Light YEARS

Lighting design has evolved in leaps and bounds throughout the past century. These are the styles that still hold up today

- BRITTANY SMITH

There was once a time, in the not-too-distant past, when the sunset plunged our homes into darkness each night. When Home Beautiful was first published in 1925, many Australian homes didn't have electricity. As Sue Walker explains in The Untold Story of William Shum, "It was expensive, the supply was unreliable and people were frightened of being electrocuted." HB embraced this innovation, encouraging readers with articles about “the strange new world of the all-electric home”.

The schemes born in that period still inform our homes. We spoke to lighting designer and Bond University lecturer, Dr Susan Lambert, and co-founder of The Montauk Lighting Co, Marie Botsis-Premici, to shine a light on how the past and present mingle with electric yet timeless style.

'20s - 40s

Pretty pendants

There's a lot of charm to the style of lighting that developed in the early days of electricity. As Dr Susan Lambert explains, “Two strong design movements emerged: the Bauhaus and the Art Deco movement.”

Semi-flush mount ceiling lights with glass shades and satin nickel finishes were popular, as were porcelain pendants. The schoolhouse light shade, with its distinctive curved bowl design, is a standout from the period. These forms of lighting weren't just sculptural but practical as well.