Elevate your scheme with 10 lighting trends for 2025

As 2025 gathers a pace, lighting design is playing an even bigger role in how we experience our spaces. At John Cullen Lighting, we believe lighting should do more than just illuminate—it should transform. Whether you’re a homeowner, interior designer, or an architect, our expert team is here to bring your vision to life. Here Rebecca Nambiar, US Design Director shares her top 10 lighting trends this year, and how they can elevate your space.

We are huge advocates of lighting that enhances not just a space, but also your wellbeing. Human-centric lighting, which adjusts to mimic natural daylight, is a game changer and can improve sleep, focus, and overall mood. This trend is particularly crucial in home offices and living spaces where we spend long hours. With smart controls, switch between warm and cool lighting settings, adapting to different tasks and times of day. If you’re looking to create a space that works with your body’s natural rhythm, our design team can tailor a solution for you.

This isn’t new for us, but we love that it is becoming more commonplace to blend architectural lighting seamlessly into a space, rather than competing for attention. Recessed downlights, cove lighting, and hidden LED strips create a clean, polished aesthetic while enhancing architectural features. This approach is particularly effective in modern and contemporary interiors where less is more.

While minimalism has its place, we’re also seeing a strong move toward bold, sculptural pieces. There’s nothing quite like a show-stopping chandelier or an oversized pendant to add personality and drama to a room. These pieces work especially well in transitional, modern, and classic interiors, where they can act as a focal point. When choosing statement lighting, we always consider proportion, materials, and how the fixture interacts with surrounding lighting layers.

Smart lighting is here to stay and we love how it brings convenience and customization into daily life. Whether it’s voice-controlled dimmers, motion-activated LEDs, or app-based scene settings, these innovations make it easier than ever to tailor your lighting to your needs. By programming pre-set lighting scenes, instantly shift from ‘Relax’ mode with warm, dimmed lighting to ‘Focus’ mode with bright, cool-toned lights. The best part? Smart lighting can be retrofitted into existing homes with minimal disruption.

Sustainability is important to us from conscious lighting design to product circularity, and thankfully, more clients are prioritizing it too. Energy-efficient LED solutions, low-wattage architectural lighting, and responsibly sourced materials are leading the way. We often recommend LED solutions that offer longevity and lower energy consumption, helping homeowners reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining a beautiful lighting scheme.

If there’s one thing we always emphasize, it’s that a single ceiling fixture is never enough. Layered lighting that combines pendants, sconces, floor lamps, and LED accents through joinery lighting creates depth, drama, and functionality.

Moving onto decorative lighting trends, we are increasingly seeing lighting made from natural materials – rattan, wood, linen, and hand-blown glass. These bring warmth and texture, making spaces feel more connected to nature.

Art Deco influences are back in a big way – think geometric shapes, opal glass, and brass finishes – all adding a touch of timeless elegance. Mid-century silhouettes are also proving to be a great way to blend vintage charm with modern spaces. These designs work beautifully in hospitality settings, adding glamour and sophistication to bars and lounges.

Lighting is no longer just functional—it’s an art form. Some of the most breathtaking interiors we’ve worked on feature custom-designed fixtures that serve as focal points in the room.

Whether it’s a metal-framed LED sculpture in a modern home or a handblown glass installation in a classic setting, sculptural lighting transforms any room into a gallery-like experience.

Lighting should be as unique as the space it inhabits. We are seeing more clients gravitate toward colored glass pendants, customizable LED hues, and lighting with subtle pastels or bold jewel tones. A recent project that stands out involved integrating color-changing LED strips into a contemporary home bar, allowing the homeowner to shift between vibrant party lighting and soft, ambient glows.

If you have a lighting design project you’d like us to help with, contact the team today to discuss further.