7 Lighting Trends and How They Are Illuminating Today’s Interior Spaces

Luis Barragán’s legacy lies in the way he uses light and color. Tadao Ando's sensitive approach to natural light established his own architectural language. James Turrell's dramatic interior transformations explore a unique perception of visual experiences where "light is not a tool to enable vision but rather something to look at itself". Olafur Eliasson's immersive installations play with the psychology of viewers using just light, water, and air. These architects and designers, among others, have reimagined how light is perceived, inspiring generations of architects to follow suit with the way they understand and employ light.

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Light plays a crucial role in architecture, as it impacts the visual comfort of users and defines the overall ambiance of interiors. Between innovative technologies, environmental awareness, and architecture and design trends, lighting systems nowadays have evolved beyond its evident function. Light has become a design strategy and a statement that maximizes the functional and aesthetic quality of a space. As for how our interiors will be lit in a few years or decades, we can expect innovations with materiality such as using organic materials to generate light, connecting bulbs to devices to increase convenience and save energy, or a return to the most basic forms of nature.

Take a look at how architects and designers employed these 7 currently-dominating interior lighting trends through 18 projects from our database. 

Sculptural Lighting

During the past couple of years, elaborate designs stood at the forefront of trends. Organic and sculptural forms inspired by natural silhouettes and maximalist movements were heavily seen across interiors, furniture pieces, and fit-outs. Lighting designers embraced this exaggerated design language and looked at lighting fixtures as more than just a source of illumination, but as a tool to make a bold statement.

Light / TAMEN arq

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Light / TAMEN arq. Image © Alexander Potiomkin

Aluminium Flower Garden / Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

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Aluminium Flower Garden / Moriyuki Ochiai Architects. Image Courtesy of Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

Suspended LED Lighting Installation / David Svensson

7 Lighting Trends and How They Are Illuminating Today’s Interior Spaces - Image 4 of 21
Suspended LED Lighting Installation / David Svensson. Image © David Svensson

Smart LED

Knowing that 3D printing promotes experimentation with innovative forms, structures, and materials, designers are now combining 3D printed structures with LED lighting, expanding interior design possibilities. Smart LED systems are designed to be more convenient, customizable, and economical than traditional lighting systems. The way they work, as seen in the work of Philipp Aduatz, LED strips are integrated and inserted horizontally within the concrete wall and are controlled by the RGB color space where the user can manipulate colors, gradients, animation, and operating hours.

Atmospheric Lighting

Also known as ambient or mood lighting, atmospheric lighting concentrates on how the interior space is perceived physically and emotionally. Using specific hues and intensities, light fixtures choreograph the sensory experience of users, reinforcing the storytelling of the architecture.  

With.It Home / BodinChapa Architects

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With.It Home / BodinChapa Architects. Image © Rungkit Charoenwat

Tan90° Bar / AD ARCHITECTURE

7 Lighting Trends and How They Are Illuminating Today’s Interior Spaces - Image 2 of 21
Tan90° Bar / AD ARCHITECTURE. Image © Ouyang Yun

SOMA Lounge Office / Design Studio BYO

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SOMA Lounge Office / Design Studio BYO. Image © Kiwoong Hong

Mood and Wellness Lighting

As a means of prioritizing emotional, mental, and physical well-being, human behavior specialists and industrial engineers developed "human-centric lighting", an approach that takes into consideration the impact of light on human biology and behavior. These systems mimic natural daylight cycles to complement the body's cardiac rhythm through changes in color, temperature, and intensity.

Carner Barcelona Perfumery / Jofre Roca arquitectes

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Carner Barcelona Perfumery / Jofre Roca arquitectes. Image © Adrià Goula

Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & SPA / Simone Micheli

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Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & SPA / Simone Micheli. Image © Jürgen Eheim

Shuran Wellness Space+ Shuran Skincare / E Studio

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Shuran Wellness Space+ Shuran Skincare / E Studio. Image © Chao Zhang
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Shuran Wellness Space+ Shuran Skincare / E Studio. Image © Chao Zhang

Path Guiders and Spatial Outlines 

Designers took advantage of the versatility of continuous LED strips and defined their structures and circulation using recessed, mounted, or suspended lighting, adding a secondary function alongside illumination. Its versatile system creates diverse configurations without disruptions between floor, wall, ceiling, and internal space.

WARP STUDIO / I IN

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WARP STUDIO / I IN. Image © Tomooki Kengaku

Misci Store / Babbie Arquitetura e Interiores + Airon Martin

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Misci Store / Babbie Arquitetura e Interiores + Airon Martin. Image © André Klotz

Red Vicutu Concept Store Design / AntiStatics Architecture

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Red Vicutu Concept Store Design / AntiStatics Architecture. Image © UK Studio

Faux Skylight

Among all types of lighting, it is evident that natural light promotes the emotional and physical well-being of users the most, but in projects that don't have the spatial or environmental means to provide that, designers have created faux skylights using ceiling openings, LED strips, and semi-translucent panels to mimic the effects of having natural light within the space. 

KClighting Global Flagship Showroom / E Studio

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KClighting Global Flagship Showroom / E Studio. Image © Kyunseok Seo

Alien Tanuki’s Space Capsule Coffee Shop / Absence from Island

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Alien Tanuki’s Space Capsule Coffee Shop / Absence from Island. Image © Absence from island

Soui Flagship Store / HOFFICE

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Soui Flagship Store / HOFFICE. Image © Kyunseok Seo

Neon

One of the biggest interior trends of 2021 and 2022 was neon lights. Many credit neon's rises to popularity on social media, particularly during the pandemic when people began exploring their creativity and sharing their creations on their accounts. The material's flexibility, diversity, and reference to the retro aesthetic allowed designers to explore its potential as statement elements, light source, ambient, and scripture, to name a few. 

Madalena Bar / Emanuella Wojcikiewicz Studio

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Madalena Bar / Emanuella Wojcikiewicz Studio. Image © Fábio Puttini

FoodX Poznan Restaurant / mode:lina architekci

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FoodX Poznan Restaurant / mode:lina architekci. Image © Patryk Lewiński

reMarkable Pop Up Store / Snøhetta

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reMarkable Pop Up Store / Snøhetta. Image © Calle Huth

Find more interiors that feature these lighting trends in this My ArchDaily folder created by the author.

This article is part of an ArchDaily series that explores features of interior architecture, from our own database of projects. Every month, we will highlight how architects and designers are utilizing new elements, new characteristics, and new signatures in interior spaces around the world. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should mention specific ideas, please submit your suggestions.

This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Light in Architecture, proudly presented by Vitrocsa the original minimalist windows since 1992.

Vitrocsa designed the original minimalist window systems, a unique range of solutions, dedicated to the frameless window boasting the narrowest sightline barriers in the world: Manufactured in line with the renowned Swiss Made tradition for 30 years, Vitrocsa’s systems “are the product of unrivaled expertise and a constant quest for innovation, enabling us to meet the most ambitious architectural visions.”

Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.

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Cite: Dima Stouhi. "7 Lighting Trends and How They Are Illuminating Today’s Interior Spaces" 24 Mar 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/998415/7-lighting-trends-and-how-they-are-illuminating-todays-interior-spaces> ISSN 0719-8884

Rombo IV / Miguel Angel Aragonés. Image © Joe Fletcher

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