The Hottest New Lighting Trends
The humble home light bulb is more creative and technically advanced than ever before, with options to suit any home aesthetic: for a log cabin, an ultra-modern apartment or a classic country cottage. If you’re either redecorating your home or just looking for a refresh, then updating your home lighting is one easy way to transform the look and feel of your house. Here are four of the hottest trends to look out for to make your rooms shine. 
- LED lighting
Not only does it save huge amounts of energy, making them much cheaper to run, but LED lights last far longer than incandescent light bulbs. They also add more value to your home than the initial outlay, making it a worthwhile investment. LED bulbs have come a long way even in the last few years, and are no longer cold white tubes reminiscent of hospital fluorescents. You can now buy bulbs in both warm and cold tones to suit every room in the house, and lights can even be programmable to almost any shade imaginable. These multi-coloured lights are a fun addition to children’s bedrooms and play rooms.
- Track lighting
It seems like every designer kitchen now has a row of track lights over the kitchen! Track lighting is an ideal way to light a long space, such as a kitchen bench, a workshop, or perhaps even a larger dining table. If you have artwork or photographs along a wall, then the small focused pools of light from a track industrial lighting fixtures is a great way to draw attention to your wall hangings. Track lighting can either come as fixed heads or hanging pendants to suit your style. Pair a white-painted ceiling with black industrial-style track lighting to create a bold statement and add dimension in an otherwise neutral space.
- Metallic fixtures
While 2015 was all about Scandinavian minimalism with its light-coloured unobtrusive light fittings, metallic accents are now popping up in design magazines all around the globe. Table lamps, ceiling fixtures and wall lights are all available in different metallic shades to complement any room and decor. Use cool metals such as stainless steel and chrome for bathrooms and kitchens to make the space look polished and sleek. Warm tones such as gold, copper, brass or rose gold are homely and inviting, and suit living areas and bedrooms with their soft, subtle light. Subtle hints of metallic tones add a touch of luxe to a room, but don’t go overboard with the gold – too much, and it starts to make a room look cheap!
- Strip lighting
The latest technology allows designers to install lights in tiny places previously thought impossible. Adhesive strip lighting is one of these new features in modern homes, appearing in display cabinets to illuminate artworks and sculptures, surrounding bathroom mirrors and inside shadowy wardrobes and closets. They’re ideal when you only want to illuminate a small object, and look especially effective against solid white or black surfaces. Give your bathroom a Broadway touch-up by lining your mirror with strips of LED lighting, or place them inside shelves that display artworks.
