Modern lighting is characterised by its uncluttered, sleek, and clean designs. It often deviates from intricate adornments and favours a minimalist style. The lighting fixtures are simplified, featuring geometric shapes, straight lines, and smooth surfaces that portray elegance and simplicity.
Beginning your journey with modern lighting can be overwhelming. So, to get you started, here are some pointers you can follow whether you’re designing your home or office!
Understanding Modern Lighting Trends
When you look up modern lighting trends on the internet, there are several styles that you can pick up. However, the most popular ones this 2024 are minimalist and sculptural, natural-inspired and sustainable, energy-efficient layered lighting, and smart lighting.
When you check inspiration photos for each trend, you’ll notice that they follow a particular look, which is simple luxury. If this is your favourite style, you can benefit from each trend, mixing and matching or sticking to a specific design scheme. Don’t worry; whatever trend you choose, it’s bound to enhance your space’s aesthetic appeal and functionality, given that you select the correct fixtures!
Assessing Your Lighting Needs
Determining the style you’re going for is only the starting point of your design journey. The next step is assessing your lighting needs! To do this, you need to evaluate your space. Ask, “What will I do in this area?” and “What should I include to ensure this space will function as intended?” When you specify the purpose of the space, it’ll be easier for you to assess which lighting solutions you should get.
Besides the purpose, you also need to consider the layout of your room. Naturally, if it’s small, you should avoid massive fixtures that will take up too much space. Alternatively, if you have high ceilings, you must ensure that the ceiling fittings you install will have the luminance to reach the below surfaces.
There are three lighting considerations that you need to think about, including task, ambient and accent lighting. Task lighting is in charge of providing direct illumination over your work surface. It’s the brightest of the three and typically sports a natural white or cool white LED colour. On the other hand, ambient lighting takes care of the general illumination of the space. It’s brilliant but not as intense as task lighting. As for accent lighting, it’s responsible for visual elevation. With this, you are free to choose which colours you prefer and highlight architectural and decorative elements of the room!
Exploring Modern Lighting Fixtures
One reason modern lighting is a hit is the many lighting fixtures that you can find in this style! There’s no scarcity for this aesthetic, and you won’t have difficulty finding the pieces that will complement your space and preferences.
The key players for modern lighting are pendant lights, recessed lights, and ceiling spotlights. Pendant lights are the concise version of a chandelier. If a chandelier has multiple light bulbs, a pendant light has one. This lighting fixture is artistic and constructed from different materials, bringing various textures, shapes, finishes and colours to the space.
Contrary to pendant lights that call your attention, recessed fittings are unobtrusive. It sits flush against the surface and brings a brilliant glow throughout the room. Recessed lights also come in different sizes, finishes, and colour temperatures.
Conversely, ceiling spotlights are multi-directional, allowing you to change the light beams’ trajectory to showcase the area’s unique elements. Like the other two, ceiling spotlights have different finishes, sizes and colour temperatures. Also, it comes in various bulb quantities, so you can select whether you’ll settle for a single lamp or one with four lights.
Selecting the Right Bulbs and Colour Temperature
After deciding the fixtures you’ll use, the next step is to choose the right bulbs with an appropriate colour temperature for your space. In doing this, you have to consider the function of the fitting. Will you use it for task, ambient, or accent lighting?
You’ll want to get a cool white or natural white colour temperature for task lighting. These two are stunningly brilliant and can improve the functionality of the area. You only have to note that cool white has a bluish hue, while natural white has no hints of blue or yellow. So, choose the one you prefer best.
When it comes to ambient lighting, this depends on the function of the space. Opt for cool white or natural white for those where you do several activities. Alternatively, for rooms where you relax, select warm white light.
As for accent lighting, it depends on your preference and the vibe you’re after. You can choose cool white, natural white or warm white light or try to incorporate different colours.
Budget-Friendly Tips for Modern Lighting
It can get expensive if you’re planning to renovate or build your modern lighting system. It’s not a secret that you will spend a significant amount if you want to have the best lighting experience and create the most visually appealing space. So, if you don’t have the budget, does that mean you cannot upgrade or do a modern lighting style? Of course not! You just have to be meticulous with your purchases and planning.
While it’s typical to get everything done in one go, it is not always the right call. Consider your budget and how much you need to renovate or create your lighting system. If you’ll be in the negative for months, spending all your resources to upgrade your lights is not wise.
Instead, section the makeover! Start with the spaces that have the highest impact, foot traffic and activities. Since people will use those areas often, you can maximise the upgrade and see the effectiveness of your lighting system. Also, since you’re starting small, especially if you’re DIY-ing, you’ll learn what you should and should not do and improve your process to be more efficient.
Besides starting small projects at a time, learn to canvas and check your options. If you see a fixture you like, don’t buy it immediately without a second thought. Look at other options and see if you can find more feasible alternatives for your budget. Maybe you can find an estate sale with the pendant lamp you want, but it is offered at a much more affordable price. You can also check suppliers that offer top-quality lighting solutions for a reasonable cost.
If you want to have a budget-friendly makeover, you have to be patient and resourceful. Planning, purchasing and renovating will take more time. However, when you reach the finish line, you’ll see that all the hours, days, months, and years you spent creating your space are worth all the wait!
Conclusion: Embarking on Your Modern Lighting Journey
Although the task can be daunting, upgrading to a modern lighting design is rewarding! You’ll have a well-lit space with elevated visuals and a top-notch lighting experience. So, before you begin, remember to identify the room’s purpose, assess the layout, consider the LED colours and plan your budget. Above all else, don’t be afraid to mix and match styles and try new things!
If you don’t know where to get your lighting fixtures, visit our website, Simple Lighting! We have an extensive selection of premium-quality indoor, outdoor, and commercial lighting solutions!
