10 Contemporary Lighting Trends for 2022 From New York
Linear, colourful and flexible lighting illuminated the recent ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan trade events
Linear, flexible, low-profile and high-drama: the latest looks in contemporary lighting design covered a wide spectrum of silhouettes and styles at last month’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and WantedDesign Manhattan, both held in New York, USA.
To illustrate the top trends, we’ve rounded up a selection of standout designs presented at the industry events, held at New York City’s Javits Center from 15 to 17 May 2022. Take a gander and let us know in the Comments which looks light you up.
To illustrate the top trends, we’ve rounded up a selection of standout designs presented at the industry events, held at New York City’s Javits Center from 15 to 17 May 2022. Take a gander and let us know in the Comments which looks light you up.
2. Colourful
The pale green of the O-Beam also represents another lighting trend: colourful lampshades and bodies.
British brand Coolicon Lighting made its debut on the American market at ICFF with its handmade steel Coolicon lampshade, which dates to 1933. The lampshade comes in an array of colours, including the fun contemporary palette pictured here.
The pale green of the O-Beam also represents another lighting trend: colourful lampshades and bodies.
British brand Coolicon Lighting made its debut on the American market at ICFF with its handmade steel Coolicon lampshade, which dates to 1933. The lampshade comes in an array of colours, including the fun contemporary palette pictured here.
From New York City design and fabrication studio Trella, this Benedict pendant in Prussian Blue was another colourful favourite spotted at ICFF. It’s made of two nested spun-brass hemispheres holding a blown-glass globe.
Also noted: Brass and gold finishes, which have been popular for several seasons, are still going strong too.
Is your home’s lighting less than lustrous? Find a lighting specialist near you for beautiful, well-lit rooms
Also noted: Brass and gold finishes, which have been popular for several seasons, are still going strong too.
Is your home’s lighting less than lustrous? Find a lighting specialist near you for beautiful, well-lit rooms
3. Customisable and configurable
As was the case for furnishings presented at ICFF, many of the lighting fixtures were designed to let the user determine the final look and configuration.
A shining example is Juniper Design’s Multiverse system, pictured here. Made in Connecticut, USA, it’s a low-voltage, 21st-century take on track lighting; it can snake around corners and nearly any flat surface, spanning as far as 45 linear metres on a single power supply. Up to 15 miniature spot modules can be rotated and repositioned anywhere along the magnetic and paintable ribbon-like track. What’s more, most other Juniper lights can be mounted on it with magnetic adapters.
As was the case for furnishings presented at ICFF, many of the lighting fixtures were designed to let the user determine the final look and configuration.
A shining example is Juniper Design’s Multiverse system, pictured here. Made in Connecticut, USA, it’s a low-voltage, 21st-century take on track lighting; it can snake around corners and nearly any flat surface, spanning as far as 45 linear metres on a single power supply. Up to 15 miniature spot modules can be rotated and repositioned anywhere along the magnetic and paintable ribbon-like track. What’s more, most other Juniper lights can be mounted on it with magnetic adapters.
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Photo by Jake Sherman.
This Node chandelier is from studio Anony, a Canadian brand based in Toronto and a participant in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Look Book (a program for high-end North American designers). The fixture is made with an LED light source (the ‘node’), steel, aluminium and glass, and its wires are flexible, so it can be shaped and reshaped to your heart’s desire.
This Node chandelier is from studio Anony, a Canadian brand based in Toronto and a participant in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Look Book (a program for high-end North American designers). The fixture is made with an LED light source (the ‘node’), steel, aluminium and glass, and its wires are flexible, so it can be shaped and reshaped to your heart’s desire.
4. LEDs and OLEDs
LEDs are more energy-efficient and cooler than incandescent bulbs, and as the technology keeps improving, they’re increasingly becoming the norm in beautiful studio-made lighting.
The Shu lamp pictured was designed by Xuelun Li, a participant in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Launch Pad (a showcase for up-and-coming international designers). It’s made with white oak and an integrated linear LED strip with a diffuser.
LEDs are more energy-efficient and cooler than incandescent bulbs, and as the technology keeps improving, they’re increasingly becoming the norm in beautiful studio-made lighting.
The Shu lamp pictured was designed by Xuelun Li, a participant in WantedDesign Manhattan’s Launch Pad (a showcase for up-and-coming international designers). It’s made with white oak and an integrated linear LED strip with a diffuser.
OLEDs, or organic LEDs, which are made from a carbon-based material, aren’t yet as efficient or bright as inorganic or traditional LEDs. Unlike LEDs, however, which are great for task lighting but require a diffuser to scatter light, the whole OLED panel emits light without requiring a diffuser. Plus, not only are the panels very thin, flexible and lightweight, they also emit light that more closely resembles natural sunlight. And like LEDS, the technology is getting better and better, bringing costs down.
Archilume’s dimmable Ovolo light, pictured here, takes advantage of a slim OLED panel to emit a warm, diffused glow from a 33-millimetre-deep aluminium shade.
Also noted: Sustainability was on many lighting designers’ minds, as seen not just in the emphasis on efficient LED lighting but also in the use of recycled and other sustainable materials in lamp bodies and shades.
Archilume’s dimmable Ovolo light, pictured here, takes advantage of a slim OLED panel to emit a warm, diffused glow from a 33-millimetre-deep aluminium shade.
Also noted: Sustainability was on many lighting designers’ minds, as seen not just in the emphasis on efficient LED lighting but also in the use of recycled and other sustainable materials in lamp bodies and shades.
5. Dramatic
Archilume’s barely there Ovolo sits at one extreme; while Sharon Marston’s spectacular Dujardin chandelier, pictured here, resides at the other. Made with bone china, mirror-polished steel and glass, the chandelier uses fibre-optic technology to create strings of sparkling light and undulating, glowing flowers.
Marston’s high-drama chandeliers, which are used in residential and commercial spaces, were some of the most glamorous light fittings at the show, but they shared the Javits Center floor with plenty of other oversize, room-commanding lighting designs.
Archilume’s barely there Ovolo sits at one extreme; while Sharon Marston’s spectacular Dujardin chandelier, pictured here, resides at the other. Made with bone china, mirror-polished steel and glass, the chandelier uses fibre-optic technology to create strings of sparkling light and undulating, glowing flowers.
Marston’s high-drama chandeliers, which are used in residential and commercial spaces, were some of the most glamorous light fittings at the show, but they shared the Javits Center floor with plenty of other oversize, room-commanding lighting designs.
6. High-tech meets handmade
The interplay between digital and traditional designs and construction resulted in some high-concept lighting designs at ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan.
For example, limited-edition lamps in the Wave Form collection from Look Book participant Forma Rosa Studio were designed using a computer, then handcrafted by artisans in Peru. The studio, based in Brooklyn, USA (sporting the tagline: ‘Digitally Grown, Hand Crafted’), also presented a collection of handmade Bubbly lamps digitally grown through coding to imitate the fractal growth of crystals.
The interplay between digital and traditional designs and construction resulted in some high-concept lighting designs at ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan.
For example, limited-edition lamps in the Wave Form collection from Look Book participant Forma Rosa Studio were designed using a computer, then handcrafted by artisans in Peru. The studio, based in Brooklyn, USA (sporting the tagline: ‘Digitally Grown, Hand Crafted’), also presented a collection of handmade Bubbly lamps digitally grown through coding to imitate the fractal growth of crystals.
Another example of a high-tech lamp with a low-tech look came from New Orleans, USA- and French-based design studio Swadoh. Its Albatross Quartz sculptural pendant is made with Soft Stone, which looks like gold leaf-flecked plaster or ceramic but is actually a pliable and customisable material made from natural silica and oxygen.
Browse local interiors with inspirational statement lighting
Browse local interiors with inspirational statement lighting
7. Rechargeable and portable
Stylish portable, rechargeable lights are popping up like mushrooms lately, and we spotted several fun examples at the events. Launch Pad participant Tianning Zhao showed off this indoor-outdoor Astral light, which is fitted with two LED ring lights.
Stylish portable, rechargeable lights are popping up like mushrooms lately, and we spotted several fun examples at the events. Launch Pad participant Tianning Zhao showed off this indoor-outdoor Astral light, which is fitted with two LED ring lights.
8. Ceramic
As illustrated by several of the previous examples, handcrafted ceramic lamp bodies and shades abounded at the trade fairs. Those with an earthy, chalky-white finish felt fresh.
Among them was this pendant from the It’s a Circus Out There collection by Look Book participant Crosland + Emmons based in Atlanta, USA. Made of white earthenware with a chalky-white underglaze and adorned with a ceramic topper and hand-wired hanging pieces, the design is at once minimalist and playful.
As illustrated by several of the previous examples, handcrafted ceramic lamp bodies and shades abounded at the trade fairs. Those with an earthy, chalky-white finish felt fresh.
Among them was this pendant from the It’s a Circus Out There collection by Look Book participant Crosland + Emmons based in Atlanta, USA. Made of white earthenware with a chalky-white underglaze and adorned with a ceramic topper and hand-wired hanging pieces, the design is at once minimalist and playful.
Here’s another fun ceramic pendant: Troupe, from design studio Brave Matter, based in California, USA. (Christina Zamora, who runs the studio with her wife, Cathy Lo, is the former design manager for Heath Ceramics.) Dancers in the Bauhaus-era ‘Triadic Ballet’ inspired the slip-cast ceramic light, which is caged by waxed-brass rings.
Another of the studio’s lights, the A/M pendant, is equally creative, combining a faceted chunk of Himalayan salt with a ribbed clay shade.
Another of the studio’s lights, the A/M pendant, is equally creative, combining a faceted chunk of Himalayan salt with a ribbed clay shade.
9. Sculptural
‘Sculptural lighting’ is something of a catch-all term for lighting whose unconventional, artistic form is as important (and often more important) than its functionality. By that definition, much of the lighting shown here and at ICFF in general could be rightly called sculptural.
Additional stunning examples shown at the fair include this Pebble Series chandelier by ANDlight, a company based in Vancouver, Canada. It’s offered in multiple configurations of pendants composed of two connected glass orbs that resemble river rocks, each illuminated by an LED.
Also noted: Many of the lighting looks borrowed from nature, mimicking river rocks, flowers and crystals.
‘Sculptural lighting’ is something of a catch-all term for lighting whose unconventional, artistic form is as important (and often more important) than its functionality. By that definition, much of the lighting shown here and at ICFF in general could be rightly called sculptural.
Additional stunning examples shown at the fair include this Pebble Series chandelier by ANDlight, a company based in Vancouver, Canada. It’s offered in multiple configurations of pendants composed of two connected glass orbs that resemble river rocks, each illuminated by an LED.
Also noted: Many of the lighting looks borrowed from nature, mimicking river rocks, flowers and crystals.
Among the up-and-coming designers showcased through Launch Pad, Filipina artist Mirei Monticelli of Milan, Italy, made a splash with this Aquarius Awakening floor lamp. Monticelli hand-sewed the towering, graceful lamp using a woven fabric composed mainly of fibre from a species of banana tree called abaca.
10. Circular
Disc-like wall sconces were a more specific trend spotted on exhibitors’ walls. Some featured a single disc backing a round bulb, including this design by Hand & Eye. Here, the disc is made from recycled ceramic waste and glass, and the sconce is available with an optional LED backlight to create a wash of light on the wall too.
Disc-like wall sconces were a more specific trend spotted on exhibitors’ walls. Some featured a single disc backing a round bulb, including this design by Hand & Eye. Here, the disc is made from recycled ceramic waste and glass, and the sconce is available with an optional LED backlight to create a wash of light on the wall too.
Other circular sconces obscured the bulb with layered discs, such as this brass-and-handblown-glass Klein sconce by Trella. It’s available in multiple finishes, including a coloured powder coating and custom-coloured glass.
Your turn
Which of these 10 lighting looks do you love? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Want more from the Big Apple? Read Houzz’s New York Report: New Trends in Furniture & Design
Your turn
Which of these 10 lighting looks do you love? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Want more from the Big Apple? Read Houzz’s New York Report: New Trends in Furniture & Design
An LED linear suspension light is a streamlined hanging fixture featuring a series of LEDs (light emitting diodes) that create seamless illumination along the fixture’s length. On trend over a kitchen island but equally at home over a dining table or clustered as a chandelier, suspended linear lights cut a fine figure in contemporary spaces.
Most of the lighting brands at ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan offered their own versions of the linear look. Among our favourites was the O-Beam, seen here, from London design studio Hand & Eye. The pale green 160-centimetre-long fixture is made from an extruded ceramic beam with an integrated LED light strip. It can be hung individually or in groupings at angles up to 30 degrees, as shown here.