7 Lighting Trends for a Brighter, More Beautiful Home in 2022

Bold or understated, lighting affects how a home feels as much as how it lives. It's a key component in any room's design, and more individuals are starting to harness it as an avenue for style and personality as well as function. To shed light on the latest trends in lighting, we turned to the experts and designers from the American Lighting Association, who take the pulse of homeowners to interpret their desires for their homes now and in the future. These 2022 lighting trends represent the concepts, materials, and finishes that will brighten homes this year and beyond.

1. Statement Lighting

Dramatic, oversized fixtures are replacing those designed to blend in or disappear completely. ''Creativity within lighting design is becoming more expansive, personal, and timeless," says Peyton Fox, lighting designer for Quoizel. Go big and bold for lighting that steals the show. High-style fixtures are even making their way into previously overlooked spaces like closets. Statement-making chandeliers, ceiling-mount fixtures, or pendants can make your dressing zone more than an ordinary storage space.

2. Art Deco-Style Fixtures

Art Deco had a moment in the 1920s and 1930s, but its influence remains a century later. For the latest sources of design inspiration, people are "mining the past," says Greg Martin, Kichler creative director. "It's 'newstalgia.' In lighting, that's translating into Art Deco and updated traditional looks." Using geometric shapes, sunburst motifs, stylized florals, and stepped forms, Art Deco fits surprisingly well in today's rooms.

3. Nature-Inspired Elements

''I feel that people have become much more connected to nature through the challenges of the pandemic," says Alan Pepin, design director for Alora Lighting and Alora Mood. "This will be seen in design with more natural materials and organic shapes. The Japandi or wabi-sabi way of embracing nature indoors is sure to be popular." Choose a fixture adorned with leaves, blooms, or antlers to inject an eye-catching natural element into any space.

4. Well-Lit Outdoor Rooms

From Insta-worthy plug-and-play strands of outdoor string lights to impressive hardwired schemes, alfresco lighting makes outdoor spaces live like indoor rooms. "People used to take the outdoors for granted—exterior lighting was always an afterthought," Gregory Kay, CEO and chief designer of PureEdge Lighting, says. "Now, there is a greater understanding and appreciation for it." Beyond uplighting, landscape and exterior lighting is expanding to LED path strips, chandeliers, and specialty fixtures. In outdoor spaces, flexibility, security, and a comfortable level of illumination to gather with friends and family are key.

5. Matte Black Finishes

Matte black brings sleek sophistication to light fixtures in styles ranging from retro-inspired to ultra-modern. To emphasize this lighting trend, take advantage of contrast. Glossy and satiny metals stand out against matte black finishes.

6. Shapely Bulbs

"Where bulbs used to be hidden, now the shape of the bulb is seen and more important," says Cathy Choi, president of Bulbrite. Selections have expanded with the popularity of showing off every bulb's form. "We are starting to really broaden beyond the standard two or three shapes," she says. Choose lightbulbs that echo the fixture's shape for extra impact, and be sure to check the distance between sockets to get the best look.

7. Stone Surfaces

Seen most frequently on surfaces like countertops and floors, stone is now showing up in lighting design, too. ''Our customers are really responding to elegant, neutral materials such as travertine, white marble, alabaster, and ceramic," says Pam Bailey, vice president of product development for Currey & Company. These materials bring a warm earthiness to light fixtures, with unique streaks and swirls that look especially beautiful when lit. Look for fixtures made with translucent stone, such as alabaster, which allows light to pass through and creates an organic glow.