"Better Light for Better Sight"

Focus was on illuminating homes for better functionality, less eye strain, and a "brighter" (literally and figuratively) life.

Parallels to Taylorism that emerged in industrial USA and flourished during WWII

Advertisers appealed to women's beauty - argued illumination was better for your looks.

Focus was almost solely on lamps and lamp placement.

Few changes in first half of decade due to WWII.

Housing boom after the war led to innovation and a greater focus on living spaces.

Still a focus on lighting for practical use, better eyesight, and efficiency.

Shift away from lamps and towards ceiling lights, recessed wall lighting, etc.

Fluorescent lights became popular in homes.

Brass/copper/aluminum/steel rationing results in more solid glass components

Fixture advances are mainly industrial as factories and war installations are built

Coloured lighting became a popular trend, highlighting the "colour" of life brought on by prosperous economies and picturesque family values.

The space age brought furniture and fixtures that looked futuristic.

Female beauty returned as a major selling point for lighting products, as housewives had huge buying power.

Scandinavian style began to emerge in Canada.

The explosion of television projected new stories of homes/families.

Some remaining inspiration from the space age, but the love of things futuristic and machine-made begins to subside in exchange for a preference for natural aesthetics, home plants, and open, airy spaces.

Anxiety about the Cold War and inspired a longing for nature, freedom, and the outdoors.

Colours continued to be used heavily.

Mediterranean influences became popular in Canada.

Hanging lights were very popular in this decade.

Design was modern with funky twists and strong colours, made with new materials.

Many trends from the 60s carried over into the 70s. Nature themes were still popular but there was a shift away from wood and towards natural colours and patterns. Chrome continued to be used as the Space Age was still a major social theme, although lines were less sharp and began to be become very curved in the 70s.

Colours and patterns mixed with disco chrome to create a unique blend of designs.

Hanging lights continued to be popular.

By the 70s, light design in the name of functionality and practicality had disappeared; style was the new king of design.

Flower motifs inspired by the hippie movement were common on lampshades and ceramic lamps.

Orientalist/Japanese styling was very popular, including lighting design elements.

Maximalism was popular: detailed design with many colours, elements, shapes and sizes.

IKEA comes on the scene.

Pot lights/spotlights are in high popularity, particularly to add dramatic lighting effects which was becoming popular.

Mood lighting was often achieved by shining spot lights on flat surfaces such as walls to create pockets of light and shadow.

Natural light became an essential tool for lighting a home, as electrical lighting became more focused on spot lighting.

Matching lamp shades/colours to other furniture was popular.

Warm light became very popular as both a rebellion against the neon of the 80s and Pacific/Western looks took over pop culture, where sun/gold were popular colour themes.

Simple decor emerged as the trends shifted away from the maximalism of the 80s.

Natural light became one of the main attraction of indoor spaces.

Several lighting techniques were used in the same room (ex: lamps, windows, spotlights) to allow for versatility.

Cone shaped lamp shades were popular.

In the 2000s, the first iPhones were rolled out, the internet became mainstream, and technology in general started to see its fastest ever development.

In the age of technological revolution, an abundance of light is back in style, to make homes bright and 'modern'.

The introduction of LED lights also make it cheaper and easier to light your home, leading for more light and cooler lighting trends.

Houses in the suburbs were being built larger, making furniture larger, including lamps and lighting systems.

Stainless steel rose in popularity as a building material in the age of technology and as more men became to take on household roles.

Y2K, 9/11, and the recession all led to a want for comfort in homes, leading to more light and accent lighting.

Light as art started to become a trend.

Homes got more "open concept", so huge hanging lights became popular.

Pot lights hit a new high and were not used for highlighting certain spots but instead lighting general areas, replacing track lighting. Pot lights also became smaller and were more abundant for a more even, diffused lighting.

Skylights also made a comeback.

Large geometric shapes were popular designs for lights, especially hanging ceiling lights, in the 2010s.

Hanging ceiling lights were also commonly cylindrical or a thick disc shape.

Lamps are mostly metallic and thin/linear, but the trend is to have less lamps in the space overall.

Some midcentury modern influences returned in interior design.

Living Lighting brand

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a redefinition of our living spaces and a tendency to make our living spaces more cozy and comforting to escape from the world outside. As a result, warm light made a comeback as "modern", cool light from the 2010s fell out of fashion.

Many spotlights were still in fashion, as well as large hanging lights.

Spherical lights and lamps became popular.

More detailed lighting fixtures came into style as the trend moved away from the simplicity of the 2010s and back into a more maximalist style.