Looking to do a home renovation and not quite sure what direction you should take things? No worries, after all there’s more decorative styles than ever out there, and all the choices can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t quite understand each.
Today, we’ll cover 5 of our favorites, particularly focusing on lighting. No other room element can have such a quick impact without costing a significant amount of money. We’ll also address how to pair these fixtures with appropriately chosen furniture and accents.
Farmhouse Lighting Style
Farmhouse lights are characterized by a sense of down-home coziness and warmth. There will oftentimes be elements of the rustic, country, and traditional lighting styles mixed in. Look for this decorative style to be heavy on wood, metal, and glass.
Finishes in farmhouse style lighting will often be weathered or distressed, though only mildly so. You’ll most frequently see them in rectangular form hanging over a kitchen island, or with a wooden base as a table lamp.
Farmhouse floor lamps are less common, but you should still have no problem finding them at major lighting retailers like stylishdirect.com. They’ll again favor earthy elements like wooden finishes, and you should expect to mostly see them in hushed, neutral tones.
Modern Lighting Style
The modern style of lighting has an emphasis on both simplicity and function. You’ll see hard lines, with neutral colors like matte blacks and whites being prevalent. When colors are introduced, you’ll typically see them soft and subtle.
Strong lines are favored, with curves only coming into play when a mix with the closely related contemporary style is desired. Scandinavian form will be seen often, with pendants most commonly being shaped as domes, cones, or cylinders.
Industrial Lighting Style
The industrial lighting style has grown tremendously in popularity in recent decades as urbanization has become commonplace. As consumers remodeled former warehouse and factory space into living quarters, the industrial style was created to fill these areas.
You’ll see reclaimed materials used frequently, with an emphasis on metals (particularly iron), wood, and glass. For those looking to get creative, concrete industrial lighting is a small but not unheard of subset in this category.
Blend industrial lighting items with your furniture and accent pieces by taking a look through local antique shops. A small, vintage metal sculpture to adorn a kitchen island with hanging industrial island pendants would be a fantastic complement, for instance.
Vintage Lighting Style
The vintage style aims to create a sense of warmth and nostalgia, with lighting from this design type being no different. You’ll see vintage pendant lighting which harkens back to the past with its usage of soft, flowing lines and elegant colors.
Detailed, elegant, intricate patterns and finishes will be common. It’s typical to see things like gold and brass paired with emerald greens and earthy wood finishes. Shape and form will often be curved, with hanging glass and crystal being regular features as well.
Mesh vintage lights with other elements in your home with careful thought. Their patterned finishes and elegant forms can still be placed with those in the industrial or modern styles, but should be done so carefully. Pairing with farmhouse décor works nicely, as they both seek to invoke a sense of remembrance of times past.
Mid-Century Lighting Style
This design movement began during the late 1940s and 1950s, though some would expand that to include the 1930s and 1960s as well. It’s characterized by both functionality and simplicity, with sleek lines and juxtaposed elements being heavily present.
Mid-century lighting will feature bold colors and shapes, often jutting out in ways you would not see in other lighting decorative styles. An attention-grabbing finish like gold paired with a long cone shade might be the type of eye-catching fixture you’d see with this style.
In terms of furniture, the juxtaposed elements might manifest themselves in the form of skinny, peg legs paired with a cushy, straight edged fabric couch. It may be sun yellow paired with deep purple pillows, really inviting the eye in boldly.
What Type of Lighting is Right for You?
You should hopefully now have a clear picture in your mind of what style of lighting fixture will work best for your home renovation. Remember that these are just five of the main categories out there, and if something feels good but not quite perfect you can also find pieces which blend two styles. With just a little effort spent on your search, you should have no trouble finding a lighting style that will turn out absolutely perfect for you and your style needs.
Image Credits: Adam Winger
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