by Jemma Pearson New lighting designs and high-tech products are providing plenty of illuminating design ideas for this season' fashion-forward home owners.

While lighting technology is always developing, it’s not often that we see huge leaps in the evolution of lights. But right now there are exciting new products and designs for home owners eager to embrace the latest technology. These cool products are leaner, greener and better looking than anything that has come before. Lighting your home is no longer about popping in a couple of lamps and an overhead in each room. If you want to do the job properly, you’ll need a lighting designer to create a story for your space with strip lighting, LED downlights, designer lamps and dimmers and timers. Confused? Read on and be illuminated.

Whether it's a classic modernist lamp or a contemporary one-off piece, the statement light is a must in most rooms

The statement light

Whether it’s a classic modernist lamp or a contemporary one-off piece, at least one statement light is a must in any home. And while a classic chandelier, genuine art deco wall sconce or celebrated Achille Castiglioni Arco lamp will always be noticed, it’s time think outside the box with your statement light. Search out one-off pieces or inspired new designs made from porcelain, paper, plastic or metal. Lamps shaped like eggs, arrows, ice blocks or fruit are fun conversation starters.

Love the LED

Light emitting diodes (or LEDs) have traditionally been used in household appliances, car brake lights and traffic signals, and are still an emerging technology in general residential lighting. But it’s expected that in the future, most household lights will be LEDs. The benefits of LEDs over other lights are that they have a longer lifetime and better performance, and some products can be used to replace halogen downlights, which consume a lot of energy.

Strip please

While LED downlights provide general illumination, LED strip lighting is becoming more affordable and is a great way to highlight architectural features in the home. Offering an even distribution of light, LED strips produce an uniform glow without casting shadows, and are appearing in many homes trailing along bookshelves or in kitchen cupboards. Placed under each step on a staircase or positioned along the ceiling, LEDs will light the way without over-illuminating your interior spaces. And the great thing about LEDs is the vibrant colours that can be produced from these lights – you can even buy ones that change colour. We are used to seeing these in restaurants and clubs, but home owners should not be afraid of injecting colour under kitchen breakfast bars, along hallways or paths, or under tables.

In control

The light itself, and not the thing that switches it on, has been the focus of aesthetically minded home owners, but a new range of good-looking light switches is transforming the way we view flicking on the switch. New colours and finishes are just the beginning. High-tech ‘switches’ are not switches at all, but use touch-sensitive technology. Like a mouse pad on a laptop, these light controls allow you to turn off and on multiple lights with the swish of a finger. Other ‘smart’ switches use movement sensors to turn on lights when you enter a room. And outside, solar-powered security and garden lights are the way to go.