Lighting trends 2022 – see the beautiful designs set to brighten our homes next year

Lighting trends ranging from overhead pendants, elegant sculptural shapes and styles and bespoke fittings, these are just some of the lighting trends our experts have predicted will set the design world alight for 2022.

Lighting is an essential component to a successful design scheme yet is so much more important in wintertime, when the days are shorter and we spend far more time indoors than usual. 

Thanks to the pandemic, our focus has been drawn into our homes and we're acutely aware of how important it is for our homes to be both comfortable and beautiful. So while everything – including lighting – needs to have a purpose, it also needs to look good. 

Lighting trends 2022

We asked a panel of lighting experts and interior design insiders on what they expect the biggest lighting trends to be in 2022. So read on to discover what is set to brighten our lives next year and beyond...

1. Use lighting as a design focal point

'2022 will see dining and living room ceiling lighting ideas becoming the focus of rooms rather than being merely functional. There will be elegant and extravagant light fittings coming through for every style, from contemporary to cottagecore,' explains Valentina Gori, the lighting expert at Smart Lighting Industries, lighting expert at Smart Lighting Industries. 

'Thoughtfully placed, cleverly designed and carefully crafted ceiling lights will transform rooms. Lighting will become a starting point for design rather than being left until last.'

“Don’t be afraid to go bold with your ceiling lighting,' Valentina continues, 'larger spaces can take more daring pieces but don’t shy away from unconventional light fittings in smaller spaces, especially if you dial back some other design elements.'

2. Make a statement with sculptural lighting

'Table lamps with sculptural shapes and bold designs turn your lamps into pieces of art, providing interest even when the lamp is turned off,' continues Martin Waller. 

'Use pairs of lamps to accentuate a beautiful sideboard or console table, or frame a larger piece of furniture such as a sofa or bed. 

'Floor lamps are dutiful and elegant and can be placed next to an armchair or sofa to create a comfortable reading spot. Or light up that dark, forgotten corner of your hallway with a statement design to breathe new life into your home.'

3. Opt for artful ceiling lights

'You don't light for the light, you light for shadows,' says Martin Waller, founder of Andrew Martin. 'As the darker evenings draw in, it’s time to look for new ways of lighting the corners of our homes that have become accustomed to the lingering sunlight of the warmer months. 

'Artful ceiling lights and thoughtfully placed lamps can transform a room into a cozy sanctuary in which to hibernate through the winter. Ceiling lights create a focal point in a space, while metallic details will reflect and bounce the light around the room to dazzling effect.'

4. Go for bold statement pieces

'Choose bold designs featuring sculptural shapes, interesting texture or colored glass to make as style statement, even when the light is switched off,' concludes Martin Waller. 

'Think of your lamp as an art piece or sculpture, like a design-led finishing touch. A light is a good way to throw surprise in a room, to merge modern with traditional.'

5. Take a symmetrical approach

Symmetry is an interior design trick used to create smart-looking rooms – and it's perfect for lighting trends. 

For a classic look, try taking a symmetrical approach to lighting. ‘A great way to achieve this is to place two lamps either side of a mirror or a piece of art,’ says Louise Wicksteed, design director for Sims Hilditch. ‘The resulting aesthetic is one of well-distributed elegance.’

6. Light up your space with color 

Color is back in a big way for lighting trends in 2022. For a colorful look, follow the lead of Kit Kemp, creative director of Firmdale Hotels. Her well-honed eye for cleverly mixing unexpected yet uplifting hues and folk art patterns follows through to her lighting choices, which embrace pairings and mismatched bases.

7. Increase your interest in bedroom lighting

With the trend for spaces to relax and unwind in becoming more prominent and important in interiors post-pandemic, ambience is key with lighting playing a crucial role in helping to set the mood and surrounding atmosphere.

To this end, lighting for bedrooms is taking a more important role, with eye-catching central pendants a focal point in themselves, even unlit, and shapely bedside lamps creating the perfect, low-lit atmosphere.

8. Layer lighting in your home office

With more of us than ever working from home, more thought is being given to how we light our home offices and work spaces – and one trend to emerge for lighting in 2022 is a new-found love of traditional workmanship and styles. 

This Abercrombie table lamp (above) by Jim Lawrence is a case in point. It has been designed with a heritage look and is as handsome when it is turned off as when it is switched on. 

The traditional spun brass shade and base are matched with a contemporary steel stem and exposed braided cable to create an eclectic effect. Perhaps you picked it up at a French flea market? No one need ever know. 

'If you are working from your living space, use different types of lamps to create the right environment,' advises Will Law, Partner & Home Design Stylist at John Lewis. 'In the day, opt for LED task lighting, which is bright and white – and you could even supplement this with a SAD lamp on darker days.'

'In the evening,' continues Will, 'turn these off and transition to diffused lighting – either shaded lamps, or designs that have warm, frosted bulbs, as these will give a cosy glow to the room.'

9. Show of wall art with light fixtures

High-value (be it in real terms or personal) art needs to be treated with careful consideration when it comes to lighting – especially if the aim is to make it a standout feature of the room. ‘Lighting a picture has the double advantage of showing off the work and reflecting light back into the room,’ says interior decorator 

Nicola Harding, who designed this scheme. She chose a wall color with a lacquer finish to reflect natural light; the artificial light above stands in place during darker hours. ‘That reflected light is more atmospheric than something that lights the whole room. I also enjoy playing around with wall lights that weren’t specifically designed as picture lights. Anything with an articulated arm can work.’

10. Plan to perfect for a bespoke option

2022 will be the year for bespoke and commissioned lighting schemes. 

When commissioning bespoke joinery, ask the carpenter to make allowances for internal wiring from the start. This will allow for some lights to be built into the unit, removing the need for trailing wires from standalone lamps or wall lights, resulting in a cleaner finish. 

Interior decorator Sarah Brown commissioned this pretty bespoke shelving painted in a pale pink gloss and with tongue and groove detailing for a sitting room in London. ‘An interesting room is made up of many layers that allows the eye to travel,’ she says. Sarah added decorative flourishes to the lighting by using patterned lampshades on the sconce and the mantelpiece lamp.