Lighting Innovations For 2016

There are certain items within a home that can easily be updated to upgrade your interior and lighting is one of them. These decorative items are just as important as furniture pieces, though it seems most people think of them as an after-thought. Lighting fixtures offer both function and aesthetics, with the potential to become fantastic focal pieces within a space, transforming a home’s interior. Looking through the Maison & Objet products that were on show last month, it seems that there was a real focus on lighting; from pendant lights to wall sconces, if the pieces displayed at Maison & Objet are any indication, we’re up for an interesting – and absolutely stunning – year of lighting ahead of us. Last year in interiors we saw a lot of metallics incorporated throughout furniture pieces, lighting, and décor items, and it seems that this year we’ll see a lot more of that trend, but in a more delicate approach. One of my favourite collections that demonstrations this, is in Tom Dixon’s Stone Lights, showcasing gold-dipped light bulbs positioned within smooth halos of marble and brass. Another fantastic example of the more refined use of metallics this year is in Marie-Lise Féry’s brand, Magic Circus, and the elegant hand-made pendant lamps that involve brass and opalescent glass that – might I add – are expertly hand-blown. This artisanal approach can also be seen in the series, Hollow – a collection of hand-blown glass lights by Dan Yeffet for Wonderglass. Glass has also been used in Mathieu Lehanneur’s clever installation, Les Cordes. A reinterpretation of the classic chandelier, Lehanneur used delicate glass tubes containing bands of LEDs, resulting in this magical feature piece that is full of whimsy. Based on what was on show this year, it’s safe to say that lighting will be making more of an impact in interiors this year. The elegant materials can easily be incorporated into any interior, whilst the silhouettes and designs are unusual and innovative – perfect for a feature piece! [gallery columns="4" ids="32014,32015,32016,32017,32018,32019,32020,32021,32022,32023"]