How lighting has evolved over time
Though human beings are diurnal creatures, we have always had the need and desire to create our own light when the sun goes down. From the discovery of fire by early man, through to the invention of electric light, we have been constantly developing ways to create light out of darkness; something uniquely human. Let’s take a look at how lighting has evolved over time, and three of the biggest design periods of the 20th century.
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Age of Electrics
Inventors had been working on electric lightbulbs for most of the 19th century with varying degrees of success, but it was Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison who simultaneously but independently came up with a working design for an incandescent light bulb, the precursor to all modern lighting solutions. Both filed patents in 1878 and then joined forces to work on bringing their invention to the general public. This sparked a torrent of different designs coming forward to create elegant lamps in many forms.
Art Nouveau
Most popular between the end of the 19th century and the first World War, Art Nouveau was a style which drew inspiration from nature, and thus many iconic lamps and light fittings were based around flowers, plants or shells. It was a style widely applied to furniture, jewelry and even architecture, and a movement that includes great designers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Eliel Saarinen.
Some of the most iconic Art Nouveau lamps are the beautiful Tiffany lamps. Louis Comfort Tiffany was an expert with fine glass and crafted many beautiful lamps which would become synonymous with the Art Nouveau style.
Art Deco
Overlapping with the tail-end of Art Nouveau and carrying all the way into the 1930s came Art Deco. It was a very positive time with a focus on modernity, glamour and luxury, and it took heavy influence from the geometric designs of Cubism. For a standout example of Art Deco, you need only to look at the Chrysler Building and other skyscrapers of the same period in New York City.
In many ways, the Art Deco period birthed the lighting industry as we know it today because architectural lighting was big business and electricity more ubiquitous than ever before.
Lamps and lighting fixtures took on the same geometric and architectural designs, using quality industrial materials like steel and chrome to form bold angular shapes with strong lines, but nonetheless elegant and still reflective of ideas from the art nouveau movement.
Mid 20th Century
The years following World War 2 brought a new lease of life to the design world. Post-war designs were more simplistic in terms of having clean lines and curves, and often were monochromatic. Take a look at this Poul Henningsen artichoke pendant lamp; while there is still some influence from the Art Nouveau period in the choice to make this lamp resemble an artichoke, the form is more elemental and interpretive.
This post-war period also gave rise to the Minimalist Era which was most popular in the late 1960s. A blend of natural world influence and unprecedented minimalism can be seen in this flower pot lamp of the 1960s.
Mid-century icons
Modern Lighting
Many iconic designs from the past are still widely reproduced today, and the influence of all the movements we’ve highlighted here can be seen throughout many designs. From nature-inspired lamps that borrow from early art nouveau, through to ultra modern LED suspended lighting solutions that build on the mid 20th century minimalism aesthetic, people have more choice than ever before and are less likely to adhere to an overall societal trend. The breadth of choice is exciting and reflects the artistic and industrial journey we have been on over time.
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