10 Lighting Trends Experts Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2025
Lighting design is evolving rapidly, with new trends and technologies constantly reshaping how we light our spaces. As we look toward 2025, lighting experts predict some exciting innovations that promise to blend technology, functionality, and aesthetics in ways we’ve never seen before. From smart lighting solutions to nature-inspired designs, these emerging trends are set to transform our environments.
1. Layered Lighting
In an effort to stop relying solely on one lighting source, such as an overhead fixture, lighting trends are embracing the concept of layer lighting – using more than one lighting source to create the desired and needed atmosphere and aesthetic. This trend helps designers create dynamic and versatile living spaces that include ambient, task, and accent lighting styles into one seamless design. For example, floor lamps, LED strips, and pendant lights can be used.
2. Smart Lighting
Smart lighting is becoming increasingly popular because it offers customized lighting capabilities that can easily be added to existing light fixtures. For example, color-changing light bulbs allow you to pick any color on the spectrum and adjust the brightness and hue of the lighting using an app on your phone. By using smart lighting systems, we can better monitor and adjust lighting conditions based on our individual needs, with benefits such as supporting our circadian rhythm or light sensitivity needs.
3. Retro-Futurism
An emerging trend lies in combining vintage and futuristic elements, such as blending old materials with cutting-edge technology to create unique lighting pieces. For example, brass or copper scones can be installed with LED or smart bulbs. This trend combines historical narratives with modern innovation to create unique, energy-efficient pieces that blend past and present and show off our unique, multifaceted personalities.
4. Colorful Glass Globes
Consider colorful glass globe chandeliers or pendant lights to bring more color into your home or office space. These lighting fixtures can add a playful, vibrant touch to any room and create a focal piece that attracts attention while still complimenting the room’s overall design. Colored glass can also help determine the softness or hardness of the overall light. For example, stained glass fixtures in the dining room or porch area can be used to create a lively atmosphere.
5. Neuroaesthetic Lighting
Neuroaesthetic lighting stimulates specific brain responses, enhancing mood and cognitive function through color and intensity. For example, advanced AI technologies could automatically light your home in response to your daily activities to boost your mood, aid in concentration, support your sleeping needs, etc. This challenges the use of traditional lighting by focusing on the neurological effects lighting has on us.
6. Biophilic Urban Lighting
As the biophilic trend gains popularity, we are beginning to see that it is incorporating light in the design as well. For example, natural elements are being brought into the design of lighting fixtures, such as tree branches wrapped in lights or Himalayan salt lamps. This integration of natural elements into urban lighting can reduce stress and improve well-being in densely populated areas by bringing nature into urban buildings and homes.
7. Aurora-Inspired Lighting
Another popular trend is seen in the variety of lighting options that LED lights produce. Using LEDs, one can light their homes with dynamic, constantly changing patterns inspired by nature, such as the Northern Lights. Designing lighting fixtures that mimic the colors and patterns of the aurora borealis creates ethereal, immersive environments, combining natural phenomena with interior design.
8. Natural and Raw Materials
A highly popular trend in interior design is using natural and raw materials, and we are seeing it in lighting trends, too. Many private and public spaces use materials such as wood, rattan, stone, cotton, wicker, bamboo, etc. When it comes to lighting, these materials can be in the form of table and floor lamps, pendant lighting, and minimalist chandeliers. These elements give a space a natural, back-to-our-roots feel, creating a calmer and more atmospheric environment.
9. Lighting Soundscapes
Another capability of LED lights is a trend in experimenting with lighting that responds to sound, creating atmospheric and immersive environments where light and sound interact dynamically. This trend combines lighting technologies with audio technology, which enhances mood, cognitive function, and overall well-being. For example, LED lights and ambient soundscapes simulate natural environments such as sunrise or forest.
10. Minimalist and Invisible Light Sources
Even though maximalism is back with a bang, minimalist lighting is becoming more popular. Known for its simplicity and discretion, recessed lighting, hidden LED strips, and integrated lighting features inside furniture create unobtrusive illumination that highlights architectural elements and layouts. This type of lighting blends in, creating a more streamlined look and feel to a space.
Sources
The 5 lighting trends that designers say will shine brightly in 2025
20 Lighting Trends 2025: The Future of Home Illumination
Neuroaesthetics: Decoding the Brain’s Love for Art and Beauty
