Designers Say This Vintage Piece Is the “Jewelry” Every Room Is Missing

Adding personality to your home — even if it’s a rented apartment — is easier than you think. A lot of it comes down to how you decorate to reflect your style. If you want to add a little more character, you can even give your rented space a renovated look with reversible projects, like installing peel-and-stick wallpaper, vinyl tile stickers, and faux wall panel molding. 

Lighting is also a way to give your space a major refresh quickly. Because, guess what? You don’t actually need to stick with whatever landlord-special chandelier is hanging from your kitchen ceiling right now. As part of Apartment Therapy’s annual State of Home Design survey, we asked designers about the biggest 2026 home decor trends. Around 10% of respondents said vintage lighting is what can totally transform your space. And not just any vintage lighting — sconces and torchères especially (with an honorable mention going to chandeliers, like the total beauty in the living room above by designer Maggie Clarke.

“Vintage sconces and torchères from the 1930s to 1950s — bronze, alabaster, or glass, often with poetic silhouettes” are making our spaces feel extra unique in 2026, says designer Jordan Vaughn of Alayna Louise Interiors. With fashion’s current accessory craze, it’s not surprising to see this trickle into the decorating world, with accents, including lighting, creating visual interest and adding literal brilliance to spaces (not to mention flashes of sparkle and shine). 

With this in mind, Vaughn says to think of “lighting as jewelry” when decorating your home this year. Keep an eye out for finer materials, like the ones she mentioned above, which add so much dimension to a space. Just look at the polish and pop of personality this brass sconce adds to the lovely room just by designer Meghan Lewis of Lewis Vaughn Interiors. And know that even if you can’t add new hardwired lighting to your home — which many vintage styles tend to be — you can always fake it with wireless connected bulbs. And torchère lamps can work for anyone, since they’re essentially just grown-up looking, fancier floor lamps. All you need is an outlet!

While local thrift stores might feel a bit overpicked, you can often find incredible vintage lighting picks at antique malls, garage sales, and flea markets. We’ve also had great luck on Facebook Marketplace with this alabaster shell pendant lampshade that transformed our living room for $60. 

Whether you want to replace your kitchen chandelier or are looking for some small accent lamps to add to a bar or bookshelf, half the fun is hunting down these seemingly one-of-a-kind lighting treasures. Look for lamps, sconces, and shades that feel interesting and are a nice play on your personal style without causing too much distraction.