‘70s Lighting Is Trending: Here Are the 7 Styles You're Seeing Everywhere
Lighting can make or break the overall look and feel of a home. It adds a warm and bright ambiance to a space, and is particularly important for enhancing the mood in areas with limited natural light. Statement lights in particular can truly elevate a room's aesthetic. Some of the most popular styles to bring into the home in 2022 are those plucked straight from the 1970s.
The 1970s was an explosion of colours, shapes, and textures. The iconic designs from this time had a definite playfulness to them, and fifty years on, they have reemerged as relevant and popular. At the very end of 2021 Etsy reported a 344% increase in searches for 1970s-style lighting, a trend they predict to continue well into 2022. These lights are often characterised by their curved designs and warm earthy tones.
If you're feeling inspired to inject your home with a bit of playful character and give it a nostalgic '70s glow, this is where you can find some of the best lighting designs.
1. Flowerpot lights
Conceived by Verner Panton, the flowerpot light became synonymous with the Flower Power movement of the late 1960s and was designed to promote peace and harmony. This model became hugely popular and a design icon in the 1970s. The silhouette of the lamp is created by two hemispheres, which let the light reflect down, omitting a soft, ambient glow. Flowerpot lights were originally designed in a pendant and table lamp form, and are available in an array of vibrant hues.
2. Multi-layered lights
Pioneered by Danish designer Poul Henningsen, this round light that's characterised by its multiple layers was a highly popular style to have hanging above dining tables in the '70s. It has a distinctly modern look that works so well in homes today and was designed to diffuse light indirectly so you are never looking directly at the globe. Its pleasant and relaxing glow makes it an ideal design for hanging in dining or living rooms to set the mood. This design is also popular in floor lamp and table lamp form.
3. Mushroom lamps
These playful fungi-inspired designs date back to the '50s but gained traction in the '70s. More recently they have exploded with popularity on social media. Named for its mushroom shape, from the iconic Atollo lamp designed in 1977 by Italian industrial designer Vico Magistretti to the whimsical Murano mushrooms offered on Etsy and beyond.
4. Caprani floor lamps
Designed by Danish manufacturer Mads Caprani AS in the earl '70s, Caprani lights have taken over our Instagram feeds this last year or so. Picture a linen shade folded into accordion pleats, sculptural bentwood stand, and a cast iron, crescent-shaped base. These elegant lights have inspired a renaissance of pleated light shades.
5. Multi-Lite pendants
Designed by Louis Weisdorf in 1972, this layered pendant light plays with geometric shapes. This unique design allows you to individually rotate the shades, so light can be directed upwards, downwards or exude an asymmetrical art light.
6. Atollo lamps
Designed in 1977 by Vico Magistretti, this beautiful table lamp is seen in some of the most stylish homes today. Comprised of a cylinder with a tapered cone, and semi-sphere shade boasts the curves that were so popular in the '70s and has become become a symbol of Italian design worldwide.
7. Entler lights
Seen in the homes of creatives like web designer Puno Puno and cookbook author Julia Sherman, these ceramic lights designed by Jonathan Entler have '70s appeal with their curved, futuristic style. Available in a range of fun colourways, we predict these quirky lights will soon be the new "it" lamp of 2022.
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