Lighting trends to jazz up your abode

You have your furniture where you want it. The curtains have been hung. The cushions and candles are in place. All that's left to get your new home ready is choosing the perfect lighting. There are multiple options available to customers who aspire to personalize their space aligned to their design sensibilities.

Vikas Gandhi, Senior Vice President - Lighing and Premium Fans, Tisva shares some of the latest trends in the lighting segment.

* Dimmability and Tunability: Innovation is what keeps one ahead of the curve today. While lights need to be functional, consumers today have newer benchmarks in terms of look and feel as well. Plain lights are passe as it is the day and age of making a statement with lighting solutions that matches your personality. The innovative lights such as dimmability (light intensity) and tunability (colour intensity) are gaining strong demand as both are used to alter the ambience to suit the mood, occasion and the time of day.

* Hand crafted chandeliers: Chandeliers are one of the biggest statement-making accessories in any decor and plays the show-stopper in any home. Big chandeliers instantly attract attention and are a perfect fixture as a centrepiece and conversation starter.

Chandeliers can straddle across genres in terms of the architecture of the final product - from unique sculptural design to handcrafted masterpieces in Murano glass, or then to the very modern. Each has a following of its own. Chandeliers in Murano glass are extremely popular as they are timeless symbols, the craft of which has been handed down for centuries among the Venetian artisans.

* Layering of lighting: Lighting can be powerfully subtle. The right lighting can make you feel relaxed or energetic, it's all about the mood. Warm yellow lighting is best used in areas meant for relaxation like the living room or the bedroom. A combination of lights that are smartly placed in any room can be used to bring to life any room and are perfect to lend drama to an occasion when required.

Current trends in home lighting reveal a growing preference for lamps and fixtures that are practical, save energy, and reflect strong aesthetic choices. Sheela Lunkad, Fabindia Home & Lifestyle, sheds a little light on what customers are drawn to right now.

* Hanging clusters: Groups of three or more bulbs suspended from the ceiling are very popular, especially for living rooms. When installed in a corner and paired with a striking end table, they create a focal point for the room's decor.

* A blend of the modern and the traditional: Customers are increasingly seeking contemporary and modern shapes which have a distinctly traditional flavour. For example, straight-line lampshades which are decorated with hand-embroidery.

* Jewellery-inspired: While the minimalist trend is going strong, people are seeking ways to offset an otherwise simple room with a single, stand-out piece. Lighting fixtures that mimic jewellery, such as filigreed sconces and lamp bases, are flying off the shelves.

* Vintage designs: Trends have a way of circling back every few years. While modern designs are always sought out, there is a demand for vintage-style lights as well. Pendant lamps crafted with patina-coated metal and lampshades of fine linen are as popular now as they were forty years ago.

* Colour-changing LEDS: Mood-lighting that can change colour at the touch of a button is making its way into a lot of homes. These systems can be controlled with smartphones, and add a stylish and modern touch to your home.

* Energy-saving solutions: Not every decision is purely aesthetic. A growing awareness about environmental concerns is boosting the demand for lighting fixtures that save energy.

The lighting industry is keeping pace with consumers as they become more aware and discerning in their choice of lighting solutions and today offer a plethora of options that can be customised to suit every individual.

--IANS

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