It can be tricky to know when to follow interior design trends. You of course want your home to feel current but you also don't want to lean so into trends that your home feels dated every few weeks. The best advice we can give when it comes to trends is to keep those bigger aspects classic, and in keeping with styles you know you will love for decades, and use your smaller decor to follow those design trends.
Hence why lighting is great for giving your home a trendy update. Here, we are talking specifically bedroom lighting trends and what fittings and fixtures, shapes, and colors are in for 2024. Switching out your bedroom lighting can be a quick and inexpensive job in comparison to a whole remodel, so if you are looking to give your space a trendy update, here are the looks designers suggest.
1. Antique lighting
Decorating with antiques can hardly be called a trend, but we are seeing more people using antiques and vintage pieces to bring character into a room, no matter what the style. Antique lighting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to add charm to a bedroom – make a statement with a chandelier or switch boring bedside lights for something more ornate.
As Claire Sá, Director at De Rosee Sa, says, 'Antique lamp bases can easily be given a new lease of life with a lick of paint and new lampshades. Linen and rattan are beautiful materials to introduce into a bedroom scheme through the lampshade, as they emit a soft glow and subtly integrate themselves within any bedroom design setting.'
2. Expertly layered lighting
'Lately, we’ve seen such a beautiful emphasis on layered lighting in a bedroom,' explains designer Marie Flanigan. 'To create a beautifully layered lighting scheme, start with a stunning overhead statement piece like a chandelier or pendant light to serve as the room's focal point.'
'Complement this with task lighting by placing elegant floor lamps or stylish sconces on either side of the bed for reading and other activities. Add ambient lighting with table lamps on the bedside tables to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, ensuring a well-balanced and functional lighting design.'
3. Transitional styles
Bedside lighting tends to match the style of the bedroom itself, but we all know 2024 is about transitional style and mixing different styles, old and new. So bedroom lighting trends are all about adding a modern silhouette to a more traditional space, or vice versa.
'Bedside table lamps that are modern and sculptural in form not only add character to a bedroom but functionality as well,' explains Clara Ewart, head of design at Kitesgrove.
'This striking light has a beautiful, clean silhouette that adds visual impact, and its modern aesthetic contrasts comfortably with some of the more traditional elements of the room such as the antique bedside tables.'
4. Sweeping sconces
'We’re seeing more and more sweeping sconces that articulate over the bed in lieu of traditional bedside lamps,' explains designer Jennifer Walter. 'Who doesn’t want more surface area on the nightstand? Sconces of any kind are a great way to maximize space, and offer more isolated light over the bed. We’re also seeing monopoints and adjustable surface mount lights replacing recessed lighting to create more ambient light in bedrooms.'
5. Colorful, patterned table lamps
A table lamp is one of the most popular bedside lighting options for a bedroom, and it can be a simple way to enhance a space with eye-catching colors and patterns. As designer Raili Clasen explains, 'We are using more and more lamps in bedrooms, primarily because there are so many cool and colorful options these days.'
From bright, bobbin bases to unique fabric shades, more and more of us are choosing to decorate our homes with eye-catching table lamp designs.
6. Industrial minimalism
Whether you're a minimalist at heart or want your bedroom lighting to feel more subtle or traditional, opting for an industrial, minimalist lighting scheme can establish a simple, pared-back look.
In this bedroom, part of a project by Jamie Haller, he states that 'Antique lighting was often used in the home and sourced through local architectural salvage specializing in the early century.'
We love these antique lighting finds, and think they fit in perfectly with the traditional wooden millwork and overall rustic, classic style of the space. The rounded glass ceiling light and exposed bulb table lamp celebrate the essential components and traditional materials used to make up a light fixture, with this use and style of metal and glass utterly timeless.
If you're thinking about purchasing some vintage lighting for your bedroom, for more inspiration and advice, explore how to decorate with antiques.
7. Wiggles and waves
The use of curves, on everything from furniture shapes to lighting, accessories, and more, is being celebrated as one of the most popular interior design trends of 2024.
The use of free-flowing, soft curves in interior design can make a room feel more gentle, inviting and relaxed, ideal for a bedroom or living room. Charlie Bowles, director at Original BTC says, 'nostalgia has been a huge influence in the way people style their interiors. Social media has led to a resurgence of decade-related trends like brass fittings, unexpected pops of color, and creative shapes.'
If you want to embrace the wiggles and waves trend but in a more subtle way, why not choose a scalloped or wavy lampshade, instead, such as this pendant light from Anthropologie, or this table lamp from Serena & Lily.
8. Eclectic contrasts
Another key trend to look out for across interior design in 2024 is styling a space with an eclectic mix of the old and the new, and establishing an elegant union of different styles and eras of design.
Creating a space rich in unique character and texture, the overall feel of this 'trend' is a freedom to design a space rich in contrast and character, filled with objects and design ideas collected from various places over time.
Whether you style your bedroom with a collection of different lamps, some old and some new, or choose a unique table lamp design, like in the bedroom above where contrasting materials, textures, and colors sit stylishly together as one, there is much fun and creativity to be had.
9. Retro designs
There's been a resurgence of love for retro interiors, and the 70s style in particular, so no surprise that bedroom lighting trends are reflecting that. Bedroom lighting that was once considered dated is back on trend, and yes, that even included ceiling fans.
Quirky retro lighting can be found in abundance on online marketplaces, and often for reasonable prices too. Look out for smoked or colorful glass fixtures that are statement, yet subtle enough to blend with other interior design styles.
10. Low hung bedside pendant lamps
Knowing how to plan bedroom lighting is just about light levels – the fittings you choose can affect the room's proportions, too. There are several advantages to this fabulous new trend, one being that they can visually give the impression of a taller ceiling, as the pendant cord hangs down and can trick the eye.
Jo Plismy, founder of contemporary lighting company Gong adds, 'hung either side of a bed, pendant lights make a pleasing symmetrical statement and free up space on bedside furniture. Being hung in this way also gives them the illusion they are serenely floating, further evoking feelings of peacefulness.'
Bedroom lighting trends are a simple way to make a substantial difference to the look of your space without having a total remodel. Plus, lighting is pretty easy to switch out as trends continue to change, although as always we recommend being influenced by trends but not dictated by them, you should love what you bring into your home for years to come.
