atmosphere.”
If you’re wondering how to incorporate this lighting trend into your kitchen lighting, Melissa has the following suggestions: "This could be in the form of one large statement linear light above an oversized marble island in a kitchen with a pitched roof."
"In a room with a domed ceiling, we might suggest a fine curved light such as the Turlington. The light and space will mirror each other in shape and form thus elevating the room’s aesthetic.”
The good news is that you don’t need a location house with epic architecture to embrace this lighting trend, every space has features that are worth emphasising, they could be as simple as tall ceilings, a roof light or an arch between rooms.
6. Soft pastels lifted with vibrant accent colours
Esther Patterson, founder and designer of Curiousa, predicts a lighting trend that centres around soft pastels lifted with vibrant accent colours for 2024.
You might have already seen the trend that is “very similar to the feel of a 1950s colour palette emerging this year. I think this is a trend that’s building momentum and will continue through 2024,” says Esther.
Be playful with colour pairings and ratios to incorporate this lighting trend into your interior design, “I think the addition of the bold contrasting colours to the pastels creates a fun and joyful element,” says Esther. If you’re wondering which room is a good place to start would be the bathroom - we predict that coloured flat tiles will come back next year.
This lighting trend for 2024 is giving us all the feels of the Dopamine decor trend where the game aims to surround yourself with personally curated collections of interior joy using the colours that trigger your happy hormones.
7. Classic white and gold
White and gold is a classic and timeless combination and will work well with most colour palettes and paint colour trends. “White and gold light fixtures create an elegant and warm atmosphere and with current trends for quiet luxury, it’s not hard to see why these are predicted to be on trend for 2024, shares Jo.
This lighting trend is easy to incorporate into your bathroom lighting, living room lighting or (as seen in the image above from LUXXU) your dining room lighting in the form of a breathtaking over-table statement light.
“White and gold are classic colours associated with elegance and luxury," says Jo, making this trend particularly appealing to those who love 'quiet luxury' decor.
"The classic colours have a timeless quality that can fit into a wide range of design styles, from traditional to modern, making them a versatile choice for light fixtures. Gold accents on light fixtures can add a touch of opulence and sophistication, whilst also adding a warm and inviting glow to the light, creating a cosy and welcoming atmosphere,” comments Jo.
Passionate about timeless designs, combined with high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship, Gong's focus is style with atmosphere. Gong creates eclectic and elegant lighting collections.
8. Technology-led and smart lighting
This lighting trend is technology-led and relates to the components within the lighting rather than the design. “Many designers such as Kelly Wearstler are even relaunching some of their most popular ranges with integrated LED systems, rather than lightbulb fittings,” says Melissa.
“The LED fitting casts a brighter, more even light and one which mimics sunlight,” Melissa advises - It’s clear why this change might appeal to consumers, as who wouldn’t want a more naturally illuminating light showcasing their interiors?
Sharing another example of this lighting trend, “Award-winning lighting designer Sean Lavin is starting to incorporate technology within his lighting designs, which offers the option to choose between two levels of warmth. The Dessau by Sean Lavin can be set to either a warmth of 2700 kelvins or 3000 kelvins at installation,” Melissa explains.
Smart lighting, where the lighting components contain software that connects to an app or smart accessory, offers convenience through automation, programming and remote operation.
Gesture-controlled lighting is another technology-led lighting development to look out for in 2024. Gesture-controlled lighting in kitchens (like in the image from Novy ) offers a hygienic, touch-free method of ensuring optimal lighting while you cook.
9. Adding sculptural pieces to lighting schemes
“Sculptural pieces, such as those in the Melange alabaster range by style icon Kelly Wearstler, are becoming key players in adding nature’s softness to a room,” Melissa advises.
As well as creating a softness, sculptural lighting can create a focal point, “Lighting is a great way to make a statement in any room and for 2024 fixtures with a sculptural, ethereal feel are predicted to be on everyone’s Hot List,” shares Jo.
“Often unexpected in light fixtures, using such sculptural forms can create a dreamy, romantic feel in a room. Combined with unusual materials such as silk and zippers, these elegant artistic pieces serve as captivating focal points and are a great way to give an expression of personal style.” The sculptural pendant shown is by Tom Raffield.
10. Art deco inspiration
We recently called out art Deco design features as one of the emerging interior design trends to look out for in 2024 and lighting is a big part of this trend.
Art Deco embraces all things geometric and angular with plenty of glass and metallics, themes repeated in this lighting trend. Art Deco-inspired lighting is a trend that can be adopted in every room and it works particularly well in bathrooms in conjunction with geometric-shaped mirrors and patterned wallpaper as seen in the image by Divine Savages.
Art Deco lighting works well for living room lighting and home office lighting, where you can introduce eye-catching table lamps and sconces oozing timeless glamour.
Whether you're looking to remodel the kitchen and start your light scheme from scratch or merely seeking inspiration to see how to layer light volumes in your living room, we hope you're feeling suitably well-informed and inspired by our expert guidance.
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