Designer wall lights

Classic and creative streams of light

The world of wall lamps has never been as diverse as it is today which is also down to the ground-breaking developments made in LED lighting technology and what designers are able to do with it now. Find out why this technology is so popular with designers, get to know different styles and discover the most classic of pieces!

Why do so many designer wall lights use LEDs?

Since their arrival on the scene, LEDs have transformed the way designers work, providing more design freedom due to their compact size. “We used to be restricted by the light bulb and had to build around it,” explains Gigi Ranica, founder of Knikerboker, in an interview with Lights.ie “Now you can build the lamp as you designed, aware that in the end, the LED can be fitted without a problem.” Designs with LEDs are not only “much simpler”, as Ranica says; they’re also stylish, modern and even futuristic.

This doesn't compromise the brightness of the bulb in any way – it’s just much more subtle than the large glass bulbs previously used.

Which designer wall lights suit which rooms?

Bedroom

Ultimately a bedroom should be an oasis of calm, a place where you can retreat and relax – not just a place where you sleep. That’s why it’s worth adding designer wall lights – it’s a dash of luxury, something special that really enhances the ambience of the room.

If you have an eye for design, be adventurous and try something different – perhaps an oriental style from By Rydéns or a wall lamp from iconic British designer brand Anglepoise.

Living room

The living room – a place of real prestige – is where you can impress your guests by showing off your designer wall light from Northern, Ingo Maurer or even Swarovski.

But it’s also a space that epitomises comfort, a room to sit comfortably on your leather sofa or read in your favourite armchair. For that you need suitable lighting – and it needs to be adaptable to suit whatever you’re doing.

This is where dimmable wall lights come in to play. To save yourself the trouble of installing external dimmers, consider modernist EasyDim lights which can be dimmed using a normal light switch on the wall – yet another form of modern design!

Hallways & staircases

Designer wall lights that connect to motion detectors are a perfect fit for hallways and staircases. This enables your stairs to be illuminated as you climb them, but remain in the dark when not in use.

This is useful for a number of reasons – namely in that it improves safety, saves on electricity and conserves bulb life.

LEDs are of course the ideal light sour when it comes to choosing your designer wall lights, or any other light for that matter, because this fantastic technology provides 100% brightness – immediately!

Bathroom

The bathroom is a little bit more difficult for designers as they have to comply with the requirements for bathroom lights in terms of IP codes to protect against water or foreign objects.

In bathrooms, the light itself often used as a design element, such as LED strips that illuminate mirrors coming in different colours. Or smart bulbs that can switch in the blink of an eye from practical lighting for applying make-up or shaving to a purple tone for a relaxing bubble bath.

Which styles come designer wall lights in?

When it comes to designer wall lights, there’s an infinite variety of styles possible, creativity ultimately knows no bounds.

Companies like Masiero even make links between styles – in this case, between classic and modern. “The classic a bit more modern, the modern a bit more classic,” says Enrico Maria Masiero in an interview with Lights.ie

You could, for example, try to embody Italian design, which combines extravagance with classic elements and values artistic tradition. The way in which a designer brings this vision to life is different every time – sometimes in gold, sometimes in white, sometimes playful, sometimes modern.

Nordic designs are no less experimental, but are more down to earth and in touch with nature, utilising more wood and prioritising functionality. Anyone who thinks that this might restrain creativity has another thought coming!

What are the design icons when it comes to wall lights?

Over the years, some designs have become timeless lighting “classics”**. The Tolomeo by Artemide is a prime example of this – a light that’s been consistently in demand since the year it was created. Others go out of favour but come back into demand, as was the case with a number of Bauhaus lights such as the Wagenfeld table lamp.

Some classics come from Scandinavia, including from the world-famous brand Louis Poulsen, while others created an entirely new category of lights when they were first made, such as the first arc floor lamp Arco from FLOS in 1962. Today, designer brands like KARE create exciting lighting innovations that quickly turn into modern classics.

No matter your taste, you’ll find a creative world of designer wall lights to rediscover time and time again!