by Jemma Pearson We take a look at the latest designer lights that are injecting some sparkle into the interior design scene.

While light bulb technology

is moving towards creating energy-saving products that are leaner and greener, the light fittings themselves are taking a decidedly more aesthetic road, with sculptural forms and tactile, natural materials resulting in a wave of light fittings that are sexy, pretty, fun and quirky. These new designs are not just functional interior elements that illuminate, but talking pieces that demand attention in any room of the home.

Hanging around

Energy-consuming halogen downlights have dominated in homes for the past decade. But these directional lights are a greenie’s enemy number one, and let’s face it, they’re not at all aesthetic. For these lights it’s all about the light itself and not the place it comes from that matters. But the new wave of light is all about look-at-me pendants, chandeliers that challenge convention and wall lights which do anything but blend into the scenery. Ceramic pendant lights in an endless array of forms and styles are popping up in all the desirable homewares stores. You’ll find pendants shaped like eggs and melted glass, teardrops and cylindrical shapes.

Shaping up

The romantic forms appearing are more sculpture than light fitting, either hung from the ceiling as a pendant, attached to the wall or just sitting on a side table, coffee table or bench offering not just light but a conversation starter. A glob of meshed wire is actually a wall lamp, a cluster of ceramic fish is not an elaborate art installation but a chandelier, an intricate origami arrangement is a pretty pendant, and a collection of jagged opaque blocks isn’t a clump of carved ice but a table lamp. These designs are not merely to provide illumination to the home, but illumination to the mind and soul. They are timeless, idiosyncratic, eccentric and bold.

Material world

Paper, fabric, ceramics, anodised aluminium, plastic, fibreglass, resin and, of course, glass are all being shaped into beautiful lights. Lighting designers are playing with materials that defy convention. Optical fibres are manipulated and formed, blurring the lines between light fitting and light source. Paper lanterns, a nod to Asian tradition, are worked into new, durable forms for the contemporary Western home. Steel lamps look as delicate as paper, while fabric cylinders appear heavy and unyielding.

Green is good