Modern Lighting Fixtures Bring Current Touch To Living Space
Modern lighting has come such a long was from traditional lamps and fixtures. Aside from being driven by designers’ creativity, the advent of LED lighting and other technological advances have made possible new designs and artistic features that just a decade ago were not possible.
Modern lighting fixtures run the gamut of design styles, from spare and minimalist to more complex or intricate. Ross Lovegrove’s modern pendant light is based an organic Fibonacci pattern and provides a decorative effect on the fixture. According to YLighting.com, Lovegrove wanted to design “an ethereal, floating object which would have a fine, organic perforated surface.”
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the organically shaped Bocci 73 Pendant Lamps from Canadian Designer Omer Arbel, seen below. Both art sculpture and lighting fixture, these modern pendant lights are soft yet design forward, conjuring up thoughts of clouds or orbs of liquid.
Orb-shaped modern pendant lights are a staple of Tom Dixon. While pendant lighting has been popular for quite some time, today’s modern lighting fixtures are not the simple bulb and shade combinations of the past. Current designers are making the fixture and bulb work as a unit, and often use a clear or specialty shaped bulb to add interest.
Modern fixtures do not have to mean they are mass produced. Dixon’s Beat Collection is made in India and hand-hammered into shape.
Often modern lighting is must as much art as it is a functional fixture, sometimes even more so. This chandelier, paired with furnishings from Romuald Stefanski, is a statement-making art piece.
If such a dramatic art statement is not your style, there are endless options for modern lighting fixtures that are still artful. Tango Lighting’s offerings show a range of styles that are more than just basic lighting.
Pendant lighting isn’t the only modern lighting option. This wall light from Jonathan Adler is available in several sizes and would be equally at home in a more traditional home setting.
As dramatic as it is elegant, the Volver Breath of New Light by Terrain is a show-stopping chandelier. Designed by Diego Bassetti and architect Andrea Panzeri from Studio 14, it is a cascade of nickel chains covering the light source. Simply stunning, this piece is available at Modus Miami.
The geometric Magdalena fixture is a laser-cut metal lighting fixture with horizontal openings to allow for its light to escape and create a pattern of light and shadow, Magdalena highlights the shape of the room itself.
The advent of LED lighting has made stick lighting a design option. In 2015, designers presented a variety of modern lighting fixtures that take advantage of the flexibility and design freedom that LED offers. Pelle’s Pris is a modular system that can be configured in a wide variety of simple and complex installations.
Modern lighting fixtures are no limited to installations. Stick lighting such as this desk lamp is functional, modern and versatile.
Another modern and minimalist fixture is the Elise by Pablo Pardo. According to Pablodesigns.com, “Elise is a conceptual tribute to the machine age: streamlined, understated, and honest in its function as a light source.” It offers soft light as well as an artistic touch.
Shakuff Lighting shows a wide variety of modern lighting fixtures, ranging from pendants to chandeliers. Their offerings allow you to light up a room with modern day fixtures from fused and blown glass collections.
If your design tastes run a little more to the industrial side, you can still find fixtures that offer a fresh take on older styles.
The NUD Collection is a minimalist lighting line that offers a variety of suspension cords, that are an integral part of the lighting fixture.
Colors and hand blown techniques make Niche Modern pendants a unique collection. These fixtures would be appropriate additions to a modern space or a more traditional living area.
Rafael Avramovich of Work and Design presented a variety of metals in this collection that makes stylish use of negative space. Interior finishes include gold and silver foil.
Unusual shades are bringing modern pendant lights to the fore. These fixtures feature various shapes and colors that are a departure from the usual pendant fixture.
These Crystal Rock light fixtures by Arik Levy feature modern shapes and bold colors. Lasvit.com says that this is a “perfectly cut, yet roughly sculpted contemporary silex that interacts between light and darkness, suspended in air like a frozen shooting star.” We just call them gorgeous.
Perhaps these pieces truly are a bit more contemporary than modern, but pendant lighting fixtures by MacMaster Design are definitely special. According to the MacMaster website, designer Alex MacMaster “designs for maximum output and minimum waste with some products using leftover materials from other ranges.”
These wooden fixtures enhance the warm light emitted. The natural and fluid look of these cocoon pendant lighting fixtures would pair well with many iconic modern home decor pieces.
Our favorite is this Eclipse fixture. This stunning modern pendant highlights the grain of the wood. It can be grouped or stacked to create a variety of configurations to fit your particular living space.
At Oggetti in Miami’s Design District, this Loop Suspension chandelier is another good example of modern lighting that is as much art as it is a functional fixture. The piece’s organic and unusual shape is made of Venetian glass pieces hanging from a chrome canopy. We can see this pairing well with more traditional home settings as well.
This spectacular chandelier from internum Miami is striking because of its delicate-looking structure. It is also a good example of a design made possible by advances in lighting technologies.
Modern lighting fixtures are also becoming more customizable, thanks to new technologies. That customization can be expensive, however. Jason Krugman, light sculptor and artist, and designer Scott Leinweber, have collaborated to create Splyt Light, an affordable and simple interactive lighting system. With their modular pieces that take advantage of LED technology, you can create (and recreate) your own custom pieces for home or work spaces.
These Sputnik lights at Jonathan Adler are becoming ubiquitous because of their interesting design and eye-catching qualities. Available in large and small sizes, they can be purchased as a single chandelier, or as a grouping of modern pendant lighting, hung at varying heights.
Narrower spaces are not a problem with Adler’s Meurice lighting fixture. The vertical construction allows you to hang a substantial chandelier without overwhelming the space. If you have more room, groupings of the Meurice are even more dramatic.
Iacoli & McAllister’s grouping is a prime example of how bulbs are becoming a central design feature of modern lighting fixtures. The previous era of the incandescent bulb had designers hiding the traditional shape under shades and inside fixture. With new shapes and sizes, bulbs are now as interesting as the fixture itself.
Modern lighting design is not without whimsy. A standard student desk lamp gets the mega-treatment as a highly functional floor lamp.Why not, we say?
Similarly, the concept of the “gooseneck” lamp gets a tongue-in-cheek reinterpretation in this lamp from French studio iBride.
Headspring of England has designed this modern table lamp for everyone who is a fan of twinkly lights. The Galaxy Dome includes rustic glass dome/cloche that houses modern, starry string lights. Headspring’s materials say the pieces evoke a starry night, and we’d have to agree.
Swedish lighting company Ebb & Flow has combined the glass cloche with clear glass bulbs to create a table lamp that is different. The Speak up & Glow lamps are beautiful when grouped.
Blown glass fixtures are an integral part of modern lighting design. Here, colored glass orbs make for sensational groupings.
Even a more traditional arrangement of modern pendant lights becomes more dramatic when the number of lights is increased. Omer Able’s 28 Series could be used in a smaller number for a more restrained space, or like this in a more open setting.
FLOS is a major producer of modern lighting designs — all artful, architectural and amazing! Founded in 1962, the Italian company set out to develop a line of new lighting concepts. It is known for its quality, collaborating with top designers.
Unique materials make for unusual fixtures. BuzziLight pendants are made from felt and can be installed from the ceiling or used on the floor. The felt insulates against sound and is formed around an interior steel structure.
Designheure, a French lighting company, was established 2005. Its pieces are modern and unusual, and the company is known for its focus on quality, quick manufacturing and service. The modular nature of their modern lighting fixtures allows for flexibility in a range of living spaces.
Rather than be destined to the scrapheap, corrugated cardboard gets new life as very textural and dramatic modern lighting fixtures.Plentiful and inexpensive, the material is elevated when transformed into such beautiful pendant lights.
Italians are renowned for beautiful design and this chandelier of glass globes is no exception. While pictured here in a kitchen setting, the impressive modern lighting fixture would be equally suitable for a dining area, entryway or bedroom.
A more restrained yet still handsome design is Cassina’s Campanula Nemo. Made from ceramic, the interior of the light comes in classic white or vibrant orange. Either would work with just about any color palette.
If you prefer neutral pieces, these geometric modern lighting fixtures are just the ticket. Because they are all white, they can be used in any setting. Depending upon how they are placed, they can serve as a subtle design motif, or can play a more prominent role in your modern home decor.
Whether you choose a few pieces of modern lighting, for opt for a complete overhaul of your space, fresh new designs can work. Start by selecting a few modern fixtures and try it out in one room. This will give you a feel for how modern lighting will play in your home.