Softer looks in lighting prevail

Lighting looks have “softened,” according to both industry watchers and manufacturers, with more fabric shades, scalloped edges, fringe details and opaque white glass, moving the point of interest away from the bulb and toward more decorative elements. Think flirty, feminine and floral.

Softer looks, some manufacturers said, can more easily cross different design aesthetics and broaden appeal, making, say, a more contemporary fixture a little more appealing to the transitional or even traditional customer.

Skirting and flirty hems define the Mitzi Jalissa wall sconce, left, the Patricia Round three-tiered woven coco bead chandelier from Made Goods, center, and Hinkley’s Baya pendant designed by Lisa McDennon, right.

White fabric shades are used in the Ellen DeGeneres Hikari pendant by Visual Comfort, left, and the globe-shaped Mitzi fabric pendants, center. The inverted bundt pan look from Maxim Lighting, right, has a shade made from opaque white glass.

Florals were a popular theme throughout the Lightovation market in Dallas. Here are three examples from  Hinkley.