Modern Lighting Ideas to Transform Your Space
Get inspired by these bright ideas.
Modern lighting design prioritizes bright, clean lighting, natural materials, linear and curved lines, and functionality. If you want to create the ultimate modern-style home, the right lighting is essential. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of modern lighting options available, making choosing your lighting the easiest part of designing your modern home. Let these 20 modern lighting ideas inspire you on your interior design journey.
1. Keep Things Simple With Minimalist Wall Sconces
Modern style prioritizes simplicity and airy, uncluttered spaces. Choose lighting that reflects this. Try simple white wall sconces for a minimalist modern look. Place them on either side of a bed, in hallways, or bathrooms. Wall sconces can be used together with primary overhead lighting to let you control how bright you want the room at certain times.
Center a large pendant light over your living room sofa, dining table, or bed to provide bright light and a clear focal point in your space. We suggest choosing a simple layered drum shade for a clean, modern look.
Place matching pendant lights on either side of your main furniture piece to create balance in your space. For a look of perfect symmetry, we suggest centering them over your living room end tables or bedroom nightstands. Choose pendant lights with pleated shades for a textured look.
LED lightbulbs are a popular choice for modern-style lighting since they provide bright, clean light. These lightbulbs are also energy-efficient and long-lasting, making them ideal for functional modern-style homes. You can select programmable LED bulbs, which allow you to control brightness, color, and schedule lights to turn on/off from a remote control or your smartphone.
Tip!
Check out our guide to learn everything you need to know about LED bulbs and other Types of Lighting.
5. Prioritize Natural Materials
Modern style prioritizes natural materials like wood, rattan, wicker, stone, and metal. This is also true of modern lighting designs as well. Choose pendant lights set in a rattan cage, or bedside table lamps with a natural stone base. These natural materials come in colors that seamlessly mesh with a modern palette.
Pendant lights with wood bowl shades fit perfectly suspended over a natural marble kitchen island. The natural elements in the room, such as wood, copper, and stone accents, play off each other and add depth to this modern kitchen’s neutral color palette. Placing dual pendant lights over the island provides the perfect amount of light for cooking, eating, and other tasks.
Sphere-shaped lighting, also known as orb lights, is often used in modern lighting design. The roundness of the lights adds softness to rooms with lots of sharp lines. Orb lights work great as tabletop lighting, floor lamps, wall sconces, and overhead lighting.
Try a clustered-sphere chandelier for primary lighting in bedrooms, living rooms, or dining rooms. The clustered bubbles create an eye-catching statement piece that pulls a modern space together. Pair this overhead lighting with complementary table or floor lamps for when you want to turn down the brightness.
If you love mid-century modern lighting, you’ll also love this elevated option. Sputnik lights also come in sphere shapes, which look like a cosmic star. These beautiful ceiling lights give major glam vibes, while still falling under mid-century modern style. Center a gold sSputnik sphere in a room drenched in rich jewel tones for the ultimate modern glam oasis. Sputnik sphere chandeliers are versatile and come in bright metallics, which add the perfect amount of mid-century modern glam to any room or in black for a more transitional industrial look.
Geometric shapes are a versatile element that works in mid-century modern, industrial, and modern glam spaces. Choose pendant lamps, table lamps, or floor lamps with bulbs set in geometric-shaped cages. Choose black for an edgy industrial look or metallic for a polished glam look.
Incandescent lightbulbs have an old-fashioned look that is frequently seen in the industrial modern aesthetic. They give off a beautiful golden light, which adds a warm ambience to any room. Compared to LED lightbulbs, incandescent bulbs are a less expensive option. The bulbs are hot to the touch, so they work best suspended from the ceiling or set in metal cages or glass.
Tip:
Want to learn more about Industrial style? Check out our guide: What Is Industrial Design?
12. Channel a Neutral Modern Palette With Black Metal Pendant Lights
Black metal lighting creates a sharp look in a kitchen with a neutral modern color palette. Black pendant lights suspended by black chains work well placed over a kitchen island, dining table, or end table. The black metal shades allow you to use LED bulbs while retaining a chic industrial vibe.
Sputnik chandeliers are a staple of mid-century modern lighting. They work well with any contemporary space while adding a retro vibe. There are many options for sputnik chandeliers with different bulb shapes (usually rounded or cylindrical), different shapes, and different colors. Choose a Sputnik chandelier with incandescent bulbs for a more retro look or one with LED bulbs if you want a bright, modern look that is also energy-efficient.
Dome shapes are a staple in modern lighting design. The curves of glass pendant dome lights create a modern look, while incandescent bulbs give them a slight industrial edge. Mushroom-shaped table lamps give any space an instant modern vibe and are great supplemental light options for bedside tables, living room end tables, or console tables. Dome lights come in many different shades, making them easy to incorporate into any space.
Cluster three or more simple modern pendant lights to brighten up a dining table or kitchen island. This is a great option if you want a bright space without a classic chandelier. Unlike the classic three-in-a row pendant light arrangement, a clustered design concentrates light in a centered space and creates an elevated modern look. Choose classic modern shapes like cone or dome pendant lights.
Tips!
Want to complete the perfect modern dining space? Check out our Modern Dining Room Ideas.
16. Or Arrange Abstract Pendant Lights
Arranging pendant lights allows you to create the perfect modern lighting design to make a statement and fit your unique space. Hang several abstract pendant lights together at various lengths, or choose one pendant to serve as an eye-catching focal point. Get creative and let your lighting serve as functional art.
Go for an elevated industrial look with black metal and copper track lights. Track lights function bestare ideal for lighting above kitchen islands or dining tables – installing a. A mixed black and brass track light in one of these areas gives your modern kitchen an industrial edge with a little added class, making it ideal for any modern kitchen.
Tip!
Interested in track lighting? Learn more with our guide: Types of Track Lighting.
18. Swap Bedside Table Lamps for Low-Hanging Pendant Lights
For an elevated modern look, forgo the bedside table lamps and opt for a low-hanging pendant light on either side of the bed. Not only does this look great, but it also saves you outlet and surface space. Choose smart-enabled bulbs so you can turn them off remotely once you’re ready to get some sleep.
For an elevated modern take on this classic, go for a single-tiered wagon wheel chandelier in sleek black, silver, or gold. The round base and linear placement of the bulbs make this a perfect transitional-style farmhouse piece. Choose one with round bulbs instead of the classic candle-shaped bulbs if you want to make it more modern.
Tip!
Learn more about this transitional style with our Modern Farmhouse Style Guide.
20. Choose a Task Light With a Dramatic Arch
Embrace the curved lines of modern style by choosing a task light with a dramatic arch. These lights are ideal for living rooms and reading nooks because they provide concentrated light for completing tasks like, reading, knitting, or solving crossword puzzles. Choose one with an arch and a dome-shaped shade to create a quintessentially modern lounge space.
