Building or remodeling your home? Don’t forget the lights! Lighting design is now a focal point of residential construction, especially with more people working from home, and new technology that makes high-quality lighting design as easy as...well...flipping a switch. Here’s the lighting trends we’ve got our eyes on for 2021 and beyond.

Be bold

Light fixtures are no longer considered just an appliance—interior designers now see them as an essential part of the overall design of a room. Which means that dramatic, sculptural, and over-sized fixtures are in. 

Not only will this add more visual interest to your room, it can also significantly brighten your space, since many fixtures now contain more bulbs in larger sizes. Worried about the added brightness bringing a little too much intensity? Focal point light fixtures should always be attached to a dimmer to control the ambiance.

What to look for: Oversized chandeliers and statement fixtures in bold, geometric shapes. Floor and table lamps that look more like a fine art sculpture than a light fixture, and lighting made from unique materials like blown glass or textured metals. 

Get Smart

As mentioned before, dimmer fixtures are an essential part of good lighting design. But dimmers aren’t the only way to regulate the brightness of a room. Smart lighting now includes color temperature control, which means you can program your bulbs to give off warmer or cooler light based on the time of day or personal preference.

Some new LED bulbs even mimic natural sunlight, which can help improve mood and relieve stress—making them perfect for your new work-at-home office. And for even more customizability, most high-tech lighting options can now be controlled from an app on your phone, making it easy to dim, brighten, or warm up or cool down the lighting in every room of the house. 

Highlight your faves

Did you know there are three components to good lighting? General, accent, and task lighting are all necessary to achieve a truly well lit space. While many people are great at incorporating general lighting—the overhead lights and fixtures that illuminate the entire space, and task lighting—the lamps and fixtures on desks, end tables, and above kitchen prep areas designed to improve visibility, it’s easy to forget the importance of good accent lighting. 

Accent lights are meant to help highlight parts of the room and draw attention to a specific focal point. Which means they are perfect for highlighting your collection of antique canoe paddles, your art collection, or even the decorative molding along your ceiling. 

Whether it’s your child’s kindergarten masterpieces or your grandpa’s stamp collection, accent lighting is the final detail that makes a room feel truly finished. 

Lighting made easy

Lighting design starts at the beginning of the design process, and isn’t complete until the very last lamp finds it’s perfect spot within your home. That means you’ll need a team of professionals to get it done right—from electricians and contractors to speciality lighting experts. Here’s our bright idea: contact Home Planning Hawaii and let us help you connect with the best professionals for your project. 

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to try our free online estimator to ensure there’s enough room in your construction budget for that truly fantastic chandelier or light fixture.