Is Your Lighting Style Retro, Traditional, or Contemporary?
When selecting light fixtures for your home, you likely want to stick with one general design style to keep the house looking cohesive. This applies to furniture, paint, and lighting fixtures. But how do you know what your lighting style is? We’ve outlined the three most popular lighting styles, retro, traditional, and contemporary, and given you some great suggestions of light fixtures that fit into each of these styles.
Retro
Retro lighting style is a little looser in its definition, as it can be used to refer to any design that is reminiscent of trends from the recent past, typically between the decades of the 1950s and the 1980s. Retro design does not actually take lighting fixtures from years ago, but it creates new pieces that point us back to different times. Retro lighting style is almost a free-for-all, as it can be whimsical, a little more modern, or downright eclectic. Since retro style pulls from various significant eras, its lighting fixtures cover a wider range of characteristics, including bright colors, bold patterns, and more imaginative combinations of colors, patterns, finishes, and materials. This Brushed Nickel Finished Pendant with Cobalt Blue Shades is a perfect representation of a retro style. This Bronze Patina Finished Floor Lamp also makes a statement as a retro lighting fixture.
Traditional
A more disciplined approach to antiquated design styles of the Baroque period, traditional lighting style is refined yet decorative. Excessive ornamentation does not exist within this style, yet traditional style has more design accents and adornments than retro or contemporary designs. Elegance and sophistication are key for a traditional look, while gentle curves and subtle straight lines also add important elements. Simple and tasteful embellishments and basic finishes bring the traditional style lighting fixtures to completion. A great example of a traditional style light fixture is this Satin Nickel Finished Single-Tier Chandelier with Ice Shades. Another option is this Espresso Finished Outdoor Wall Mount with Latte Shades.
Contemporary
Contemporary lighting style generally includes designs from the 1960s to today, but is more so characterized by actual appearance than year of design. Contemporary style typically includes little to no ornamentation, clean lines, and basic finishes with no texture. These light fixtures are generally lighter in overall appearance, and geometric shapes and patterns are prominent. This Mission Dust Bronze Finished Wall Sconce perfectly captures the contemporary lighting style, as does this Brushed Nickel Finished Semi-Flush Light with Frosted Shades.
How do you personalize the lighting design in your home? Are you bold enough to mix and match or have you worked long and hard to hone your style to match? Let us know in the comments!
