12 Lighting Trends We Love Right Now

This trendy light begs the question: what year is it again? Mushroom lamps are sprouting up on people’s entry consoles, desks and bedside tables everywhere in 2022 and we can’t get enough. These funky, fungi-inspired light fixtures rose to popularity during the 70s and are named, aptly so, for their distinctive silhouettes: slender base paired with a rotund capped top. Invest in the groovy trend with this matte black mushroom lamp from Joss & Main. Its substantial column base and matte finish are a contemporary take on the iconic Panthella lamp, designed by Louis Poulsen in 1971.

The Panthella lamp wasn’t the only stylish shroom lighting up people’s lives in the 70s — or today, for that matter. Mushrooms come in all shapes, sizes and colors and the Murano mushroom lamp offers owners the same high-style look in a much smaller package. The short-and-squat mushroom lamps were all-the-rage during the 70s; each fixture was handblown by Venetian artisans on Murano Island and features one-of-a-kind patterns and colors that elevate any shadowy corner of a room. The Murano-inspired Ansel glass lamp from Urban Outfitters is budget-friendly and comes in six show-stopping glass finishes to suit your existing decor.

This sunset lamp has taken the TikTok community by storm, and this just in: it’s worth the hype. The top-rated lamp is less about the fixture itself and more about the light it gives off in your space. The pint-sized design is just what you need to wash your room in glorious sunset hues like amber, orange, gold and red. Wrap your walls in warmth and create an unmatched ambiance for your living room or bedroom at the end of the day.

Why reserve pleats for your wardrobe? Put the tailored technique to work in your interiors and pretty up your home with pleated light fixtures a la this eye-catching design from Wayfair. The Hiram semi-flush drum light adds a polished element overhead with a white pleated shade enhanced by rich, golden hardware. Pleats are the rising star in lighting design, adding a cozy, textural element to lamps, ceiling lights and even wall sconce shades.

Move over, table lamps! Swing arm sconces are the “it” fixture for bedside lighting. There’s something innately elevated about integrated lighting (even if said lighting is covertly plugged-in behind your headboard). And unlike traditional lamps, swing arm sconces provide adjustable, concentrated light that’s ideal for bedtime reading. Better still? Wall-mounted lights free up tons of valuable nightstand real estate, providing you with ample room to store your nighttime necessities. The Judson swing arm lamp boasts a streamlined silhouette, a contemporary high-contrast finish and a dimmer, making it our top pick for your new night light.

Oversized light fixtures will always have a time and place in design, but that time is not today, and that place is not on our 2022 lighting trend list. Art Deco influence abounds this year, with compact, streamlined fixtures like the Preston semi-flush ceiling light on the rise. The Preston light features a parred-back scale with crisp, shapely lines that feel fresh against years of domineering drum shades, beaded chandeliers and globe lights. Try the trend at home; snag the Preston to illuminate your closet or splurge on a set to illuminate your hallway.

Enjoy a never-ending summer and enduring charm with this of-the-moment light trend: woven shades. Rattan and wicker shades bring a warm, dimensional look to any corner of your home. Apply the cozy, cottage-worthy lighting trend to your home with a set of wall-mounted Tina sconces from Urban Outfitters. Install sconces to either side of your bed or use the winning woven duo to flank your bathroom vanity mirror.

Pendant lights remain pro designers’ go-to fixture for illuminating a breakfast table or casting light on kitchen islands in 2022. That said, the drum pendant lights of yore are taking a back seat to streamlined Italian Modernist-inspired silhouettes. The Brio pendant light by Studio Anansi for CB2 encapsulates the trend with a counterweight disc silhouette forged from unlacquered or burnished brass.

Love a less-is-more approach? Have your wallet at the ready because this 2022 light trend is for you. Skip the bedside lamp and show-stopping shaded sconces for a pair of ceiling-mounted, exposed bulb pendant lights on either side of your bed. The Luz dimmable pendant is as unfussy as they come with a barely-there glass shade and your choice of bronze, brass, copper or polished nickel hardware.

Timely and timeless? This 2022 lighting trend is one you can invest in without suffering subsequent buyers’ remorse a few months down the road. How can we be sure, you ask? Gallery lights (or picture lights) have been mainstays in art museums, libraries and traditional interiors for years. And although they’re having a “moment” right now, these fixtures are classic and will never go out of style. Invest in the iron Rony picture light from Pottery Barn to highlight your treasured artwork or splurge on a set to add ambiance to your bookcase after dark.

Brass, polished nickel and matte black continue to be light fixture finishes in 2022, but there’s a new (er, ancient?) "it" finish on the market capturing everyone’s attention in 2022: Plaster. Plaster chandeliers and lamps usher Old World elegance into a room and bring an understated quality to a design. The Sardinia Plaster Chandelier from Crate & Barrel marries the textural plaster finish with trending Italian Modernist lines to yield the ultimate of-the-moment focal point for your home.

Trendsetting Gen Z is embracing their early childhood years with Y2K interior design staples like this adjustable floor lamp from Urban Outfitters. The Ramira floor lamp is a contemporary take on the lamp everyone had tucked in the corner of their bedroom, home office or living space between 2000 and 2011. This updated lamp (and the one everyone had in 2006) draws inspiration from the iconic Arredoluce Triennale three-arm lamp designed in Italy during the 60s. Unlike the angular retro design, the Ramira lamp sports curved lines and frosted glass shades fitting for contemporary interiors.