It’s Official: 2019 is All About Globe Lighting

We pay special attention to lighting. The glitzy chandelier featured in that historic house tour. Those coastal-inspired pendants along the bar at that airport restaurant. The single Edison bulb that illuminates your favorite hotel’s bedroom.

“Lighting is one of the most important parts of a design—both the physical fixtures, as well as the quality of lighting,” says Dan Mazzarini of BHDM Design. “It sets the tone, mood, and ambiance of a space, and can literally take a space from day to night.”

But over the past few months, we’ve noticed a huge uptick in globe pendants. You know, those ceiling lights that feature one (or a few!) large, minimalist glass circles. Simply put, these lights are everywhere—and we mean everywhere, from your coworking space to that cool, new restaurant right around the corner from your apartment.

Minimal with the slightest retro touch, these lights are both unapologetically feminine and effortlessly cool. But why do they seem to be everywhere?

We asked a few lighting experts and it’s unanimous: Globe lights hit the sweet spot between modern and classic, making them a versatile way to light up a room.

“What makes the globe so appealing is its timeless, classic design—think schoolhouse,” says Gale Singer, founder and president of Circa Lighting. “The globe is great as a flush mount, pendant, or chandelier. Alone, one can be used as a statement piece in a small area or multiples where space allows.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time globe lights were all the rage. Interior and home product designer Brett Beldock dates this phenomenon back to the 1970s, when curved shapes were on trend.

But make no mistake, they are back with a vengeance. For her collaboration with CB2, Beldock even designed a globe light inspired by a restaurant inside Chicago’s Ambassador Hotel.

Trends may come and go, but the globe light is one fad that has some serious staying power.

“It’s so easy to live with,” Beldock explains. “It may have something to do with being comfortable with what we know. We are used to looking at the sun and the moon, [and] the orb light is a shape we see every day.”

Of course, a globe light’s versatility and timeliness put it at risk for becoming so ubiquitous that it loses its luster. If you’re looking to shake things up, Mazzarini suggest adding some color.

“You can easily paint these fixtures to be more colorful (and color-coordinating) for a room,” he says. “We’ve also had electricians change the cord on lamps for us.”

Because after all, a good light has the power to make or break a room.