Category:Modern Lighting

Our understanding of interior lighting has evolved by leaps and bounds over the last 20 years. What began with a rudimentary sense that more was better has today evolved into a nuanced and deep body of knowledge about color spectrums and energy efficiency. Along the way, designers have managed to devise ever more challenging and compelling ways to integrate light sources into the scheme of any room – a considerable leap forward. Today the options for modern home lighting are manifold and exciting, including a number of choices you may not have considered before.

One of the most traditional lighting forms is also one of the most innovative: The modern chandelier. Instead of relying on wrought iron and incandescent bulbs, some of the newest creations make use of protean metal shapes, advanced polymers and unexpected bulb forms to create something like glowing art for any décor. Look around your town long enough and you may even be able to find artisans who create such fixtures on a custom basis, offering you the tools and variety you need to craft something utterly your own. When combined with unusual construction materials, automated faders and handsome flooring, such centerpieces can hearken back to a more regal design era.

If chandeliers aren’t your thing, you might want something more subtle in your choice of lighting. The Wall sconce has long been considered the perfect choice for large rooms and long hallways because of the even and subtle glow it imparts. Today a growing population of designers has begun integrating sconces into smaller rooms as well, favoring the romance and intrigue generated by indirect lighting. Sconces, like chandeliers, have evolved to include brand new materials and forms in the mix, including alabaster, resin and oiled paper. Combine a set with overhead lighting and you have options for any kind of mood you wish to create.

Of course there is no single modern lighting scheme so popular nowadays as recessed halogens. These brilliant bulbs, renowned for their full-spectrum warmth and high luminosity, offer something no incandescent light can: focus. Because they light with point sources instead of filaments, halogens can be trained on one spot or set free with a diffusion lens. Depending on your needs, that means you could train a row of track lighting on an art gallery and set the other in your ceiling for an even glow. That said, the greatest advantage of halogens is how seldom they need to be replaced – it’s not unusual for bulbs in heavy rotation to last over a year without difficulty.

Looking for something more modern? One of the latest trends in home lighting is to forego the bulb altogether and instead offer full walls and ceilings that emit light at once. Although the effect can be created using glowing panels similar to the Indiglo watch faces you see everywhere, a number of forward-looking designers prefer instead to hide banks of halogens or fluorescents behind polymer panels. The advantage to this scheme is that the light seems to come from everywhere at once, not unlike the kind of suffuse beauty you get on overcast days. Pump up the wattage and the effect is not unlike an art installation, offering your guests a unique experience that marries form and function in an unexpected way.

The way you light your home can also have a direct impact on the planet, which may be why so many modern designers have begun recommending compact fluorescent lightbulbs. CFL’s have won the favor of green organizations around the planet for their energy efficiency, price and convenience, often consuming less than one-third the energy of their incandescent cousins. Thankfully the march of progress has addressed many of the concerns about bulbs such as these, producing brighter and warmer lightbulbs that cover a wider swatch of the visible spectrum.

Whatever your priority, it’s tough to run out of options for modern home lighting. Look around the Web for creative schemes that place a premium on design and beauty and you should come away thrilled with the results. If you have the time, you may even want to invite a pro out to the house for fast installation.