Where would light fixtures be if people looked at them
as an assembly
of miscellaneous electrical hardware and glassware, but they don't the
lighting industry is very much a fashion industry. As with any fashion
industry you have trends, styles, and current styles and trends
influencing new designs which starts yet new trends and styles. The style
of your light fixture should compliment your furniture, whether or not
you're following a style theme or just picking what you like, they should
go to together. You don't want colors to clash, or to mix a formal looking
item with a casual looking item. Your local lighting professional should
be able to help you navigate through the style world to make the right
choice for your home, but here is a brief outline of some of the styles
that you might find out there;
TRADITIONAL - They are typically ornate with classic lines, made of
materials that never go out of style. They have a sense of tradition and
heritage.
HI TECH- Black & chrome, sleek straight lines, simple geometric design,
the 50's view of space age.
CONTEMPORARY - Similar to modern with broader range of color and
material, softer lines, more organic form.
TRANSITIONAL - This is somewhere between contemporary and
traditional.
COUNTRY - Casual, warm, a country design usually brings
to mind that
home and hearth feeling. for some it might mean the french
farmhouse,
the english countryside, or just the rough timbers and
ironwork of the
american country.
VICTORIAN - late 1800s style with ornate metal work,fringed
shades,and old
oil lantern type globes.
SOUTHWEST - This is the casual country style taken from
the american old
west with cowboy and native american themes. the colors
and materials
look like they were bleached by the California sun, blasted
by a Nevada
sand storm, and rusted by the Seattle rain.
ARTS AND CRAFTS - This is a style dating from the late
1800's using the
pre industrialized world's hand fabricated techniques,
finely wrought
iron, simple vertical lines, and craftsmanship. It's the
inspiration of
architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.
MISSION- The mission style encompasses the honest handcraft
elements of
Shaker, Prairie, and the Arts & Crafts styling.. It
was inspired by 3 designers, Gustav Stickley, Charles Rennie
Macintosh, and
frank Lloyd
Wright. The Mission style is identified by it's simplicity
of clean
design, and rectilinear form and function.
GOTHIC - A formal look, heavy ornate castings, crystal,
black irons with
scroll work and silk shades,
ROMANTIC/COUNTRY FRENCH - A feminine look, pastel colors,
floral shades,
tassel accents, and fine porcelain.
NEO CLASSIC - Neo Classic design combines the classic designs
of ancient
Greece and Rome with modern finishes. Neo Classic lighting
design fits
in with the Transitional style.
TUSCANY-
COLONIAL/EARLY AMERICAN-simple flowing designs
mostly in brass metals or black
iron, these styles were devoloped in the early years
of the original colonys
the most popular being the williamsburg style of fixtures.
DECO-a style originating from the united states in the
early 1920s ,long sweeping
curves with sharp edges and corners very modern in its day and today is still
considered
to be a contemporary look.