Everyone knows that architectural lights work with charm. They enhance the aesthetics of homes, buildings, and offices. However, using those lights randomly may not be very effective. Different architectural lighting design trends are available. Those trendy designs give the way to use this lighting strategically.
Remember, each new trend of lighting design comes with some new ideas. These ideas help use lighting to achieve the desired blend of aesthetics and functionality. Let’s dive in and explore some lighting design trends of the current year.
Different Architectural Lighting Designs
If you’re reading this article, you already know the importance of being up-to-date with the latest trends. Right? Let’s explore different architectural lighting ideas and trends.
1- Architectural Facade Lighting
These lighting designs improve the looks of the exterior side of your home and building. These lights can change their colors and offer variation in their accent. So, they improve the overall visual dynamics of your home. Remember, different types of facade lights are available. All of them have different features.
The building’s facade lighting is attractive and attractive to attention. Therefore, many businesses use this lighting to light up their business. Have you ever seen different colors on the walls of shops? Those lights fall in this architectural lighting. They are an excellent way of getting customers’ attention. Some modern facades allow you to change color and adjust brightness.
2- String Lights, Lanterns, or LED light Strips
This lighting is most common in outdoor spaces. People love different shades of lighting, right? They use various decorative lights like string, lanterns, and LED light strips. This gives their exteriors a bold look. These small lights may sound less important, but they significantly impact design.
There are different ways of using these lights. For example, you can hang them around trees. You can also strategically place lanterns or LED strips. What I like about this lighting system is that it is inexpensive. Moreover, these LED strips can change colors, further making the look of the home exterior appealing.
3- Backlit Effect
The backlit effect of lighting has been an evergreen trend. It is popular in outdoor architectural design. It includes the use of strategically placed lights behind different exterior elements. These elements can be walls, signs, or any object. Simply put, the lights do not remain visible. However, they create a glow that enhances the ambiance of the outdoor space.
A yard or patio with a backlit effect feels more open and inviting. The placement of the lights is crucial in this design. It ensures proper illumination while maintaining a subtle glow. You should not put lights behind objects that are too big. They would affect the light quality by creating hindrances.
4- Landscaping Lighting Design
These exterior lighting designs uplift the overlook of a home or building. These landscape lights come in different sizes and shapes. Moreover, their installation allows you to fix them strategically to get the most out of them. For example, you can use these lights on the walkway or garden. There are various types of landscape lights, which are as follows:
- Spotlights
- Floodlights
- Pathway Lights
- Wall Wash Lights
- Deck and Step Lights
Remember, there are different techniques available for setting up landscape lighting. Each method ensures different styles and vibes. Those include uplight, downlighting, and grazing. In uplift style, light illuminates the upper part of homes or trees. On the flip side, downlighting lights up the floor.
I love grazing techniques while using landscape architectural lights. Why? It provides a creative way to create shadows of different objects, such as stones. You can place these lights near those objects. This lighting design provides optimal brightness, improving the aesthetics of the home’s exterior.
5- Sculptural Lighting
This sculptural lighting adds a unique touch to your space. How? These lights come with fixtures with some artwork. Moreover, the shape of these fixtures is also very unique. So, they enhance the artistic element. This sculptural lighting trend is very distinctive.
The light fixture can be made of either glass or wood. Both would work fine. Remember that these light fixtures are also part of these sculptural lighting designs. They come with patterns and designs that take the room’s overall look to the next level.
6- Smart Lighting / Human Centric Designing
This architectural lighting design trend focuses on human preferences. These smart outdoor lights use advanced technologies, so humans’ voices control their work. So, if you need a warm glow in your garden or patio, you can adjust the lights quickly.
Imagine coming home after a long day and wanting calm in your outdoor space. The outdoor lights will dim, creating a soft, peaceful ambiance. You’ll be able to sit in your home’s small garden and relax. This lighting trend gives you control over your exterior lighting. However, this lighting system is more expensive compared to other outdoor types.
Quick Highlight: This design is more human-centric. Apart from lighting your garden or driveway, these elegant lights give you control over your space. They prioritize well-being and moods, helping you relax or focus on outdoor tasks. In short, you create a comfortable and productive environment.
7- Indirect Lighting Designs
This design is more about the placement of lights. The source of lights should be directed towards the ceiling of the walls. The light it emits should bounce back instead of going directly into the eyes. It will create the same light intensity, but your eyes won’t get glare.
Instead, you’ll feel light and aesthetically pleasing. Are you wondering how to achieve this indirect lighting design? Worry not! Here is a list of some lights and fixtures that support indirect architectural lighting designs.
- Wall Sconces
- Cove Lighting
- Floor Lamps with Shades
- Pendant Lights with Diffusers
8- Dimmable Bulbs
Dimmable bulbs are an excellent way to control the lighting in your exterior spaces. These bulbs come in fixtures of different sizes. This allows you to choose their shape and design to fit your landscape. Importantly, these lights enable you to adjust their brightness according to your mood. For example, you can decrease their brightness.
This creates a softer ambiance during evening gatherings. You might argue that these bulbs resemble the smart lighting systems mentioned earlier. However, these dimmable bulbs are inexpensive and can adjust the light level. Moreover, they only increase and decrease their brightness. In contrast, smart lighting can also change colors.
To make these dimmable bulbs stand out, use stylish outdoor fixtures. Those fixtures should complement your landscape design. You can increase light brightness when not sitting in an outdoor space. This will ensure that your home exterior lights up more. It would help prevent security issues. When sitting there, you can reduce the brightness of the light to get better softness.
9- Unique Shapes Designing
Do you know architectural lighting designs depend on the shape of fixtures? Remember, light sources are generally the same. Their purpose is to emit light and illuminate space. But it’s the fixture style that makes a light stand out. Take an example.
Imagine you have two fixtures. One is a standard outdoor lamp with a simple design. The other is a spiral-shaped fixture resembling a tree. This spiral-shaped design uniquely holds the light source. Which lights attract your attention?Your answer would be the light with spiral-shaped fixtures.
You should always focus on choosing stylish and unique outdoor fixtures. Moreover, this design trend helps draw attention. Imagine if you have a garden with a less appealing corner. You can place a light with an attractive fixture nearby. No one will notice the less appealing area. Instead, these lights would attract all the attention and overshadow the weaknesses in the landscape.
10- Sustainable Style
I am a big advocate of using products made from recycled materials. Why? Because they help maintain balance in our environment. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a sustainable lighting system. These lights would be economically suitable and ecologically safe. Even if they are not ideally attractive, compromise a bit!
Make sure that your chosen outdoor lights do not harm the environment. These trends offer a balance of aesthetics and energy efficiency. You should focus on using LED lights for your outdoor spaces, as they consume less energy. Adopting this lighting trend makes the world suitable for the next generation.
Conclusion
Architectural lighting uplifts the look of any space. Home, office, or bedroom – their strategic placement of lights ensures the satisfaction of the core heart. There are tons of different lighting ideas and designs. But it does not make sense to stick to those old-fashioned lighting designs. Isn’t it right?
Therefore, this article has put together nine unique but trendy architectural lighting designs, incorporating practical ideas suitable for various budgets. Backlit effects and smart lighting layouts stand out for their ability to enhance control and atmosphere.